Choosing a Professional CV Writer

The 10 things you should do before making your decision.

#1 Check out the CV Writer’s credentials.

Ask about the CV Writer’s experience of writing a CV in your profession.  Make sure you know who will be writing your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and that it will not be sent to an unknown person.

#2 Ask what company offers you as a satisfaction guarantee.

Ask how many changes you can make to your CV and whether or not there is a measurement of success.  Ignore satisfaction guarantees such as ‘9 out of 10 people get a job’.  Your CV is just a CV and it does not replace you.  The CV is only used to generate a positive response from your applications.

#3 Pay for a CV Assessment beforehand.

Before spending several hundred pounds on a professionally written CV, get your current CV checked first by the same company.  It is a good measure of their professionalism and expertise.

#4 Will the company also help you with your LinkedIn profile?

No job application is complete without a LinkedIn profile these days.  Ask whether a LinkedIn service is included or offered.  Also check the CV writer’s own LinkedIn profle.  If they have under 500 connections and no endorsements, it doesn’t say much about the person.

#5 Be careful of the word ‘FREE’.

Unlike Career Consultants CV Analysis, many FREE CV review sites add a little bit of small print that allows them to distribute and sell your CV to third parties.  Be very careful about this inclusion.

#6 Does the CV writer write for a living?

Check out the CV writer to see how well they write.  Do they for instance have published books to their name?  Are they a recognised blogger or contributor to magazines and articles?

#7 Ignore claims about being Members of Employment Agency Federations etc.

A CV writer needs to be separate to an employment agency for legal purposes.  An agency cannot charge job hunters for services.  Also CV writing is not part of any employment agency syllabus so including it is irrelevant.

#8 Make sure you can talk to the person and that you have a point of contact.

It is best that technical information is shared by email to improve accuracy but some questions are better answered over the phone.

#9 Ask about turnaround times.

You would expect to get a first draft of your New Look CV within a matter of days, not weeks or hours.  It takes time to create a professional CV so bear this in mind if the company you are looking at are promoting unbelievable turnaround times.

#10 Don’t be fooled by pricing based upon your job grade.

Whether you are starting out or the Chief Executive of a Plc, you expect to be treated with the same respect.  Some firms like to charge premiums based upon job grade.  A flat pricing structure is much more preferable and allows you to choose the level of service that you want.  This flat pricing structure may also mean that you get a CV which opens up lots of job opportunities for you allowing you to jump a few job grades as well!

If you are in any doubt about what service to order, email us and a CV writer will contact you and talk to you about your particular career and job needs.

It is much wiser to choose a professional CV writer to promote yourself to employers but you also do need to be choosy.  Take your time to select the right company for you and only enlist the help of people you can trust.  It is your career and future and these people are working with you to develop and advance your career further.  Do get in touch if you want to share any concerns or queries that you may have.