Choosing a resume writer is one of the most important career decisions you’ll ever make. A good resume writer can set your career upward by positioning you as a highly hireable, in-demand business asset. An ordinary resume writer can stall your career by making you look identical to every other candidate in the marketplace, downplaying your experience and forcing you to pick from leftover job openings. It’s important to remember that when you engage a resume writing service, you’re expecting more than your career history neatly typed up on a page. Instead, you’re looking for a strategic marketing tool that can shift the power balance between you and a prospective employer. A great resume writer will give you a competitive advantage over other candidates by helping you see yourself through an elevated, commercially meaningful lens.

Pay specific attention to the resume company's branding. What does it sub-communicate –“I’m a professional, modern brand” or “I look amateurish and am overdue for an update”? Next, evaluate positioning. Is it clear and confident? Or is it vague and "me-too"? Can the company express its unique difference without falling back on generic platitudes like “#1 resume writer in Australia”? Finally, read through the team's LinkedIn profiles. Are they generic, lifeless, dry, and propped up by clichéd phrases like “Jane has achieved significant success in various roles and projects….”? Or are they precise, engaging and crisp?

To compensate for their lack of commercial grit, CV writers often inject your resume with hyperbole and hollow, generic facts. For example, "Highly motivated and performance-driven accountant with 10 years of experience in various-sized companies." A sentence like this wastes precious real estate on your resume. Being a highly motivated and performance-driven employee is what I call "table stakes" - not a differentiator. Instead of writing things that make people's eyes glaze over, a CV writer must explain "why you", showcasing your unique abilities and points of difference.

Very important. Yet, sloppy, difficult-on-the-eye resume design is very common. It persists because of an often-cited (yet wrong) idea that resumes with graphics are rejected by applicant tracking systems. In reality, modern applicant trackers can parse relevant text while ignoring graphics.

Broadly, Australian resume writing services operate at 3 price points. 1. Resume Mills ($70-$500). These high-volume operations focus on spicing up the language of your resume and cleaning up its layout. They pay minimal attention to positioning and branding. Work is usually offshored to employees who spend 15-45 mins on your resume. 2. Mid-tier resume writing service ($500-$2,000). You can expect your resume writer to have a stint in recruitment, admin, HR or communications under their belt. They will reshape your achievements and sharpen your profile (with varying degrees of success). 3. Top-tier resume writing services ($2,000 and above). Expect a small team of hand-picked professionals to build a custom marketing campaign that distills your value and aligns it with your desired career direction. Your resume will contain a commercial narrative.

Yes. If you're unsure whether the resume writing service is good enough, speak to a representative over the phone and probe for cracks. Don't be afraid to ask difficult questions. Tell them about your current career challenge and see if they can offer intelligent, nuanced advice. Does the person sound "at your level"? You'll be able to tell a difference between a salesperson rehashing platitudes and a career expert with an ability to solve complex problems.

The authenticity of testimonials on a resume writer's website is almost always impossible to verify. A more reliable sign of credibility is a substantial number of positive reviews on Google. This platform includes checks and balances to ensure that reviews are authentic. However, Google reviews can also be fabricated. Thankfully, they’re often easy to spot. Fake resume writer reviews will often be written by the same person and will inherit their preference for sentence structure, tone, punctuation and rhythm. They will also tend to repeat talking points that the business owner finds important. For example: "At first, I was concerned about the cost, but now I’m glad I’ve decided to spend the money on a good resume writer." I recommend reading 5-10 reviews and paying close attention to the language. Note that the absence of a photograph in a reviewer’s profile isn’t necessarily an indicator of inauthenticity. Due to this work's sensitive nature, clients often prefer to remain anonymous. However, be wary when the profiles of most (or all) reviewers lack photographs. Again, look for unnatural patterns.

No. The correlation between resume writer certifications and competence isn't high. You'll find terrible resume writers who are certified and good resume writers who are not - and vice versa. If you're confused by the different acronyms, here's a quick overview. Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW) and Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW) are Australian-based certifications. Beyond Australian borders, you're also likely to encounter NCRW and NCOPA - certifications from the USA-based National Resume Writers Association (NRWA). I don’t have any of these certifications, nor do any of my team members. And we don’t intend to get them. We believe that these certifications aren't adequate as we've seen hundreds of them flop in the market. In fact, about 25% of our clients come to us after hiring a certified resume writer and being disappointed.

No. A good resume writer will be able to work with you remotely, regardless of whether you live in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra or overseas.