Should You Pay Someone To Professionally Write Your CV?

Factors to consider before deciding whether to write your own CV or invest in a professionally written CV:

Time- how much time and effort is it is going to take you to write your CV? Do you have time to dedicate to your CV?

Research- is essential if writing your own CV. You will need to research prospective employers, industries and typical roles from a wide range of sources. You should tailor your CV for each application.

Budget- can you afford to get a CV professionally written? Assess the investment in a professional CV as a percentage of your income.

Skills Assessment- are you able to accurately assess your skills and competencies and match them to the requirements of industries, roles and employers? The impartiality an independent person professional brings can be a good thing.

Structure - how should you best structure and populate your CV? There is no definitive CV format and writing a CV is not about just following a template? How good are your writing skills and grammar? How well can you portray your employment history - sometimes it can be difficult to articulate this, for instance how much detail should you go into?

What can a professional CV writer contribute?

Time- a professional CV writer is an expert in their field and as such should be able to turnaround a CV for you much quicker than writing one yourself. This is an important consideration if you need a CV urgently or are time pressured.

Research- a professional CV writer will have knowledge of a wide range of industries, through their interaction with clients. They may also be HR or recruitment professionals who can draw on their expertise to provide valuable insights into what is required. A credible CV writer should research the role, company of industry for you and tailor your CV accordingly.

Budget- professional CV writing can often vary dramatically in price. Cost v benefit analysis is always good. Balance the cost against the value a professionally written CV can have in a competitive job market.

Skills Assessment- a high quality professional CV writer should use a personal 1-1 consultation to identify your key achievements and skills. They should be able to map skills required for a particular role, sector or employer and ensure you stand out from the crowd. They should remove any unnecessary or irrelevant detail.

Structure - a CV is often the first interaction with a prospective employer, who will probably receive huge numbers of applications often for a small number of vacancies. Is the employer easily able to screen your CV? A professionally written CV creates a good, all important, first impression by ensuring your skill set and career history is highlighted to its best potential.

If you decide to employ a professional CV writer how do you choose which one?

With so many suppliers to choose from here are some factors to consider which you might find helpful:

Value for money service:

Consider what other services are offered such as free covering letters and free CV reviews. Ensure these are genuine no obligation offers and not just designed to drive business.Any credible CV writer should be willing to provide ongoing support if you have any queries, such as answering any career management questions. Bear in mind though you will need to pay for any future services.What are their terms and conditions? Will you get free revisions? Be clear on their revision policy. How long will it take them to write your CV?Be wary of suppliers that appear too cheap, as this should ring warning bells - how are they going to make a profit? It could mean that the quality or expertise of their CV writers is questionable.

Personal Approach/Personal Consultation:

Any supplier should offer you a personal individualized approach. Beware of companies that simply provide a template solution, which is often software driven, with no personal interaction. Often these companies are anonymous and you have no idea who you are actually dealing with. If you encounter one of these companies ask to speak with the person who is actually writing your CV before you order - see what their response is.A professional CV writer should use a personal consultation to assess your skills and competencies, they should make sure that your CV accurately reflects the real you and ensure you are confident enough to talk it through at interview.

Expertise:

What industry knowledge and experience do they have - is this a good match for your requirements? Are they going to undertake the necessary research to ensure your CV is a good match?

Credibility:

Be sure to request or review their customer feedback. Do they have any? Are their customers happy with the service and product?Check out the supplier - do they have an internet presence? Do they have a quality website with useful targeted content such as hints and tips?Are you confident from the outset? Can you speak to a real person? Do you have a dedicated CV expert assigned to you? Does the company have a mission, vision and values statement outlining the ethos of their business? If not they could just be interested in making a quick buck!

Are you being screened out early in the recruitment process and not getting to the interview stage? If so, in terms of adding value, it might be time to consider investing in a professionally written CV to give yourself the best chance of success.

Beverley Tibbles is a professional CV writer with over 16 years of expertise in HR and recruitment processes and organisational change, gained in a management capacity within a blue-chip company environment.

Beverley has now expanded this expertise into the One Stop Career Shop http://www.onestopcareershop.co.uk/ a bespoke consultancy offering a personalised approach to professional CV writing. All CVs are written through a 1-1 consultation with a dedicated CV expert. The One Stop Career Shop also offers interview and presentation skills coaching and career mentoring services.

One Stop Career Shop seeks to provide career management support and information and believes in offering regularly updated special offers to assist individuals with their job hunting which can be found at http://www.onestopcareershop.co.uk/Free-Job-Hunting-Special-Offers.php