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Lesson 2: Now Do It!

Resume Services: Pros and Cons

Resume Services are where “professional resume writers” write your resume. This can include Employment agencies where they guide you in your resume, to ones that you buy the resume of choice.

I’m all for anything that helps someone complete a major project, but I am against “buying” a ready made resume.

In February I was asked to help a major food packaging company hire a current Mechanic Apprentice. Their pay was within the range for apprentices, the work was good experience for their (apprentice) eventual full time employment. Nothing outstanding. Over three hundred applications were received – 100 were thrown out due to having nothing to do with being an apprentice. The next 100 were thrown out due to major grammar errors and time errors, lack of being in a recognized apprentice program, or not having the proper papers to work. Out of the last 100, only 10 were chosen. However, FOUR had identical resumes – same education, same places of work employment, only the names were changed to protect the innocent. I did not even bother with a “thanks but no thanks” letter to these people. Obviously, these people had bought their resume.

Some resume writers may change the job title and year to suit you, but what about the info? Is it really you or is it from somewhere else – does the responsibilities sound like what you did or only vaguely?

Now, that does not mean that all Writing Services are like that. Just be careful. There is nothing wrong with using one – some have excellent people that will help guide you. In live courses I help guide the participants myself. And remember, the resume must still sound like it was written by you, or at the interview the discrepancy will be noted and the interview will end, as will your chances for that job.

The key word here is guide/suggest/expand – not write for you.

This is your resume. Get all the help you can, get all the guidance you can, get all the comments and editing you can, but ultimately, the work must be done by you.

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