Throughout my 30 years of writing résumés on a professional basis, I have been asked, on numerous occasions, the following question: ‘Why should someone spend money to use a professional résumé service?’
To answer this question, I begin by extolling the many virtues of using a professional service, such as hiring someone who knows what they are doing, ensuring there are no résumé mistakes or errors, and getting the job done right.
As for the use of a résumé service, I always focus on the idea of objectivity. I must have heard clients say, ‘I can write other people’s résumés but not my own’ over a hundred times in my career. Simply put, most people cannot be objective enough about themselves to properly present their education, experience, accomplishments and qualifications in a résumé or CV.
That being said, I always ask the client a follow-up question: ‘If the résumé lands you a job, is it not worth the expense? Does it not pay for itself almost immediately?’ This line of reasoning never fails to convince them.
While all of the reasons and rationales above are true, they are only valid if a person chooses the right résumé service. And there are quite a few out there to choose from. Therefore, with that in mind, here is a look at the top 20 best résumé writing services.
1. CareerAddict
Naturally, this list of top résumé writing services begins with our site. There are numerous advantages to using CareerAddict’s résumé services, as we offer the following: one-to-one email support and collaboration, free unlimited revisions for 30 days, an ATS-friendly document with both Word and PDF copies, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Our résumé writing packages cover every stage of your career, from entry-level to executive, with a wide range of extras available, including cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and alternate versions of your résumé, all at affordable rates.
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2. TopResume
This website boasts substantial credentials: a network of more than 1,500 writers, with specialised experience in 65 industries, who have helped over 600,000 clients land more interviews and get hired faster. And they back their service up with a guarantee: if a client does not receive twice as many interviews within 60 days of receiving their résumé, TopResume will write it again, free-of-charge.
3. Monster
Professional résumé services can be expensive, but with Monster, you can upload your existing CV or résumé and get a free assessment.
Once you’ve uploaded it, you will receive an email with feedback within two business days. If you like the suggestions, you can then sign up for their service and have their professional résumé writers help you with revising your document, as well as your cover letter and LinkedIn profile.
4. ResumeGo
This site sets itself apart from others through a unique methodology: a data-driven approach to résumé writing. To optimize your résumé and, ultimately, your employability, ResumeGo conducts extensive research and analyses hundreds of thousands of résumés submitted to job openings in numerous industries. This helps them determine what writing techniques give your résumé the best shot at standing apart from others.
Furthermore, there is also a money-back guarantee, with no conditions and no questions asked for up to 14 days.
5. James Innes Group
The James Innes Group, which began in 1998, offers a wide range of career-related services, including career and interview coaching, job application writing, and personal branding services, as well as CV and résumé writing.
Its founder, James Innes, is one of the world’s leading résumé experts and best-selling careers author, who gives his personal guarantee that his group will work with you until you are 100% satisfied with your résumé.
6. PurpleCV
With an impressive 4.9/5 Trustpilot Score, PurpleCV is one of the most reliable services you could use. Furthermore, it offers several features that are not usually available from professional CV services, including unlimited revisions for 12 months, a two-day turnaround, 24/7 service, and most impressively, a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not happy with the final outcome, PurpleCV will edit and rewrite it until you are.
7. JobStars USA
JobStars USA is a Chicago-based provider of résumé writing services and career coaching for professionals across all industries and seniority levels. They specialize in building ATS-friendly and visually appealing résumés that capture the attention of hiring managers, are loaded with relevant keywords, and are compatible with technology systems. There are three résumé writing packages to choose from based on your needs and budget. All three packages include a full consultation by phone as well as unlimited revisions for up to 30 days after reviewing first drafts to ensure your complete satisfaction with the final documents.
Led by Doug Levin, a certified professional résumé writer with over 10,000 hours of résumé writing experience, JobStars USA also offers cover letter writing services, LinkedIn profile optimization, one-on-one career coaching, and résumé distribution for sending your résumé to recruiters.
8. The CV Store
Based in London, The CV Store has been servicing clients online since 2001, and they have working partnerships with job sites and recruiting companies worldwide. In addition to providing ATS-friendly and editable professional résumés, their services include both targeted and general cover letters, unlimited revisions for an entire year, and completion times as low as 24 hours.
9. Naukri FastForward
While most online résumé services work with their clients through email or via standardised forms, Naukri FastForward offers its clients a toll-free number, as well as a chat feature, ‘Job Search Assistant Online’ for a more personalised collaboration. They also offer both text résumés and visual résumés, which are recruiter-friendly and feature visually appealing graphics, such as a career path timeline, to catch the eye of the reader.
10. Resumes Planet
While many online résumé services offer their clients a guarantee, Resumes Planet offers several, including complete satisfaction, no hidden fees and, most impressively, the promise of a job interview.
If you do not receive an offer for an interview within one month of receiving your completed résumé, they will rewrite it for you until you are satisfied.
11. ZipJob
This site’s approach to preparing résumés has a modern twist. In addition to having one of their experts write your résumé, ZipJob also scans it using the same ATS technology utilised by most employers today.
By doing this, they can optimise the keywords within the résumé so that it performs well in ATS scans, a point at which employers reject approximately 75% of résumés.
12. LiveCareer
For those job seekers who want to create their own résumé, LiveCareer offers a valuable, and unique, resource: their free résumé builder. Simply answer a few questions about your background (experience, education, credentials), select a résumé template, and the résumé builder does the rest, organising your information and putting it where it belongs.
Of course, if you prefer, LiveCareer also offers various résumé, CV and cover letter packages, all created by professional writers.
13. Find My Profession
As with other sites, Find My Profession offers CV and résumé writing, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles and job search assistance. However, their writing services are categorised by specific job sectors and levels, including C-Level executives, federal résumé writing (for government employees or aspiring government employees), and CV writing for US and UK clients. This approach provides a more personalised type of service.
14. ResumeGet
The résumés created by ResumeGet have all the features today’s job seeker could want; they are professionally written, keyword-optimised and ATS-friendly. Furthermore, you get two versions of the document: a PDF for printing and a DOC version for ATS scanning. As an added incentive, first-time users on this site can get a $15 discount just by entering their email address.
15. Careers Booster
As a member of both the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches and Career Directors International, Careers Booster offers each of its clients a résumé writer with experience in their specific industry. This allows the client to collaborate with someone who understands their field and knows how to present their experience to potential employers. And as with ResumeGet, first-time users can get a 15% discount just by entering their email address.
16. CareerPerfect
With more than thirty years of experience, CareerPerfect is one of the longest-running professional résumé sites. They are also the exclusive résumé service for high-profile career websites such as Monster and Military.com. In addition to providing résumé services from a team of top writers, CareeerPerfect also offers detailed résumé advice and even e-tutorials for those who wish to write their own.
17. StandOut CV
StandOut CV provides the job seeker who wishes to write their own résumé with a valuable resource: hundreds of résumé samples which they term as “interview-winning.” The samples are categorised by industry and career level, and the site also offers various tips (i.e., “Write a Powerful Profile,” “Break Text Up”). Of course, StandOut CV also offers a professional writing service, the process of which begins with a free review. And there are video testimonials from customers on the site to attest to the success they have achieved by using StandOut CV.
18. HigherEdJobs
As its name indicates, this website is focused on higher education careers, including faculty, administrative and executive positions. Their résumé writing services are provided by another site that is also included within our list, TopResume, which offers special discounted pricing to HigherEdJobs clients.
19. Bayt
As one of the top job sites in the Middle East, Bayt offers Arabic translation as an add-on for its services, which include résumé writing, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles. They offer packages for every career level, and their site includes sample résumés and testimonials from past clients.
20. The Fuller CV
The Fuller CV specialises in achievement-led résumés developed with your input via a ‘skills probe’ questionnaire, a telephone call or a Skype consultation with a professional résumé writer.
In addition to their stand-alone writing services, they also offer various consultation-based packages and virtual career coaching and virtual outplacement services. These packages also include a résumé preparation service.
21. iHire
Like many online résumé services, iHire offers placement assistance and boasts corporate clientele such as Walt Disney World, Marriott and Whole Foods Market. What makes this site unique, however, is its targeted approach to résumé writing and placement.
The site matches your résumé to others from that same field that have been successful, then recommends necessary revisions, which can then be made by one of their professional writers. iHire also features 65 industry-specific sites, such as iHireAccounting or iHireEngineering, which feature job listings and other resources pertinent to that field.
Final thoughts
As you search the sites above, you will notice that another advantage to using a professional résumé writing service is that many of them also provide career coaching and placement services, leveraging partnerships with both recruiters and employers.
As such, they are well aware of the types of résumés which hiring managers prefer.
Have you ever utilised any of these, or any other professional CV and résumé writing services? Are there any services you would recommend? Let us know in the comments section below!
Originally published on September 14, 2017.