Lately I’ve seen numerous blog posts and mainstream media articles about the resume writing industry, the value of the credentials resume writers hold, and the lack of regulation of the industry. Most of the comments are very tongue and cheek and skeptical of the profession and most of the articles are written by people who have limited knowledge of what resume writers do. I could have a field day linking to all the rants and other questionable editorializing I’ve read over the past few months, but I’m not that interested in boosting the Google juice of people with their own agendas, skewed perspectives, and ill advice, so I’ll just address the issues here:
Credentialing. The person who cuts my hair has some sort of beautician license, the instructor at my health club is certified to teach exercise, and my dentist displays a certificate in his office to prove he went to dental school. But I didn’t choose any of these professionals because of their certifications. I chose them because I checked out their work. I looked at pictures of people whose hair the hairdresser had styled, watched an exercise class the instructor was teaching, and talked to a few of my dentist’s patients before having him work on my teeth. I appreciate the credentials because they tell me that the person has gone through a process to get to where they are, but that is not the factor that ultimately influences my buying decision. The credential helps me determine a base line but I need to trust the person before purchasing the service. I think purchasing a resume or coaching services should be viewed the same way. Most people don’t base any purchase decisions on the fact that someone has a credential, and few believe that all credentials are created equal, so why are these bloggers and journalists claiming that resume writers are hawking their certifications to “lure” people into purchasing their services? It just doesn’t work that way. People are smarter than that.
Pricing. Again, the pundits claim that the pricing for resume writing services is all over the board. And it is. As are the services of therapists, architects, doctors, accountants…the list goes on and on. Different writers offer different experiences. Learn what you are getting from one writer versus another and make a decision based on the value you believe you will derive from the experience…not by comparing the price tag alone.
Industry Regulation. It’s true that this industry is not heavily regulated and perhaps the industry would benefit from greater regulation, but at the same time, some of the biggest critics of the non-regulatory status (recruiters and HR professionals) are in unregulated professions themselves. Is there anything stopping a person from hanging out a shingle and claiming to be a recruiter? Did that HR manager who constantly walks the thin line between “employee advocate” and “strategic business partner” come out of a mandated program that makes them the expert on human relations, business ethics, and fairness? I think not.
So please, if you have been reading the advice of people who are bashing the resume writing industry, take a moment to reflect on how condescending their advice is. You are an intelligent consumer. If some aspect of a resume writing service doesn’t sit well with you or you aren’t convinced that the person has a valuable service to offer, don’t use them. Become an educated consumer, ask questions, and shop around. At the end of the day it’s about the strength of the relationship between you and the writer and the confidence you have in their abilities based on your knowledge of the service.
