Is it worth paying someone to rewrite your resume?

Question

Hubby has posted his resume on Monster but hasn't heard much. He's thinking it must be a problem with his resume. Is it worth getting someone from Monster to rewrite for $200 or are there other services out there we could use?

Answer 1

I would advise your husband not to pay someone to write his resume for him. There are plenty of free sites and "sample" resumes out there that he can borrow from. Depending on his job field he may even find a sample resume with a work history similar to his.

I used Monster this summer when trying to find a job when my wife was transfered. I was not impressed at all. About the only thing I ever saw on there were insurance salesman opportunities. There is another website that I checked out briefly called Careerbuilder but it has a lot of work from home gimmics on there.

Basically I don't think that it is your husbands resume as much as it is the amount of people using Monster and employers impatience when sifting through those users.

I would recommend going to your local office depot or office max and getting a high quality bond of paper....I bought one that said.. Resume Paper..LOL...printing his resume up on that and mailing it in a legal envelope to potential employers. That way they have something in their hand to look at rather than subconciously clicking past his resume on line.

Another sure bet is to go directly to companies websites that he is interested in working for and finding their job or career link and uploading an application or resume there. He could even email it directly to the Human Resource director if you find that email link.

I don't know what your husband does or wants to do but working for the Post Office is great and has great job security despite all the stereotypes of people going crazy. It's really hard to get on there but if you go to the Post Office's website you can apply to take a test for a number of different positions. You are called for the test and hired based on your results. There is no buddy buddy and who you know type scenario invovled there.

So....sorry to be so long winded...but have him tweak his resume with a few fancy words...but don't overdo it...just state the responsibilities he had at his last job(s)...maybe state a few accomplishments as well....the real thing is still being persistent though...just like in high school when you we would call up the theater or mcdonalds and pester the manager...well, have you made a decision? Are you hiring? Can I have a job? LOL.... It worked for me....and I just spent 10 years running various companies and had to fall back on that routine after a long hard summer looking for work....

It's tough right now but keep your head up....things will work out.. Good luck to both of you....I hope he finds something he loves! If Ican help with the resume I'd be glad to....I don't know how you can contact me through this but I'll look over it for free. I've hired dozens of people before....maybe I can offer a few suggestions.

Answer 2

It's absurd to spend that kind of money, when you can get self-help step-by-step books that do this so well for maybe $20. If that.

There's no particular magic to writing a good resume. Or rather, there is only the rather pedestrian (ahem!) magic of putting yourself in the reader's shoes. Be the HR person who is going to receive this in your mind, and do the thought experiment. What do you want to know about this person? You have a job you need filled, it would be real nice if he listed as his "goal" EXACTLY the job title you have listed. So use the magic of word processing to put that in. Write a different (though mostly the same) resume for each job title.

Now, you can spend some $200 having a pro do it, and still have to feed that pro the information he needs, or you can take that information and a $20 book (or a free software from the Internet, if you're quick with such things), and present himself to the person who has to hire for the job you want. He can do a better job than a professional to write his own resume, with your help, and the exercise will help him understand how to present himself in an interview.

Sorry, I've mixed up pronouns all over this. But the ideas should come through. Forgot I was writing to a "third party," i.e., wife. You're not really a third party, of course; you're his partner. You and he can do a great job of working through a step-by-step book (they're really very easy), or a template in Microsoft Word, if you know how to find the right one. Don't pay a stiff fee for that.

Answer 3

Rewriting the resume might be a good thing, but not for $200.
Instead check with a local Business teacher at a nearby college and get them to read it and offer suggestions. Offer to pay them, then take the suggestions and rewrite it yourself.

Since a lot of companies ask essay questions now if the resume was written by a third party it will be obvious. If you write it yourself it will give a better impression.

Answer 4

This is the most interesting question of the day.

It is worth it if the resume provider can offer guaranteed job interviews. Not just any job interviews but interviews with Fortune 500 Companies.

Most of the resume providers out there are free lancers or ex-HR executives. Many don't even know they're writing about. What you need is a resume provider that offers guarantee. Not just money back guarantee but a 200% Money Back Guarantee.

Is there such thing as a 200% Money Back Guarantee? Apparently there is a company that is good enough to offer that..



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Infinique Technologies
http://www.infinqiuetech.com
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The No.1 Professional Resume Provider with 200% Money Back Guarantee.Guaranteed Job Interviews with Fortune 500 Companies.

Answer 5

I am a professional writer, and I write good resumes. $200 is way too much for a 2-page resume.

I would charge $30-$40 for a standard resume, depending on complexity of resume. The only payment option with me is PayPal, because such a small amount cannot be wired.

Although I believe most people can write their own resumes, after all who knows better about your hubby than you and him. But, in a professional resume, we write in terms of industry STANDARDS, and that makes the difference. E.g. I would think of a very different resume pattern for a medical professional, compared to a customer care executive. For an Engineer, I would write more on technical skills.

A winning resume always stands out from the rest of the litter. Imagine yourself to be HR of a company, and you have to sort through 100's of similar resumes. It's an awfully boring job. The exceptional resume, when it comes out suddenly, catches the attention of the HR person, because it's unique. It projects the right qualities of the person, for desired job.

Most people who register with Monster.com, usually get two resumes made. One for Monster profile, and one for that ONE GREAT company that invited them. For the latter, you have to do some RESTRUCTURING, and the professional resume writer understands what exactly needs to be done.

If you are interested, I am available at [e-mail]

Answer 6

$200.00 seems a bit steep. I think it is worth it to go to a resume writing class. This will force him to go through his own work history and learn how to organize and present it in the most appealing way possible, and will give him skills to apply to future resumes, or to update his resume or reevaluate it according to the type of work he is looking for. For example, I have two resumes; one which emphasizes technical skills and the other which emphasizes administrative skills. Of course, now I'm thinking about pursuing a career in the medical professions so that will require a third resume, as soon as I build up some work history in that field! I was laid off a job and my company hired a resume consultant to give a class to the people being laid off. Some people didn't attend because they were too upset about losing their jobs. I attended and there were only 4 people so I got a lot of personalized attention. It was the best think ever for my resume. Not only did I end up with the best resume, but the consultant's company provided a free printing service and you could request professionally printed copies up to a certain number, at no extra charge, plus the computer disk the copies were made from. So, if you're thinking of spending $200.00, don't just turn it over to someone else to do (they may not do as good a job as you like) but take a resume writing class.
Good luck and I hope he finds a job soon!

Answer 7

If a bad resume means no job offers, and a good one means job offers he wants, it seems to me that $200 is cheap enough. There are a LOT of services out there, some know what they're doing, some don't. Depending on what experience he has and what he's looking for, using an agency like Robert Half might be expensive, but pay big dividends in what he winds up with.

A few points about resumes to bear in mind, though.

One, they don't get you hired. Interviews do that. Resumes get interviews, if they get into the right hands.

Two, you may need more than one resume, to tailor to the kind of jobs you want. What's appropriate for one job may be a killer for another.

Three, a way to circulate the resume and get feedback on improving it at the same time is shop it to people that might have influence, and just ask for feedback. Not asking for a job, just "do you think this is good, how can it be better" and if they know someone, so much the better.

Answer 8

Unless they can give you a money back guarantee where they will refund the money if you don't get a job, I would keep the $200.
If you have Microsoft Word, the program has some templates for different kinds of resumes. They set up the format and give you pointers on what kind of information you need to put in each section.
If you don't have Word, type the words "free resume templates" in you search window and you will find several sites that give free templates as well as cover letter templates and interview guides. The sites listed below are just a few to start. Do your research and you can get a lot more choices. These templates are actual examples of resumes and you just put your information in. Since you already have all the information, just transfer your husband's information into the resume templates and you will be ahead of the game without giving up $200.

Answer 9

The answer to your question is - no,...

In fact, the best resume examples can be viewed in a typical Typing Textbook. You just have to resist the compulsion to add flourishes of personalization. Which WILL only give obscurity to the body of information that is essential to a resume.

He's got to minimalize to the barest essentials prior history and credentials. When someone skims his resume, they don't want to read a novella. They are looking for pertinent information that they require for the position they need to fill.
If they see gobs of paragraphs, its a sure bet they will skip it and go to the next resume.

Sure, you or he could shell out a couple hundred bucks for what you can do yourself by borrowing a Typing Textbook from the Library or someone with a textbook, for next to nothing. Its your choice.
Even when you do have a professional do it for you and you see it for yourself, you'll realize they you just got conned. And threw away that money that could of been used for something more practical. After all, monster is also someone else's business - they will make their profit in one way or another, not that they really care who they profit off of.

The Choice is up to you when it comes down to it.

Now, he needs to post his resume on more than just one site, if not all, . . then at least three or four others.
To get better results, because not everyone does their searches on Monster exclusively. Depending upon what kind of work he does, will affect the type of potential employment search engines, potential employers will use.

Remember, a potential employer needs to sort out the common kid with no experience and little education from those with more experience and better credentials.

Good luck babe.

Answer 10

First, if he is sitting around waiting for something to happen on Monster, he is going about this the wrong way. He should be networking and submitting resumes that way. He can also go to a headhunter if he is in a position that warrants that type of service. Having someone tweak the resume for $200, nope, I used to charge between $25-75 depending on what needed to be done. If you go to the library, there are many great books that show you how for free. Or use a career centers materials, which is where he can also search for a job listing.

Answer 11

Your local employment agency should be able to help with that. Alot of times they even give free classes on how to do this and some other things that could help in looking or getting a new or better job. I would never pay someone $200 dollars to rewrite my resume. It seems like a huge waste of money. Surely you have a friend or even some software that could help. Good luck.