Read This Before You Have Your Resume Professionally Written

I speak to a lot of people who want to have their resumes professionally written. Many of them want to know why some resume writers charge $100, while others can charge up to $2,000. Why is the price difference so great?

To add to this confusion, there’s also the question of  “personal branding strategists“. Specifically, who are they, what exactly do they do and how do they differ from standard resume writers?

Before you commit to having your resume professionally written, either with the help of my resume writing service or those of a competitor, allow me to shine a light on these questions.

1. Costs Of Professional Resume Writing.

Personally, I prefer to buy products and services that are at the higher end of the market. Not because I’m rich, but because I:

• Enjoy dealing with people who are excellent at what they do.
• Have an innate appreciation for products that are well made.
• Find that top-notch products and services usually (and counterintuitively) save me money in the long-term.

It’s one of the reasons why I use a Mac Book Pro. It’s why I frequent Kylie Kwong’s restaurant in Sydney’s Potts Point.

It’s also why I listen to music on my Sennheiser HD25 headphones, which I bought when I was still in my 20’s.

They haven’t missed a beat for over 10 years – and they sound better than the (cleverly marketed, but technologically inferior) Beats. No pun intended.

In my opinion, having your resume ‘professionally’ written by a cheap resume writer is an exercise in false economy.

To learn more about nuances of resume pricing, take a look at my guide to choosing the best resume writing service.

2. Awkward Truth About Personal Branding.

If you decide to have your resume professionally written, you’re likely to encounter someone who claims to specialise in personal branding.

Do you need a personal branding strategist or a traditional resume writer?

In short, you need both.

Personal branding, in its ideal form, equips you with the right tools to succeed in this world.

The process of personal branding requires a unique skillset which sits at the intersection of marketing, human resources, copywriting and design – all of which are backed up with a hefty dose of commercial acumen.

Trouble is, most resume writers attempt to piggyback off the personal branding trend by calling themselves “personal branding strategists” – yet continuing to approach their work in the same way as they did back in 1995.

I know this because I regularly receive enquiries from people who have had their resumes professionally written by well-known ‘personal branding strategists’. They enquire after their resumes fail to produce results in the job market.

Worse, many of them ended up with resumes that pitch them at a lower level of seniority.

For example, I recently spoke with a bona fide CFO who had been applying for roles using a ‘professionally’ written resume which positioned him at the level of a Financial Controller. He wasted four months on applying for wrong roles, through no fault of his own.

I get quite disturbed when I witness situations like these. Your career is an asset that you’ve built over a lifetime. I urge you to choose carefully, and find a resume professional who can manage your career with the level of professionalism it deserves.

– Irene