How to Choose a CV Writing Service
To help you understand the CV writing services that are available on the internet, here are some relevant points to look out for
Does the Website look professional and smart?
We believe that a CV Writing Website should reflect the standards of the service. If the Website looks unprofessional or unattractive, then this should be an immediate warning sign. If a CV writing service lacks the judgement to know the value of a well-presented Website, then it is unlikely they will understand how important proper presentation is in a professionally written CV.
Do their charges seem very low?
Some so-called professional CV writing services will offer to write your CV for less than £50. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. If they are running a business, they will need to make money somehow. Are they using an automated process, or possibly employing typists rather than properly trained quality staff? All our CVs are written by our experienced Professional CV Consultant. We never employ sub-contract CV Writers so you can be sure of consistent standards with all the value in the CV itself.
What is their charging policy?
You may need to be careful to check that the price includes everything you expect to receive. With CV Writing services there are absolutely no hidden extras and we make our charging policy as simple as possible
Do they require your personal details before supplying any meaningful information?
If this is the case, then you need to know what they are going to be doing with your particulars. It could well be that their purpose in collecting the information is to sell it on to others.
Are they offering a speedy ‘build it yourself’ service?
Some even offer ‘your CV in minutes’. This is a sure sign of the use of CV writing software. There will be no consultants involved in providing this service, neither will any advice be given as to content. You will need to provide all the text yourself. Although it may provide a broad outline for writing your own CV, it will inevitably produce a muddled appearance because there will be tables and boxes showing on the page. A far better option for writing your own CV is to use one of our CV Template solutions.
Do their charges seem high?
In CV writing ‘you get what you pay for’ is not necessarily true. Some dedicated CV writing services are charging in excess of £75 per hour. It is not necessary to pay that much to get a premium service. It probably means that the money you spend is having to support high overheads instead of being paid direct to the CV writers. Our typical charge works out at £45 per hour. We keep overheads low so that the full value is in the CV writing services provided by our experienced professional CV Consultant.
Do you know whether their consultants provide an exclusive service for them?
Many CV writers will provide sub-contract CV writing for a number of other CV writing services. This could mean that although you will have taken the trouble to make what you thought was a wise choice, the CV writing service could actually be provided by the same consultant as if you had chosen differently. Our professional Consultant works exclusive for us and our sister site http://www.cv-consultancy.co.uk.
Do they appear to be old-fashioned and stuffy?
Styles in CV writing are constantly changing, and it is important that a CV writing service should be aware of this. You can tell by the presentation of the Website information whether a CV Writing service is stuck in the past and complacent about the style of CV they are offering. Here at CV Writing Services we provide a dynamic CV writing style which keeps abreast of modern trends. Our Consultant is a trend setter in modern CV writing
Do they specialise in CV writing at all?
Over the past few years a number of CV writing businesses have sprung up which are actually run by entrepreneurs, and sadly they are now in the majority. Their business is not based upon quality CV writing, but rather in selling a service. This type of company is extremely dangerous because their actual skill is in marketing. They will have very professional looking websites and will employ convincing salesmen. They will know exactly the right answers to give to your questions which makes them difficult to spot. The best thing to do is to ask to speak to the person who will be writing your CV. If they won’t allow you to do so, then you have your answer.
Do they offer a wide range of career related services?
There are companies which will promise you a wide range of career related services which can include interview coaching and CV writing. Some even offer a personal grooming service or transport to the interview in a limousine. They will typically charge several thousands of pounds for this ‘full service’. They will promise to solve all your career related problems, but most of them will provide a very poor return on investment, especially as their experience of CV writing will usually be very limited. At CV Writing Services we stick to what we are really good at – top class CVs for people at all levels.
Do they claim membership of professional Resume Writing Organisations?
The clue here is in the use of the word Resume, which as you probably know is the American version of a CV. As far as we know there are no Professional organisations for CV Writers in the UK, but they do exist in the USA. Membership is available simply upon payment of a fee. It is unlikely that they would provide any protection for a client in the UK. Your best protection is to use a site like CV Writing Services which offers proper guarantees and is registered under the Data Protection Act.
Do they carry a range of advertisements for other sites?
Many sites have been set up as vehicles for earning advertising revenue. If a site is carrying advertisements for services which are competing with their own, then the explanation must be that it is not a genuine CV writing site. CV Writing Services does not carry any advertisements but it does provide resources in the form of useful links to other employment related sites.
Do they offer a full money back guarantee?
Your rights are protected by consumer legislation, but in case of any difficulty you should contact your local Trading Standards Office. However, we believe that a reputable CV writing service should be registered under the Data Protection Act. Our Registration Number is Z9537380. We observe the quality standards of the National Advisory Council for Careers and Educational Guidance and Recruitment & Employment Confederation insofar as they relate to professional CV writing services and all our work is covered by our guarantees.
Do they offer CV assessment services?
If a CV writing service is offering a free CV assessment service then it is a very good idea to try it out before you go any further. This will give you an excellent yardstick for judging the quality of their knowledge about CV writing. CV Writing Services invites you to take advantage of our no-obligation CV assessment service, we are confident you will find our advice helpful and informative.
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