Pros and Cons of Paying a Professional Resume Writer
If you've ever stared at a blank resume template wondering how to describe five years of your career in a handful of bullet points, you've probably considered paying someone else to do it for you. Professional resume writing has become a significant industry — but handing over the creation of such an important career documents to someone else is a decision worth thinking through carefully.
And whilst we can debate the relevance of a resume in an age where technology should supersede this need, the reality is that most hiring leaders continue to expect to see a written record of work histories. So here are my thoughts on what you might gain and what you might risk in securing “expert” support.
The case for hiring a professional resume writer
1. You get an objective outsider's view
It can be difficult to evaluate your own career and translate that into a series of bullet points that an outsider can understand and appreciate. A professional writer isn't attached to your day-to-day work the way you are, so they're often better positioned to identify your strongest, most marketable achievements — the ones you might consider "just part of the job."
2. Your experience gets framed more persuasively
Professional writers are skilled at converting responsibilities into results. Instead of "managed a team," you might get "led a 12-person team to a 30% increase in quarterly output." That kind of specific, outcome-driven language is what actually catches a hiring manager's eye.
3. Better odds with Applicant Tracking Systems
Most mid-to-large hiring companies filter resumes through ATS software before a human ever reads them. A resume professional who understands current ATS formatting and keyword strategy can meaningfully improve your odds of making it through that first automated screen.
4. It saves you time and mental energy
A genuinely strong resume can take many hours to write well — and job searching is already exhausting. If you’re the kind of HR leader who isn’t comfortable with writing/spelling/grammar/punctuation, the creation of a resume is understandably daunting. Delegating this task can free you up to focus your energy on networking, applications, and interview preparation.
5. Especially useful during career transitions
If you're switching industries, returning to work after a gap, or moving from military, academic, or nontraditional experience into a new field, a skilled writer can help translate your background into language that makes sense to a new audience.
The case against hiring a professional resume writer
1. It costs money — sometimes a lot
Prices vary widely, from under $100 for a basic service to several hundred dollars for more comprehensive, executive-level packages, which is a cost that is not guaranteed to deliver results.
2. The industry is inconsistent
There's no universal certification or standard governing resume writers. Some are excellent; others produce generic, templated documents that don't reflect your actual voice or accomplishments. Vetting a writer takes its own kind of research.
3. Your resume may stop sounding like you
A resume that's too polished can feel disconnected from how you actually speak and present yourself in an interview — which can create questions for hiring leaders when the person being interviewed doesn’t match the expectation from how the resume is written. Additionally, many hiring leaders look at resumes as indicators of a person’s natural storytelling and presentation style - when the document doesn’t match the job seeker they’re talking to, a concern is easily created.
4. You still own the content
No matter who writes it, you're the one who has to speak confidently to every claim on that page in an interview. Outsourcing the writing doesn't outsource the responsibility of truly knowing your own resume and work history. If that professionally written content creates false expectations for hiring leaders as to your skills and experience, then you’ve wasted your money.
5. It takes time
Depending on the resume writing service and how much back-and-forth is involved, the process can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks — which may not work if you're up against tight application deadlines.
Making the Decision
Paying for a professional resume writer tends to make the most sense if you're short on time, targeting highly competitive roles, navigating a significant career change, or simply find writing about yourself difficult. If you're comfortable writing and have a good handle on ATS best practices, you may get similar results by writing a strong draft yourself and paying only for a review or light edit — a middle-ground option that costs far less. Arguably you could get similar results, fast and free using AI services.
One final thought, though: I read hundreds of resumes every week, and so do my colleagues. We can usually spot the "professionally written" ones almost immediately — the same layouts, the same formatting choices, the same buzzwords, recycled again and again across different candidates. If you do go the professional route, push your writer for something that still sounds distinctly like you. A resume that reads like a boilerplate templates can undercut the very edge you paid for.
About the Author
Jordan Smith-Randall is the latest addition to the Carter Morris team - with a keen interest in what makes people “tick”. With a history of social justice advocacy, she’s a natural fit to our insistence on fair and ethical recruitment practices to drive diversity in HR leadership hiring.