Resume Cost - Top Three Factors to Consider when Looking at Resume Pricing

Good work is not cheap work. What is true for the mason you hire to tuckpoint your stone fireplace is doubly true for the writer you hire to craft your resume. On the low end of the scale, you can certainly find a writer who'll take the job for $20 or $30 bucks, just as you can find a worker who'll throw cement on a wall for a minimal wage. The end result is not likely to be something you'll look upon with pride. And in the case of the resume, the prospects for your next job are hanging in the balance.

Consider these three factors when deciding fair cost for a resume writer.

Resume Cost, Factor 1 - The Writer's Chops

Being good at something requires skill and experience. In the case of resume writing, beyond basic word processing and the technical ability to write, that skill is primarily a sales and marketing skill. Many so-called resume writers are little more than typists with no discernable talent for translating work histories and job accomplishments into marketing language that sells the client in the face of tough competition.

Certification? Yes, that's helpful - at least you, the prospective client, can see that the writer has hurtled himself over some minimal bar of industry standards. That minimal bar is particularly applicable with respect to resume formatting and layout and such. But don't mistake industry certification with proof positive that a particular writer has the necessary marketing chops. Factor it in, but keep in mind that certification alone does not make the writer. The ability to write good marketing copy makes the writer. And that's an ability that's difficult to test.

Resume Cost, Factor 2 - Time & Attention

Your resume is going to take an objective, third-party writer two hours to write. Maybe three. And that's after accumulating all the information he or she needs to understand you and your career goals. That "accumulating" is likely going to take place by requesting that you first fill out a detailed questionnaire covering the basics of your work and educational background. Secondly, (and this is where the bare-bones resume factories are separated from the real pros) your writer will arrange for a twenty or thirty minute interview via phone to explore further. All told, your writer is undertaking a time commitment of three hours plus. And time is money.

Resume Cost, Factor 3 - Guarantee

The strength of a company's product can often be measured by the strength of their guarantee. With resume writing services, those guarantees range from the non-existent to a guarantee of interviews. All other things being equal, the resume writing service that guarantees your new resume will generate interviews within thirty days is a resume writing service that is confident of their writers and the workmanship they put out. Making good on such a guarantee is usually a matter of re-writing the resume at no additional charge. As you might expect, the additional time required of a resume writer to fulfill the occasional "no charge" re-write will be factored into the initial price. Still, that seems a small price to pay for the assurance your phone will ring with an interested company looking to schedule an interview – and all based on your resume.

So, What Should A Professional Resume Cost?

Let's cut to the chase. For a credentialed resume writer with marketing abilities to take the time to learn about you over the phone, to craft a polished resume that can compete in the marketplace, and who will back up his work with a guarantee, expect the finished product to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of...

- $90 to $150 if you're a recent college graduate or someone seeking an entry-level position,

- $150 to $200 if you're a mid-level professional with 2-5 years of relevant experience under your belt,

- $200 to $350 or more if you've got executive-level experience or a highly technical or complex work background that will require extra attention.

The cost of a professional resume is not going to be chump change, but it shouldn't take a second mortgage, either. And keep things in perspective: each week, each month out in the job market with a sub-par resume is another week, another month without a paycheck.

Now, those are the serious dollars.

David Alan Carter is a former recruiter and the founder of Resume One of Cincinnati. With an intimate understanding of the value of a well-crafted resume, David currently reviews and ranks the Top Resume Services on the Web. (Note: David's "Top 3 Picks" are resume writing services that actually guarantee interviews.)