Pros and Cons of Paying Someone to Do Your Resume

A candidate’s resume is the first thing their potential employer learns about them. It should be able to catch the recruiter’s attention and convince them that the applicant is, at the very least, worthy of an interview. So it’s not surprising that many job seekers are considering hiring a professional resume writer. If you’re one of them, here are some pros and cons of doing so.

Pro #1: You Get a Resume That Increases Your Chances of Landing a Job

Hiring a professional to write your resume is, first and foremost, about increasing your career prospects. When a job seeker thinks, “should I pay someone to write my resume for me,” they’re questioning their resume-writing abilities. And rightly so. Even the most competent employees might not know how to write a truly winning resume. Investing in professional help is brilliant.

An essential thing about resume writing that many job seekers don’t seem to realize is that it’s not just about their competencies and work experience. Even a candidate with excellent skills and background for the job might look like a bad fit unless their resume is written well. In turn, a mediocre applicant who has hired someone competent to write their resume might look like a perfect person for the job.

Con #1: It’s an Extra Expense

The most apparent drawback of paying someone to write your resume is, well, paying. If a job seeker is out of a job and doesn’t have much savings, the idea of spending money on something they could theoretically do themselves may seem reckless. A lack of a job means a lack of financial security, so any extra expense is a risk.

Luckily, it’s possible to find a professional resume writer without breaking the bank. There are excellent resume-writing services that are more than affordable. Also, hiring a resume editor instead of a writer is always an option. Editing tends to be cheaper than writing from scratch. So it’s an excellent opportunity to save a bit if you have at least some resume writing skills and can write a rough draft yourself.

Pro #2: You Save Your Time

Another benefit of paying someone to write your resume is that it helps you save a lot of time. It’s common for job seekers to think, “A resume is just one page of text. It won’t take me too long to write it.” But they couldn’t be more wrong. To land your dream job, your resume needs to be flawless. A lot of time goes into background research, writing, and formatting.

A candidate who hires a resume-writing professional has more time to do other essential things that go into a successful job search. You can research employee reviews of the companies you’re considering. You can also prepare for job interviews by studying common interview questions and appropriate responses. As a result, you’ll be better prepared than if you spend all your time writing the resume.

Con #2: You’ll Need to Be Careful to Choose a Truly Professional Service

Not everyone who offers to write your resume has the necessary skills to do it well. Some job seekers try to pay as little as possible and end up with a poorly written resume that might harm their career prospects instead of helping them. Hiring the writer with the lowest rate you can find on some freelance platforms is tempting, but it rarely ends well.

Luckily, finding a professional resume writer who knows what they’re doing isn’t difficult. You can’t go wrong with one of the leaders of the industry akin to Skillhub, TopResume, or ResumeGo. Such services typically have large teams of writers. This ensures that no matter your industry and career line, you’ll get a resume writer familiar with all the ins and outs.

Pro #3: You’ll Learn About the Up-To-Date Resume Formatting Standards

Hiring a professional resume writer is also an investment in your resume-writing skills. If it’s been a few years since you last searched for a job, your idea of a good resume is likely outdated. Resume writing and formatting standards keep changing. What was perfectly fine three years ago is considered a faux pas today.

The resume an expert will write for you is a great sample to use in the future. You’ll need to edit it to include new work experience and meet the changing resume formatting requirements. But editing a well-written resume is much quicker (or cheaper, if you decide to hire a professional again) than writing a new one. Your future self will appreciate your decision to pay a professional resume writer today.

Con #3: The Tone of Voice Might Be Different from Yours

When you’re paying someone to write a resume from scratch and only give them brief information about your skills and experience in bullet points, they might not be able to capture your writing style and tone of voice well. So there’s a risk that you’ll end up with a resume that doesn’t feel like it belongs to you.

This problem is easy to solve, though. First, don’t try to pay as little as possible, and hire a real professional from a well-known resume-writing service. Your career is on the line! Also, give your writer a few text samples that showcase your writing style well. This way, it’ll be easy for them to adjust their style and tone of voice to yours.

Final Verdict

Overall, despite the costs, hiring a competent resume writing service  is 100% a good idea. But remember that not everyone who offers you to write a resume for a fee is a professional. Your resume is what will land you job interviews.

So all job seekers should be willing to invest time in finding a professional resume-writing service instead of hiring the first person who offers to help. If you do, you’ll have a fantastic resume and a chance to get the job you’ve always dreamed of.