Detailed Reviews (Of Some of the Most Talked About) Resume Writing Companies, 2012
#1 - ResumeWriters.com
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ResumeWriters.com is one of the most well reviewed resume services on the internet. A google search for reviews turns up plenty of plaudits and routinely ranks the site as the number one service. From all I can find, they seem very reputable. The 2nd oldest of the resume companies I researched, I have found references to their work in all sorts of places from Time Magazine to CNBC to NPR. They have a nationwide network of several dozen writers, allowing them to claim specialists in almost every carer field. Their pricing is right in line with the industry average, and their BBB reputation is solid. They offer resumes for all levels from students to executives. They offer an interview guarantee or they'll re-write the resume, and claim a 99% customer satisfaction rate.
#2 - ResumeWriting.com
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ResumeWriting.comhasn't been around very long, however, the BBB has verified that they're on the up and up. Plus, their business strategy makes them the largest source for certified professionally written resumes.
I suspect that the people behind ResumeWriters.com and ResumeService.com have something to do with this start-up because I noticed if you go back in time on the wayback machine that they recommend ResumeWriters.com as a service while the site was under construction.
I'm really excited about this business concept because I'm in a difficult profession to write a resume for and I like that eventually when I try out this company that they'll pair me with a specialty writer.
#3 - GreatResumesFast.com
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GreatResumesFast.com is one of the youngest sites I found in my research, but for their youth, they have a very solid reputation in the industry. As the website proudly points out, there have some of the most highly decorated and nationally known writers on their team. GreatResumesFast claims to use a "proprietary, innovative, and success-proven resume development" system that no other company utilizes. Their prices are a bit on the higher side, but still on the upper end of the standard industry range. They offer the standard 60 day interview guarantee that most of the big sites have, and a vibrant online blog and community.
#4 - ResumeService.com
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ResumeService.com is another young up-and-comer with a solid background. From what I learned the company was founded just this year by the parent company of ResumeWriters.com. Technically, they have only been a business since early 2011, but they have a decent reputation in the industry because of the people on their team. Their pricing is right in line with industry standards and they have proven to have some innovative products. When I first researched them, they were the only company to offer LinkedIn profile writing. Since then, most companies have added this service, and well they should, as LinkedIn dominates the career social networking portal.
#5 - ResumeEdge.com
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ResumeEdge.com is one of the "big 3" that seem to have been around the longest (the other two are ResumeWriters.com and CareerPerfect.com). ResumeEdge.com apparently grew out of EssayEdge.com, a document editing site, which explains why they're owned by Nelnet, the student loans company.
Whoa! Have they changed how they operate over there! I meant to update this a couple of months ago when I received an email from them bragging about the business redesign. All I can say is that a once stellar and reputable company no longer offers the industry standard "interview guarantee" - it kind of makes you question what's going on over there.
Also the new pricing scheme does not allow the writer to provide the best service possible as the company has taken away the professional discretion of deciding when a resume is truly complete.
You communicate directly with your writer through the ResumeEdge.com branded portal.
#6 - CareerPerfect.com
CareerPerfect.com is the oldest site I found in my research, and their reputation seems quite solid for that longevity. They claim to be the company "powering" Monster.com's resume service. They have plenty of multimedia, interactive tools and free content that almost makes their resume services feel secondary. Their pricing is confusing, but once you break down the various plans, they're right there in the industry standard $200-$300 range.
Updated (7/12): Hmm... I've been seeing some negative things written on complaint review sites. Things like "boiler plate" and "spelling and grammatical errors." I wonder if their quality is slipping?
#7 - ResumeServicePlus.com
ResumeSerivcePlus.com offers a bunch of things that make them unique. First, they offer a free resume evaluation, which most sites don't offer anymore. 2nd, they offer hosting of a video resume, which I don't see any other site doing at the moment. Their online reviews seemed fairly solid.
Two things gave me pause: #1 the price (it's way low based on industry standard) and #2 their slightly lower BBB rating. Also, they are not BBB accredited, which I consider to be a bare minimum for a resume service. They might revise this in the future, at which point I will reconsider my review.
#8 - CareersPlusResumes.com
If you're looking for a super cheap resume, CareersPlusResumes.com may be the resume writer for you. However, they rank towards the bottom of the list for many reasons. First, they have a low BBB ranking. In addition to that, they have the highest number of complaints registered with the BBB of any site I review here (but not the lowest score). It states on the BBB site that the company has made some process changes to address customer complaints. But I also think they're way low on the pricing scale.
On the plus side, they've been around since 2006, so they have some industry cred. And if they are indeed working to resolve their customer service issues, hopefully their BBB score will improve. Getting BBB accreditation would help also.
#9 - ResumesPlanet.com
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ResumesPlanet is a bit of a mystery to me. If you search for any resume related keyword on Google, you'll find them highly ranked. They claim to serve a high volume of clients every single week.
I tried "chatting" with their online customer service and kept getting weird canned responses.
They are not BBB accredited, and as of this writing, had an "F" BBB rating. They don't claim ANY accreditation with the major resume writing organizations, so I wonder if they're using certified resume writers. Because of their size and ubiquity, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the incredibly low pricing also gives me pause.
#10 - 1-on-1-Resumes.com
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According to the Better Business Bureau, 1-on-1-Resumes.com and ResumesGuaranteed.com are sister companies. Also, the pricing is way low based on industry standard. I'm all for getting a deal, but if at prices that low how can they afford to pay professional writers?
The BBB says, they've even stopped responding to complaints. I would feel better about testing them out if they became BBB members and resolved their issues.
The products are few. They do straight up resumes. No differentiation between stages in career - everyone pays the same.*
*The fine print says that Federal KSAs and Scientific/Medial CVs cost more. I would like to see them clarify the pricing scheme on their website.
#11 - ResumesGuaranteed.com
According to the Better Business Bureau, ResumesGuaranteed.com and 1-on-1-Resumes.com are sister companies. Also, the pricing is way low based on industry standard. I'm all for getting a deal, but if at prices that low how can they afford to pay professional writers?
However, ResumesGuaranteed.com offers an unbelievable guarantee. If you use the resume they wrote for you and do not land a job within 60 days, you will not only get your money back, but they will pay you an additional $50!!
Like, 1-on-1-Resumes.com, the products are few. They do straight up resumes. No differentiation between stages in career - everyone pays the same.*