Employment Articles

Should I Hire an Expert To Write My Resume?

May 11, 2007

By Perri Capell
From The Wall Street Journal Online

Question: Do you recommend having a resume professionally written, and if so, what Web sites do a good job with this? My thinking is that professionally written resumes must be very similar, with the same wording and appearance.

Answer: Recruiters and hiring managers often can tell when a resume has been professionally written, and some are more receptive to them than others.

It's fine if executive candidates submit resumes written by specialists, says John Zwieg, director of staffing for Fremont, Calif.-based Logitech Inc., which designs and manufactures computer accessories and other electronics.

A resume should grab and keep a recruiter's attention from the start, Mr. Zwieg says. Some executives "don't do a good job of presenting themselves on paper" and need help creating enticing documents, he says.

But he advises technical professionals to craft their own because some resume writers reduce the documents to one page. Usually, a two- or three-page resume does a better job of describing a technical candidate's accomplishments and skills, Mr. Zwieg says. "I usually want to know more about project life cycles and other things they've done, and that can be wordy," he says.

Mark Jaffe, president of Wyatt & Jaffe, an executive recruiting firm in Minneapolis, says he dislikes professionally prepared resumes since he finds they leave out critical details. This is because many resume writers haven't worked as hiring managers and don't know what employers are seeking, Mr. Jaffe says.

"They have their own ideas about what will look great, but unfortunately, they aren't in the game," he says.

A resume should be concise and factual, Mr. Jaffe says. To show candidates what to include, he wrote and posted on his Web site a fictional resume for Mr. Burns, a character on the TV comedy, "The Simpsons."

"It is a detailed resume going back to Mr. Burns's degree from Yale in 1918," Mr. Jaffe says. "It shows the format you should use."

In defense of resume writers, Deborah Dib, an executive coach and resume specialist in Medford, N.Y., says candidates receive more than a written document from hiring a professional. Working with a specialist helps people pare their careers to the most meaningful accomplishments and identify their value to employers, she says. "That's what you're investing in," says Ms. Dib.

Where do I stand on this? If you've struggled unsuccessfully to put together a resume, it might make sense to ask a professional for help. As someone who has written resumes for others, I know how difficult it is for some people to identify the important things they did in past jobs and their value to future employers.

Realize that companies or Web sites that charge low fees might, as you suggest in your letter, turn out hundreds of look-alike products or be lax on quality. But many job seekers can't afford the $300, $500 or even $1,000 that Ms. Dib says better resume writers charge.

For cash-strapped job hunters, attending a workshop on resume preparation offered by a local job-search club, government agency or at a job fair might be helpful.

CareerJournal.com has many articles that describe in detail how to construct a resume. Mr. Jaffe also recommends the resume-writing advice in "Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+" by New York recruiter John Lucht.

If you decide to hire a professional, be sure to interview at least three resume writers before making a selection. Like career counselors, resume writers aren't regulated so anyone can hang out a shingle.

Some specialists are certified by one or more professional organizations, which means they have passed accreditation tests, worked in the field for a period of time, or met other standards. Ask those you interview about their credentials and background.

Also, ask if they have experience with candidates at your level and in your industry; the process they use when working with job seekers; what services you will receive in return for your payment and what will cost extra. Be sure to request names of past clients and always call them for a reference.

Have a question about job hunting or career management? Send it to Perri Capell. If you don't want your name used in our column, please indicate that. Due to the volume of mail received, we regret that we cannot answer every question.