Why you should be Wary of Do-It-Yourself Resume Sites

The woman definitely sounded upset in the message she left, and I didn't blame her. "I need to discuss an unauthorized charge against my account from (Resume company other than Kelley Resumes & Wordsmithing)."

Before I returned the call to let the lady know that she had dialed the wrong number, I researched the firm and found it was one of many "do-it-yourself" online firms that offer people resume templates and, supposedly, assistance in crafting a "professional" resume.

For what appears to be a small fee, you choose the template you want, populate it in the site's tool, and--lo and behold--you supposedly have a professional resume. However, upon reading the fine print, people who signed up for the template also agree, and it seems to be the case with many of these outfits, to a monthly "subscription" for the privilege of using the site. Moreover, this particular site was actually run by an overseas company, though it was registered in the US, which meant additional international banking fees. I also looked up the customer support number for the company, since it wasn't made readily available on the site (no surprise).

I called the lady back to let her know that, unfortunately, I wasn't affiliated with the company she left the voicemail about, spent a few minutes empathizing with her, and gave her the customer service phone number. I certainly hope she was able to resolve the issue.

This perfectly illustrates why resumes need to be done by a live, professional resume writer. Just as you wouldn't do your own surgery, and just as it's inadvisable to do most repairs on your car unless you have experience as a mechanic, writing a document that is key to getting you a great job is best left to a professional. Although having a professional writer craft your resume for you isn't a guarantee of a job offer or salary level, doing your own resume versus having it professionally done can, nevertheless, literally translate to thousands of dollars' difference in income and/or significantly affect how long it takes you to find a job.

Position yourself to start the new year--and your job search--on the right foot with a new resume by contacting Melissa Kelley CPRW today! Call her at 720-588-9793, email her at [email protected], or set up a free 15-minute critique by visiting her online calendar.