Why the hell are resumes so expensive?

The great and amazing Dan Roth posed some GREAT questions about paying for a resume writer and - while we know we are tooting out own horns and touting our own product - these are our answers.

Here are our answers:

1. What range should job seekers expect for a good resume?

Probably $300 - $1200 depending on bells, whistles, and your level. It takes Morgan ~2 hours to write a mid-level resume and can take 2+ days for an exec.

2. What goes into the resume writing process that validates that sum?

They should be working closely with you in a number of ways to get the real story and detail behind your work. If you were great at writing out your achievements you wouldn't be paying them so part of it needs to be a verbal conversation, but the written information makes a great base.

3. What is the core difference between a good resume writer and a bad one?

The first writes resumes that recruiters/hiring managers like, the second writes resumes they/you like.

You are not the target demographic!!!

Often crappy resume writers have great reviews because people leave those right after getting a document they feel looks nice but before they discover that it doesn't work.

Because we work as active recruiters, and Michele is literally interviewing candidates all day, we KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON TODAY in the hiring market. Our work changes, it evolves as the market does.

Also, anyone who doesn't shut up about ATS if full of sh!t. ATS is a thing, but only a small, small part of it.

As the wonderful Amy Miller says, "I am the ATS bot." machines are not rejecting your resume, people are rejecting your resume.

We could talk about ATS all day, but we don't want to...

4. What questions should job seekers ask before choosing who to work with?

How long have you worked in recruitment?

What types of roles do you recruit for?

How will this resume get through the bots? (that one is a trick question - if they answer seriously RUN)

Do you guarantee an interview? (again, a trick - if they say yes - RUN).

Who will actually be doing the writing? (most of the big companies have teams and/or outsource some to non-English speaking countries)

What happens if it doesn't work?

5. What is the average return on investment for someone that applies with a hack resume vs a truly professional one?

Resumes aren't magic bullets. They're PART of the solution. Ours include resume, cover letter, basic LinkedIn content, and a quick LinkedIn how-to. If you don't get all of that you don't have the tools you need.

You don't have to get them all from your resume writer, but without all of that you're looking at lower return. In general, our clients get 300-400% increase in response/interest after we do their resume. That's about right.

So, long story less long... you don't have to buy a resume from us, but if you are shopping for a cheap solution, remember you get what you pay for.

One of our favorite things to do is TEACH YOU how to do write the resume.