Resume Writing Services vs Resume Builders: Which is better value for you?

According to a recent poll, 56% of hiring managers surveyed said that very few resumes they've read were actually well-written.

As someone who has written and reviewed hundreds of resumes, I can definitely confirm this statistic to be true.

Writing a resume can be hard.

But, it doesn’t have to be.

To write your resume these days, you have 3 options:

• You can hire a professional resume writer
• You can use a resume writing service
• You can create your resume yourself (preferably with a resume builder)

The truth is that all 3 of these ways for creating a resume work well. The best option for you really depends on what you need and what resources you have. 

So, in this post we’ll break down how to choose between a resume writing service vs. a resume writer vs. building your resume on your own.

👉 I’ll also make some recommendations on the best services for each of these methods that we’ve personally vetted (with budgets ranging from $7-$1500).

Ready? Let's dive in!

3 Considerations When Choosing How to Create your Resume

When you're trying to decide what the best route is for creating your resume, there are three main factors to consider: speed, price, and complexity. Let’s break down each of them.

Speed

When I refer to speed, what I’m really asking is, “how quickly do you need a job?” If you need a job as fast as possible, then using a resume writing service or hiring a professional resume writer might be the way to go. 

When you pay for these services, what you’re really paying for are a series of shortcuts. 

That’s because professional resume writers already understand what employers are looking for and can get you an interview-ready resume quickly. 

The downside? These can be expensive… 

Price

As with most things in life, price is always a factor. Do you have savings you can use or are you on a tight budget? The answer to this question will determine whether you want a resume writing service vs using an online resume builder, for example.

In general, the prices of resume services go something like this:

Resume Writing Services Prices

Online Resume Builder Prices: $7-$29

Resume Writing Service Prices: $250-$500

Professional Resume Writer Prices: $400-$1500

(We don't offer resume writing services, these are the general prices you can expect online.)

If you have some savings, getting the one-on-one help of a dedicated professional resume writer can be incredible value. And the return on your investment can quickly pay itself off. 

For example, if you pay a resume writer $700 and they help you land a job 2 months quicker, your salary will cover that $700 within just a week or two.

Of course sometimes money can be tight. When I was applying to jobs, I completely ran out of money and had only $60 to my name, so I totally understand that situation.

The good news is that if you're tight on funds, there are still plenty of budget services that provide good value for the price (more on that in a bit).

Complexity

Lastly, the complexity of your job search should also be taken into account. If you're making a big career pivot, you may need more help than if you’re simply refreshing your old resume.

In this situation, it might well be worth working with a resume writer who also functions as a career coach. This kind of personalized support can be invaluable when plotting out your next move, so consider investing in it if you're looking to make a bigger change.

(I’ll share some resume writers who specialize in career changes below as well).

Alright, so with those 3 factors in mind, let’s look at…

How to Choose The Resume Writing Service That's Right for You

Alright, let's break down some of the options available to you so that you can make the choice that's right for your particular job search situation. 

I'll walk you through the least expensive to the most expensive, and least complex to most complex solutions. Remember, all three of these can be equally worthwhile, it just depends on your timeline and budget.

1. Simplest, Most Affordable Solution - Resume Builder

If you haven’t used a resume builder in the last year, there have been a LOT of impressive innovations.

Modern resume builders have recently become a great way to quickly craft your resume largely because of how they’ve integrated AI (artificial intelligence). These resume builders now offer you assistance with writing your resume.

AI resume builders now provide you with suggestions for content, such as descriptions, keywords and phrases used in the industry. Even better – they can create done-for-you bullet points for any job description using their AI.

They also have the added benefit of saving you hours on writing and formatting your resume by supplying you with applicant tracking system (ATS)-friendly templates and automated formatting tools. This lets you focus on honing the content of your resume instead of fixing broken formatting. 

👉 Resume builders are typically quite affordable.

They usually cost between $7-25/month, which is a steal compared to the amount of time and effort you would have to put into creating your own resume from scratch. Not to mention, many resume builders are often free to use (at least their basic features are).

Pro Tip: AI resume builders give you a great start, but they still require some tweaking and fine-tuning from you. That's why I recommend pairing it with our free resume course that will teach you all the best practices to create a job-winning resume in just one day. 

If you want some extra help, you can also join our low-cost coaching group to remove the guesswork from your resume and get personalized advice until you're hired.

Resume Builder Prices: $7-$25

List: Recommended Resume Builders

Resource: Our Affordable Coaching group 

2. Best Mid-Tier Solution - Resume Writing Service

If you're looking for an option that's more hands-on, but still affordable, resume writing services could be the best choice for you. Resume writing services provide a real human touch to help you with your resume, but without the higher cost of a boutique resume writer.

Resume writing services have a team of resume writers on staff that can review your resume and suggest improvements. This gives you a 2nd perspective to give your resume that extra oomph it needs without breaking the bank. 

Most of the best resume writing services will also provide you with up to 2 rounds of revisions to make sure you’re happy with the results.

👉 However, it is important to have the right expectations if you decide to go this route.

For example, don't expect to get any career advice from a resume writing service. These services focus on making sure your job search materials are up to par, but they won’t give you advice on your job search.

Pro Tip: If you're looking for a good resume writing service, I don’t recommend choosing the first thing that shows up in search results as there are many sub-par services out there. Two resume writing services I’ve used and that I highly recommend are JobStars and Let's Eat Grandma. Their services are top-notch and they’re small enough to provide you with quality care.

Resume Writing Service Prices: $250-$500

Recommended Resume Writing Services:

JobStars

Let’s Eat Grandma

3. Best Help, Most Expensive - Professional Resume Writer

Finally, if you want the maximum level of help with your resume, a professional resume writer is the best way to go. This will cost much more than resume writing services or the do-it-yourself approach (a.k.a resume builders), but it can definitely be worthwhile.

Hiring a resume writer is the best route to go if you need to land a job quickly or if you have a particularly complex job situation. 

The reason boutique resume writers can be so helpful is because they'll assess your entire career situation and craft a unique strategy for you. Usually this will involve lots of back-and-forth between you and the resume writer as they take the time to get to know you and understand your particular situation.

That includes step-by-step guidance on how to make the most of your job search, which could be extremely helpful if you're stuck in a rut and don't know what to do. 

👉 While prices vary widely depending on the package and resume professional, you can expect to spend between $400 and $1,500.

Pro Tip: It can be easy to get overwhelmed with choosing a resume writer as there are literally thousands of writers to choose from. To save you the hassle of researching, here's a list of 10 best resume writers I recommend. 

I compiled this list after personally working with many of these resume writers. Many of the resume writers have also created videos for us sharing their job search tips, so you can get a taste of what their approach is like.

Resume Writer prices: $400-$1500

List: Best Resume Writers List

Takeaways and Next Steps

Whether you choose a resume writing service, professional resume writer, or doing-it-yourself using a resume builder, there is one thing I hope you take away from this:

Creating a resume no longer needs to be like doing a jigsaw puzzle in the dark.

Whatever route you take, remember that there are tools and people out there who can help. At the end of the day, writing a resume is this strange activity that most of us have to do once every few years.

Much like getting your car fixed, sometimes it’s worth paying a few bucks to get the job done quickly and moving on to doing the work you’re actually good at.

If you’re still on the fence about where to start, here’s what I recommend:

Join our free resume course to get the lay of the land.

Try one of these resume builders for free and see if it works for you.

Still having trouble?

Then look into hiring a good resume writing service or dedicated resume writer.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me or join our private job search group here and we can chat some more.