Would you get your CV professionally written?

[Jerushah]

Hi all, I am thinking of applying for a new job in a few months and was wondering whether it is worth getting my CV professionally written?

I have been doing some reading on the subject and also chatting to some mates about it, and there have been some differences of opinion - some believe it’s a waste of money while others say it’s a good way to maximise your chances of getting a job in this competitive market.

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this?

[Dreamrage]

Hi Jerusha. Some say that it would be worth it to have it done professionally. You have a well written cv with all the information that is needed on it as well as a cover letter to go with it. What reasearch have you done so far, if i may ask?

[SalinaA]

I think dream rage has a point here - research is very important before parting with any cash - have you looked into anything yet?

[Jerushah]

Hi there,

I took your advice and did some research and found that some of the better CV writing companies offer a free CV review - where an expert CV writer takes a look at your resume and gives you their professional opinion on the overall presentation, content and language of your CV. I thought this sounded like a pretty good option, because you're checking whether your CV needs help before parting with any cash.

I thought I might give this a try - I'll let you know how it goes :)

[Dreamrage]

Ill appreciate it :D you never know when youd need something like that, so any added info would be much appreciated.

[Jerushah]

Hi Dreamrage, well, I gave it a try and I must say, I found the CV review service quite useful.

The CV coach I chatted to said that my CV was more of a laundry list of my previous job roles than a sales document which promoted by unique skills and achievements. She explained that instead of just putting down your duties under each job role, you have to focus more on the things you achieved / your greatest successes in each role - whether you won an award / save the company money / figured out a way to increase efficiency and so forth. We went through my most recent job role in detail and I ended up thinking of at least 3 achievements that I hadn't thought to list on my CV!

Based on that experience, I would definitely recommend approaching a professional for help, especially if the service is free :)