What's the real price of a Résumé Writer?

Résumés

When it comes to looking for a new job, a résumé is largely the greatest weapon in anyone's arsenal. But now, with unprecedented levels of layoffs punctuating the recruitment space, even the most qualified candidate is having to learn a thing or two about résumé management.

Step forward the Résumé Writer. Though, as Frank Fox, executive director of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers (PARW), reveals, fees can vary widely, evidence does show that résumé writers are becoming increasingly popular in helping jobseekers find a new role.

That's because, as more and more candidates enter the recruitment field, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stand out on just a sheet of paper.

The key then is for jobseekers to learn how they can utilise the necessary skills featured on their résumés in a way that recruiters can not only easily view them, but also be impressed by them - thereby offering a potential candidate an interview, instead of leaving someone to be lost forever in an oblivion of paper résumés.

And that learning curve, it seems, can be more easily achieved with a little bit of professional help - albeit at a price.

For mid-level professionals (executives costs significantly more), for roughly $150, a résumé writer will take hold of a candidate's résumé and "spruce it up".

The job of a résumé writer is essentially to make their client's résumé look more professional and ensure that the presentation of information goes from looking "average" to "outstanding".

Achieving this often involves doing things such as making changes to the font size and format, as well as improvements such as summarizing the client's duties into paragraph form and highlighting accomplishments through bullet points to make them "easy to skim read."

While all these things seem pretty obvious tricks, they are commonly overlooked by candidates. And what's really interesting is that the guidance from a résumé writer seems to really help.

According to CNNMoney.com today, one out-of-work sales guy from Damascus, Md., who was laid off in April and had expected to find work quickly, was instead eventually forced to call in the expertise of a résumé writer.

The result? Well, after several changes to the résumé, he got five call backs and immediate interviews. Two weeks later, he had an offer.

So what's the real price of a résumé writer? Potentially, in monetary terms, not much at all - and what's even better is, if it leads to the job you really want (or need), it could well prove to be one helluva return on investment.

29/09/09

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