How much should you pay for a resume service?

You decided you want to work with a resume writer or purchase career marketing services. The important question is: “How much should you pay for a resume service?”

How much should you pay for a resume service?

You may be thinking “as little as possible”, or you didn’t know people wrote resumes for a fee. You have no idea of what a resume service can cost. You may not know where to start looking or what a fair price could be.

How do people find resume writers?

Ask your friends or colleagues. Most of my new clients are referrals. Referrals can come from other clients, my coaching team, or other resume writers. Word of mouth is incredibly important in the resume writing world. If the resume writer doesn’t have referrals, it could be a sign that you should keep shopping because that can mean that their product is less than stellar.

How should I evaluate a resume service?

The first step is to check out the website of the resume writing service. You are looking for several things.

How does the website look?

This one is tricky because you can hire someone to put together a great-looking website and still not be a great service provider. But if you can navigate it easily, you are heading in the right direction. Next, evaluate the website for the following criteria:

Is the resume writer (s) listed?

You should find a bio of the resume writer or resume writing team on the website, usually on the About page. You want to know who you will be writing your resume. If there is no one listed, it might be a resume mill, churning out templated resumes without capturing your unique value. Ironically, they can hide under a great-looking website.

Is the resume writer certified?

While certification isn’t the only measure of a great resume writer, it does say they took the time to evaluate their skills and have them validated by global teams of resume professionals. Three of my certifications come from Career Directors International and you can search their Find a Resume Writer or Career Coach page to ensure you are hiring someone with credentials. You can also reverse engineer the process and select your resume writer directly from the CDI website.

Are there resume writing samples?

While some resume writers don’t post samples, pay particular attention to those that do because they are not afraid to show their work. You want to know what the product looks like. Check out our sample page. I will tell you that keeping current samples on a website is hard work. Website samples are real clients, but they must be fictionalized to protect our clients. You should see samples that make you want to explore hiring a resume writer but not necessarily one that fits your career path.

Do they list prices?

In my case, the prices for the packages are fully disclosed and you can buy your package directly from the comparison chart. Some resume writers prefer to quote prices based on your background and career level. I personally cannot do that; I prefer you to know upfront what the investment will be.

What should I pay for resume writing?

The price range for resume writers is huge. In addition, many resume writers (including me) bundle services. The bundle can be composed of many different items. I would evaluate the packages and their contents to understand how the writer works. My strategy is that I want you to have the tools to be successful in your job search. I view LinkedIn as essential to today’s job search but our Essential has much more than just the resume and LinkedIn. Check out the packages.

Design Resumes packages start at $1297 for the Essential package but I also am multi-certified, have years of experience writing resumes for a wide range of clientele, and work hard to stay at the peak of my profession. There are many writers who charge more than I do. Pricing strategy is determined by many variables. Compare the offerings in the packages and the qualifications of the writer.

Personality matters too. You should like your resume writer. With me it is even more critical since you and I work together on the project, writing with you as an active participant in the process. This is unusual but the way I prefer to run my business. In most cases, you will not have one-on-one contact throughout your project with your resume writer.

When you evaluate resume writers and resume writing services, keep in mind the tips I gave you in this article. You should evaluate much more than price and treat it like a major decision.

Think about it this way. Hiring a resume service gives you the potential to land your next role doing something you love to do. You will earn much more than the investment into your resume. Since I work with a wide range of clients from new graduates to C-Suite executives, my clients earn anywhere from $50,000 to $1 million+. The investment in my services is a fraction of the potential salary even for one year. Are you worth it?