CV writing services are something of a growth industry at the moment. When I googled ‘CV writing services’ I was presented with 1.78 million results. And this only included pages from the UK. If you look at worldwide results the figure comes out at 5.06 million. This tells you at least two things. Firstly there is a demand for the service and secondly there are lots of people and companies out there offering it.
Should you use CV writing services?
Spelling and Grammar
It largely depends on how confident you are of your level of English and your ability to create an effective CV. If you believe that you can write a cv that will avoid spelling and grammatical errors then you are off to a good start. This is really important and includes avoiding words that will not show up on spellcheckers but are still incorrect e.g. ‘I am confident of my ability to enrage with clients’. If you are not 100 percent confident in getting it right it may be worth using a CV writing service so that you can feel confident in the cv you are sending out.
Visual appeal
CV writing services will also work on the format of your CV, which can make a significant difference to how you are perceived by recruiters and hiring managers. A clean, crisp and concise document can hold the reader’s attention and ensure the reader finds information easily. As a recruiter there is little worse than struggling through paragraphs of prose, hoping to glean relevant details. Most people will not bother, especially for roles that attract large numbers of applicants. Because of this, candidates often use a CV writing service so that they maximize the visual appeal of a cv, drawing attention to the most important information.
Non-standard career history
A CV writing service can also help you to deal with tricky situations such as gaps between jobs or if you are changing careers. Nowadays saying that you were traveling for two years might effectively block your application at the first stage. But a professional consultant will help you to overcome this issue. Similarly, knowing how to get employers to take you seriously when you are changing careers is not the easiest of tasks but it is possible to present this effectively.
How do you choose a CV writing service?
Cost and results
One of the principal considerations in choosing a service will undoubtedly be the price charged and what you will get in return. As with many other service industries, the rate will often be a reflection of the service. A company that charges you £20 will probably not do much more than check the spelling on your CV and perhaps make some changes to the layout. Personally, my view is that if you have decided to use a CV writing service then you may as well have it properly redone, so that the end result helps you to get interviews – probably the reason you are putting together a CV in the first place.
If you are a candidate with a few years experience then a standard rate for revising or creating your CV will probably be around £75. For this you should receive a cv free of errors, with an effective layout that highlights your particular skills and experience in a personalised way. To do this the company should be communicating with you so that they can obtain the relevant information from you. Ideally you should feel that the company is treating you on a one-to-one basis and offering a consultancy service.