Would you prefer your resume written by a professional writing service or for you to write it and be coached on improvements?

CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 17:00:23 -0400

Would you mind elaborating on your reason for choosing one service over the other? Thanks for your collaboration.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Sep 13 at 2014 5:06 PM

SGT Richard H. — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 17:06:08 -0400

I've always felt that the latter is more effective, even if the "coach" means a professional service. Mainly I say this because the person will understand their experience better than anyone else, which *should* provide more detail.

Response by SPC David Shaffer made Sep 13 at 2014 5:08 PM

SPC David Shaffer — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 17:08:42 -0400

I would write it myself and get help/feedback on it. It's always good to hire a professional but wouldn't you rather increase your own personal know how so you don't have to depend on others services? I would rather do it myself for sure but that is me personally.

Response by SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS made Sep 17 at 2014 11:53 AM

SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:53:24 -0400

CW2 Raymond,

I utilized the VA for Vets service to assist with enhancing my resume and then used the base which was developed to build a bigger and better product. I prefer to have someone coach me to improvement so I am able to take this knowledge with me.

To use the age old adage, "Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats forever."

Joseph M. Finck
SFC, USA (Ret)

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Sep 17 at 2014 12:28 PM

MSG Wade Huffman — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:28:16 -0400

I would definitely prefer to write my resume myself and then be coached by a professional, and there are several reasons why. Just off the top of my head:
1. I know better than anyone else what I have accomplished.
2. I know that I am NOT an expert in resume writing.
3. I DO want to continue to learn from those who ARE experts in their fields (such as resume writing).
It just seems to me that by starting on your own, and then receiving professional assistance, one would have a better opportunity to learn the whats, hows, and more importantly, the whys.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 17 at 2014 12:35 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:35:19 -0400

I would prefer to write it myself with aid from an advisor. I would also ask him questions about the format and what employees are looking for. I learned a while back you should never use the same resume twice. It should cater to the position you are applying for.

On a side note. I see you work for shell. Where does shell seek to place military personal, occupation wise? My father works in the Gulf as a Maritime Engineer down there. I know a little about it.

Response by SSG Carol Keeler made Sep 17 at 2014 2:02 PM

SSG Carol Keeler — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:02:06 -0400

When I was going to school for my MBA I took advantage of the Career Management Division and used their services to tweak my resume. I wrote it myself they just took what I wrote and reformatted it and gave me pointers on what to do and how to do it. I believe that if someone does it for you, you will never learn how to do it yourself and you never know when your in that position to be the hiring official. I have learned a lot of valuable information from agencies that specialize in resume writing that is invaluable.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Sep 17 at 2014 3:35 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:35:07 -0400

I'd like to write my own and be coached. I've been doing a lot of resume writing lately and it is not a one resume fits all even for the same position. I did have some services take a look at mine some years back and it was both funny and pathetic to see how each contradicted each other in resume philosophy. It left me very confused so I never tried it again.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 17 at 2014 3:48 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:48:43 -0400

I have found after interviewing many hundreds of people for many dozens of jobs, that it is very easy to know who has written their resume and who has had their resume written for them.

If you write your resume, generally you will speak like you write. You will use the same style and words. You will know what your resume states. You will know your skill list and your record of employment.

When a professional writes a resume, it is was generally, glaringly obvious the applicant had not written what was being presented. The mannerisms were not in synced. This would automatically place the applicant in a lower standard than if they had written their own. I would typically deep-dive into the resume to find out what was truth and what was spin/fabrication.

In my time hiring over 20 years or so, I can remember hiring exactly one candidate who used a professional service. This was a for an entry level position and the applicant suited the position and just did not know how to write a resume with almost no content.

By-in-large I found that applicants who wrote their own resumes to be better interviews with the applicant more confident in the content as well as their ability.

Too often resume services over state capabilities and responsibilities to get the applicant noticed, and the applicant would not stand up to scrutiny regarding the fabricated material.

In summary, in my opinion, the applicant appears more professional and more trustworthy when they write their own.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 18 at 2014 12:53 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:53:52 -0400

I'll let the pros do it. I have submitted too many rejections...I mean applications.

Response by MSgt Donald Toro made Sep 18 at 2014 11:45 AM

MSgt Donald Toro — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:45:39 -0400

I wouldn't pay anyone to write my resume. Most bases have people at the family readiness center that will help you get your resume up to par for free. I applied to 30 jobs over a three months period before I was hired. I wrote one master resume that listed my skills and accomplishments. Then I wrote targeted resumes to each opening I applied for. So it doesn't make sense to pay someone to write a resume when you will have to revise it for each job applied for. The best person to write about you is you. Once you learn how to do it, then you have a skill you can use the rest of your professional career. I had people help me out and proof read my resume and it worked out. If anyone here wants help writing their resume, I would be happy to share what I learned.

Response by Capt Chris McVeigh made Sep 18 at 2014 7:34 PM

Capt Chris McVeigh — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:34:42 -0400

I would 100% prefer to write it myself with advice from an experienced individual than to have someone else write it. I learn absolutely nothing from having someone do it for me and it is a skill that would be useful for the future.

I would also feel very weird submitting a resume I did not write. "Please hire me, here is a document someone else wrote about things I told them I did." Somehow that just makes me feel stupid.

Also, as other people have pointed out, sometimes you need to adjust your resume for several different jobs. Do I pay someone to write me a resume for every single one? Or do I learn and gain the ability to alter my initial resume as needed.