Should You Use a CV Writing Service?
This seems like a strange blog post title for someone who owns and operates a CV writing service. I’m going to surprise a few people by saying that the answer is no, you don’t need to use a CV writing service if your CV is working for you, assuming that you have the necessary skills to write an effective CV.
The purpose of the CV is to get you interviewed, the purpose of the interview is to get you the job. If you are getting interviewed for job roles that interest you and are of the right salary level, then you do not need the services of a CV writing service. Many people find a friend or family member who is willing and able to help them write the CV and sometimes this can be a great option. If you know a recruiting professional who has the time, energy and expertise to help you then go ahead, get that CV written.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve lost count of the CVs that I’ve reviewed that have been written by so called career professionals that simply won’t get people the results that they deserve. Of course, I’m gentle with people and let them know what needs to be done to improve their CV and in some cases never hear from them again. I really do hope that they listen to hat is being said to them and take some action; however I somehow doubt that is the case.
People don’t like being told that what they are doing is wrong. I tell my children that if they want to lose weight, take advice from a skinny dietitian, not a fat doctor who just knows the theory and won’t take their own advice. In life, you have to be careful where you take your advice and the world of CV writing is a perfect example of this. There are many CV writing services out there who will seemingly get you the job that you deserve and some charge as little as £30 for a Professional CV.
Be honest, what do you think that you will get for that price? Will you get five or six hours of work from an experienced and successful professional or will you get the CV written up by someone who can format a document in MS Word? You really do get what you pay for in life and the price you pay is a decent indicator of the service that you should receive.
When I started in business six years ago, a friend was working for one of the major CV writing Services. They paid him between £25 and £35 to write the CV, paid around 30% commission to the website that referred the client to them, another significant percentage to the sales person who took the original query and were targeted and paid commission on the sale. For a professional CV, their prices varied between £500 and £1000. You might think that you were getting a great, professional service, the truth is somewhat different.
So, do you need to use a professional CV writing service? No, you don’t; however if you do, please make sure that you are getting a professional service, not a second rate word processing service. You deserve success in your career, give yourself the very best opportunity. The CV really is the difference between being interviewed and rejected.
Author: Glenn Hughes
I’m a professional CV writer who also writes website content, LinkedIn profiles, helps people with bespoke job applications and more. I’ve been writing for the internet since 2009 and have many published articles.
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