"I have a two page resume and just had it professionally written. It has been 11 months and only two interviews with no luck. I have submitted literally hundreds of on-line applications with not one hit."
Results: Not how much money the resume writer has made selling their services but how much success the resume writer's clients have had in the marketplace. This is the way to measure a resume writing service's value.
Methodology: Is the resume writer delivering 1980s or 1990s resumes because that's all they know? Stop hiring these people if they haven't gone to the business recently to find out what the business wants in a resume. Times have changed. Therefore, the methodology behind creating a resume should have changed too.
The Clock Is On: If your resume can't be reviewed successfully in 10-15 seconds by a decision maker, your participation in the game could very well be over.
Visual Scan: If your resume can't be visually scanned from top-to-bottom in a matter of seconds; game over. Resume reviewers are extremely busy and data-overwhelmed people. They are much more likely to visually scan your resume upon first glance than to read your resume. If your resume does not scan well, it likely not be read at all.
Applicant Tracking Systems: If a resume writer does not have or has never seen the inner-workings of an Applicant Tracking System, run away. Your resume will be stopped at the gate if it does not play nicely with an Applicant Tracking System.
Pretty Resumes: Pretty resumes are not necessarily effective resumes. As a resume reviewer, I'd rather see a text resume that clearly demonstrates Accomplishments, Contributions and Value than to see a pretty PDF formatted resume that is loaded with fancy fonts, boxes and symbols that don't play nicely with my Applicant Tracking System. Don't be fooled by pretty.
Audience: If the resume writer does not intimately understand your professional audience, run away. Your resume is about you but it is for someone else 100% of the time. Your resume must be written for it's audience to understand with ease.
Interpretation: The more technical your skill set is, the more likely it is that you have built a resume that requires the audience to interpret. Stop it! The burden of interpretation should rest on your shoulders. Your audience should be positioned to enjoy the journey of getting to know you without having a dictionary handy.
Mobile Friendly: Hiring authorities often travel. If your resume does not display clearly on a mobile device; game over. Your resume might be reviewed by a hiring authority while they are sitting at the airport when they review your resume.
Clean, Clear and Logical: Your resume should be built to match up with the order in which a hiring decision maker is looking for information. In order to understand this, a resume writer either had to be a hiring decision maker or they have to have worked with decision makers over an extended period of time to understand their thought process when they review resumes.
Resume and LinkedIn: Is the resume writer telling you about the importance of aligning your resume's message with the message you're sharing on your LinkedIn profile. If they're not, they should be. You are being visited on LinkedIn whether you know it or not. Make your visitor's first impression count.
Results (2): Opinions are great. Everyone has an opinion. Look for a resume writer who delivers results that matter to you. Be sure your resume writer's approach to writing resumes is built on prior results and not just an opinion. Make sure the resume writer you hire tells you what you need to know and not just what you want to hear.
