4 Ways to Avoid Paid Resume Writing Scams

This is just wrong! You need a job, not another paid resume writing scam. At a time when you have the money to fix up your resume, professionally, the last thing you need is people looking to take advantage of your situation.

Sadly, resume writing scams have been around far too long.

With more and more “resume writers” appearing daily, it has become increasingly important to know how to spot resume scams.

Below, we offer tips on how you can avoid these scams in order to find the very best resume writing companies in existence!

Sign – Too good to be true:  There is no doubt that a good resume can generate interest and lead to an interview. Yes, even with online job applications. However, if someone guarantees you, “Our resumes will 4x your interviews every time!” run the other way.

Flip Side: While resume writer satisfaction guarantees are fine, make sure to read the fine print. A company offering to rewrite your resume if you are not receiving interviews in 60-days is perfectly fine. That’s just an outstanding level of customer service.

Sign – Abnormally low or high prices and no explanation:  Resume services can range in price from low-ball ($100) to through-the-roof ($3,000). With no guarantee that your paid-for resume will lead to results, you must question why something is either “not expensive” or “way too expensive”. If there are no details explaining the cost, something strange is happening.

Flip Side: It’s true that more often than not a $1,000 resume is going to be more effective than a $100 resume. However, this is not always the case. Make sure to read customer reviews, and learn about your writer’s credentials in order to justify the price you will be paying.

Sign – Lack of human interaction: Think about it. How will anyone be able to create a great resume for you, if they never spoke one word to you? How will they know what your resume should really say if you never even told them the type of job you wanted? Walk the other way if the only thing you get is robots and live-chat consultations.

Flip Side: Many high-quality resume services do not offer in-person visits. That’s perfectly normal. We live in the 21st century. At the very least your writer should be scheduling a phone consultation with you and/or having you fill out a resume worksheet in order to receive the necessary information to write your resume.

Hey, as mentioned above, this person is about to write your resume that gives details into your next career move. It is a good idea to speak with your writer or a representative of the company. Find out the following:

• What is your experience with writing resumes for people in my industry?
• Can you provide examples of previously written resumes?
• Do you have any reviews from past customers on third-party sites?
• How did you get into the profession of resume writing and how long have you been doing it?

If the person you are talking to is not proud to answer these questions above, this is a sign the paid resume writer has something to hide. It would be a good idea to avoid such a person in order to avoid a potential scam.

One example of a person to contact would be the founder of Find My Profession, Mike Podesto. He has a LinkedIn following of more than 50,000 business professionals who trust his insight on the topic of resumes. There are also resume writers who approach him in order to be featured in a guest blog on his website.

There are also associations like the National Resume Writers’ Association or the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Even though expertise credentials are great to see, it certainly does not make a resume writer perfect just by belonging to a group. Certifications are usually indicators that a person has passed a test or taken some form of training. So, as with advice in #2, it is always better to interview the people you contact.

And if all else fails, go to trusted third party sites like Sitejabber and Trustpilot. DO NOT trust reviews that are posted directly on the company website. These are easily written and added by website owners.

To save you some time, we have compiled a list of the best, honest, non-scammy resume writers in nearly every major city in the U.S.

Find a trustworthy resume writer in your city.

The hidden gem of a resume writer is always worth much more than the resume mill that produces the same type of product every day. The resume mill-type resume typically outsources their work and uses a generic templated approach.

In today’s world, being unique and something no one has ever seen before matters. Every business wants the next best thing or the person who is on top of business trends. Some resume services put out the same product time and time again, but each person’s career path is his or her own.

You want your resume to be the product of the hidden gem. The fact that you found a hidden gem of a paid resume writer indicates you know the true definition of a professional resume.

In short: If you have the financial means, avoid high-volume resume mills and look for a writer who will take the time to work with you 1-on-1 to custom craft your resume.

To wrap up, here is a summary of everything we discussed in this article.

1. Find a resume writer within your budget that offers some sort of guarantee (read the fine print). Try to speak to a real human a the company before submitting your payment information.

2. Once you’ve decided on a company, contact them directly and ask any and all questions you have. If you aren’t sure what to ask, a great place to start would be by asking the questions that we provided above.

3. Make sure the writer or organization you choose has a public reputation. Is it hard to find any information about them when you Google? Do they have reviews posted on third-party sites?

4. Unless finances are a major concern, invest in your future and avoid resume mills. Resume mills are high volume, they typically outsource their work to another country, and their resume writers are very under-qualified.