Mark Miller — July 16, 2017 — July 16, 2017
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As a marketing recruitment company, we sift through a flood of resumes every day and receive lots of questions from candidates on resume development best practices. Some of the questions we receive involve the concept of resume writing services:
Do we recommend using them? Are there any providers we can refer? Are there situations where a purchased, ‘professionally written’ resume can be advantageous to a self-written original?
In almost all cases, our answer can be distilled to a simple, “No.”
From freelance writers to specialized companies, a quick Google search will turn up a huge list resources offering resume creation services (for a fee). From design to creativity to content to professionalism, they promise to include everything you need to get that dream marketing job.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there is no one better qualified to write about your career than you are. Even the most talented resume writers will lose something meaningful in translation and most just put your experience into their template. In fact, we find that professionally-drafted resumes are almost never as authentic and compelling as those written by candidates themselves.
Buying a marketing resume isn’t just a waste of effort; it can actually compromise your chances of winning the job you want!
This advice holds true for almost any marketing professional, whether they’re just starting their first contract gig in digital staffing or competing in a senior marketing executive search. Why? Consider these key advantages creating your own resume offers:
Putting Your Marketing Talent on Display
When you apply for a marketing job, it’s important to understand that you’re marketing yourself at every step of the way.
Your resume is your first opportunity to show off how good of a marketer you are. You should know the importance of first impressions by now; what does it say to marketing recruiters and hiring managers when you’re not even confident enough in your skills to market your talent?
Many of your marketing skills should translate well to writing your own resume; for instance, communications or audience targeting. Strong copywriting and design skills are also helpful–but not a requirement as long as everything is laid out logically and your grammar is clean.
You have a better understanding of your personal brand than anyone. Don’t throw that advantage away by passing the responsibility off to a third party.
The Most Genuine Representation of Yourself
You might not realize it, but your resume is an extremely personal document.
It doesn’t just explain your experience and accomplishments; it shows whoever reads it what you think is most important about yourself.
That’s an extremely important insight to share with potential employers or a marketing recruitment company, and hiring someone else to write your resume means you’re putting decisions about that information in someone else’s hands.
The person described in a commissioned resume won’t really be you. It lacks your personality, your character; it’s a cheap knockoff.
Even if an impeccably written resume earns you a marketing interview, you’ve only set yourself up for failure. An astute interviewer will quickly notice a huge difference between the overly-polished person presented on paper vs. the charismatic, unique individual in front of them.
Go Easy On Your Wallet
The price tag on a resume commission can range widely, from pocket change to hundreds of dollars.
As is the case with many things, you’ll get what you pay for. Go cheap and you’ll likely get an extremely weak resume riddled with mistakes. Go up a few price tiers and you should at least get one free of glaring errors that adheres to best professional practices–though it will cost you.
Either way, it’ll be a waste of money. And most importantly it will probably pale in comparison to the personal and financial opportunity cost of a missed job.
The Satisfaction of Doing it Yourself
Picture yourself winning your dream job, perhaps after a long senior marketing executive search.
Congrats! You had a stellar application, blew your interviewers away, beat competing candidates, and had the most impressive background.
It was all you. You earned it.
Unless, of course, someone else was helping you along the way with a service like resume writing.
Taking the next step of your marketing career solely on the merit of your own talent, hard work, and dedication is far more satisfying and empowering than taking a shortcut and getting in on the back of someone else’s efforts.
Don’t Fear the Resume
Creating a document that could determine the outcome of a career move can be intimidating. But it’s probably easier than you think to pull together a professional, comprehensive resume that’s entirely adequate for your needs.
The reality is that if you’re a good marketer, you really don’t need a perfect, spotless resume to move your career forward and get the jobs you want. Some of the most effective resumes we’ve seen as a marketing recruitment company are extremely basic. If your experience and successes are exceptional, then an ordinary resume will do just fine in expressing them.
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