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I know what you’re thinking, “I can do this myself.” But trust me, when it comes to writing your resume and helping you land that job interview, there’s nothing better than an online resume writing service. You don’t have to spend hours trying to figure out how to format your document or find a great headline for your career summary. They’ll do all of the hard work for you.

So how do you decide on which service to hire? Here are some helpful tips for finding the best online resume writing service for your job search and free resume critiques to make sure it’s perfect!

  1. Look for trust seals on their site.

Trust seals are great indicators that an online resume service is reputable and will deliver top-quality work. A trust seal signifies that a business has been deemed trustworthy by an independent authority, such as TRUSTe or BBB.

  1. Before signing with them, check out the company’s website.

Check out the company’s website to see what they have to offer you. Does their work look professional? Check their sample documents. Are they helpful, easy to read, and error-free?

  1. Request several resumes from each company to compare.

It’s always best to request several resumes from each company you contact. The more comparisons you make, the better chance you have at choosing a professional writing service that will help you out.

  1. When checking out a company, ask for a free resume critique.

A free resume critique is an excellent perk to get when looking for an online writing service. It gives you a chance to see their process and how they write resumes. Make sure it’s an honest resume critique. Don’t settle for a “free consultation,” which means they will send you a form response telling you what your resume needs, but without specifics or concrete examples that show how they will help you out.

  1. Check the customer reviews

It’s always a good idea to check out the customer reviews if a company offers them. Look up the company on any website where you can read reviews (like Yelp or Google). Don’t discount the poor reviews if they are primarily complaints about shoddy work. Some online services have horrible customer service and problem-plagued writers who quickly send you an unfinished product.

  1. Ask about customization options

Some online writing services don’t have the time to customize resumes. They will offer you some basic template, and then that’s it. That means you have to go back in and fill in all the same information for every job you apply for. Is this service more focused on customizing your resume to the job you are applying for, or do they take their templates and write generic resumes?

  1. Find out if their writers are native English speakers

It’s always best to find out if a company’s writers are native English speakers. There will be some accent on your resumes, like spelling errors and sentence structure flaws if they are not. Native English writers are better at writing in the language they grew up using because they don’t even have to think about it. They know precisely how to say things perfectly every time.

Avoiding fraudulent resume writing services

To avoid fraudulent resume writing service scams, learn to identify companies that might be of high risk. Some red flags include:

  • Roughly written website content with a lot of spelling and grammatical errors
  • A lack of available information, including what services they offer or the qualifications for their writers (in other words, any detailed info on who is running the company)
  • Promises made by salespeople in order attempt to get you to sign up right away
  • Unfounded claims about how great your life will become if you use their services.

Red flags like these are common with companies that provide services that are hard to verify, like online resume writers. While nobody will be able to say for sure whether or not a company is a scam, these red flags give you some idea of what to look out for. If you have any doubts about a company, do your research and keep it in mind as you’re making your final decision.

Some companies will make false promises and say they have former employees from a specific company (e.g., Google, Apple). It may not be true, and the company will try to get you to sign up by presenting themselves as an authority. When in doubt, do your research or contact the company directly.

Companies that provide resume writing services should never ask for any money upfront from their customers. They should also be offering a money-back guarantee that allows you to return the product if you don’t like it. If you can’t bear the product, something might be ‘fishy’ about the company.

In Conclusion

If you’re sick and tired of spending hours researching the perfect resume format or struggling to come up with a headline for your career summary, it may be time to partner with an online resume writing service. You should check this out. They can help take care of all of the hard work so that you don’t have to do anything but provide them some information about yourself.

Also, be mindful of red flags when looking for online resume writing services, as they may lead you to fraudulent companies. If you do run into any trouble, search for the company name on a review site or business lookup website so that you can get more info about your potential service provider. If all else fails, consider hiring a professional resume writer.