Avoiding Resume Scams
Scammers are everywhere, including in the resume writing and career services industry. Here are the top things to look for in vetting a resume writer.
Guarantees
If the person or firm guarantees interviews or jobs, it’s a selling tactic to tug at your emotions. For many, reaching out to a resume writer is a last-ditch effort after failing to get traction with their job search. Of course, the goal is to get you more interviews, but an honest person can never promise this. Too many factors are in play, including your industry, skill set, the quality of information you provide the resume writer, your job search process, and more. More often than not, firms that offer guarantees are at a lower price point and are considered resume mills. Resume mills are designed to churn out volume, not quality, and most clients that use them are on tight budgets with lower-level jobs. Resumes used in an entry-level job search are pretty standard and do not need much customization, so the turnaround is quick, and what you get back will be pretty generic - but it does the trick because those jobs don’t require expert-level writing and storytelling.
Off-Shore Writers
Resume mills often use off-shore writers. While they charge you $150 for your resume, the off-shore writer is paid $10-$15 per resume. The more resumes they complete, the more money they make. When vetting your resume writer, ask the following questions:
“Will you write my resume, or will this be assigned to a team member?”
“Are the writers you hire certified in resume writing?”
“Will I be able to talk with the writer of my resume?”
High-Volume of Resumes
If the writer’s profile says they have completed thousands of resumes and have been doing this work for 1-2 years, this is a major red flag. The only way to complete thousands of resumes in a year is to write multiple resumes daily - another resume mill strategy. For example, the most resumes I could possibly write in one year would be 208, and that’s if I worked 52 weeks a year. I limit the number of resumes I write to 4 per work (1 per day) to ensure the project's quality matches my clients' expectations.
ATS-Compatibility
ATS compatibility is important, but too many writers and mills use this as a scare tactic. The truth is, NO ONE can promise 100% ATS compliance because there are hundreds of ATSs in the marketplace, and the more advanced ones are updated consistently, but are the companies using them adopting these updates, or did they stop their support and are using a system they had installed 15 years ago with limited capability? You can do a few things to ensure your resume is ATS-compliant (it’s all formatting).
Remove columns
Remove charts and graphs
Remove text boxes
Don’t include information in the header/footer that can’t be found in the document body
Use a font size of 11 or higher, and do not use a font that needs to be downloaded
That’s it! It’s not a secret, and it’s not magic - anyone can create an ATS-compatible resume. Once you get past the formatting issues, it’s the content people struggle with and where a professional resume writer can help.
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I see a growing number of posts telling people to stay clear of scam resume writers that lump ME into that category. Not me, as in calling my name out, but me, as in an attack on the industry. My profession is like any other profession you may turn to get something off your plate - mechanic for oil changes, accountant for taxes, barber for a haircut, etc. Sure, you can do all of those things yourself, but you choose to turn to a professional for a myriad of reasons. If you reach out for help with your resume, ask the right questions and do your due diligence throughout the vetting process.
