Some professional CV service companies are not quite what they appear. It’s something to consider if you are looking for a trusted firm to write your CV.
This article highlights some issues and raises some questions for you to digest and judge for yourself.
Numerous firms in the sector claim to be ‘the best’. This in itself should be enough to raise eyebrows, as logically only one company can realistically be the best.
Really?
Well, not quite.
Statistics are used liberally by many CV firms to sway customers.
But how accurate are they? And can you trust them?
Click to discover more about statistics and the CV sector.
Can any CV guarantee an interview?
It’s a good question.
This article explains just why, logically, that’s impossible.
Impossible or not, it doesn’t prevent some firms from promising it (albeit not with a real money back guarantee if you read the small print).
ATS has become a very profitable sales tactic for some CV firms over the last few years, but how accurate are the ATS scores provided by typical CV firms? And can you really trust the hype?
Please click to discover more.
Just as numerous firms in the sector claim to be ‘the best,’ there are various firms who all claim to have the best writers.
Do they?
Well, if you pay for a CV elsewhere then read your CV out loud yourself, you should quickly realise that genuine top CV writers are not as ubiquitous as some companies make out.
Not only that, but it’s very easy to prove. Please click to ‘put us to the test.’
In many cases it’ll be the person you think – but not always!
For example some firms have even hired us to fix their CVs for some of their dissatisfied clients. Some companies also subcontract to freelancers, and some outsource abroad.
In an ideal world, your consultant will spend as long as it takes, getting your CV just right.
We’ve actually lost a lot of custom over the years, not because we’re not great at what we do, but because we take our time, go the extra mile and don’t cut corners. Inevitably this takes more time. More time than most companies dedicate to customer CVs.
Some companies try to have clients believe that they can have both top-quality and fast turnarounds. In our experience, if you want anything of quality, it does take time. That’s our view based on 20+ years’ experience at the forefront of the CV writing sector.
Many failing CVs from other firms that clients send us to fix do seem rushed. And it does appear that not every professional CV is given the time, care and attention it merits.
Some companies include writer qualifications on their websites. Other firms don’t. You’d have to ask them why not. As for ourselves, we only consider applicants with at least a degree, and we do indicate qualifications on our site.
It’s not our place to say what qualifications writers of other companies have/haven’t got. However, we can divulge that we do get (and reject) applications from unqualified writers who claim to have professional experience elsewhere.
Outsourcing abroad is also more common than people realise. We too have received invitations from firms in places such as India offering to create CVs in double-quick time at low rates. Naturally, we don’t entertain such business. But that’s us. Some firms do.
Many place a big emphasis on reviews. That’s fine if everyone plays by the same rules, but in the CV industry that’s not always the case. Certainly, many reviews and testimonials in the sector are genuine, it’s just that many are (let’s be polite) less than reliable.
We believe we offer the most authentic, genuine and honest executive CV review service in the sector.
Please click for details.
We have touched on some key differences above, but we’ll list some more indicators below:
Some companies provide details of their writers (and qualifications) on their website. Other companies don’t.
Some companies respond to queries by telephone, email and live chat. Other companies don’t.
Some companies do little more than tweaking templates. The better firms don’t.
Some company’s CV appraisals are authentic. Others are just tweaked templates (and sometimes even automated).
The best companies can explain their methods logically. The lesser companies can’t.
With some companies, you deal from day 1 with an actual writer. With other companies it’s a salesperson on commission.
Some companies have small teams of genuine experts doing their best for clients. Other firms are, to all intents and purposes, CV writing factories with large teams of writers churning out products en-masse.
Some companies use scare tactics (such as ATS). Other firms don’t. (There is more to ATS than meets the eye, and this could be the subject of another article).
Some companies resort to marketing gimmicks. Others do not.
Some companies make false promises, the best companies don’t.
Some companies puersuade via unverifiable statistics. The best companies don’t.
Some companies make claims that they do not back up. The best firms do not.
The above is not a full list, but it should give you food for thought to help you make a better-informed decision.
In this article we have made quite a big deal about claims, and backing them up.
Why is this?
Firstly, having the confidence to back up claims is a key differentiator between the good and the bad.
Secondly, we have every confidence in our ability, and are happy to back up what we say. Please feel free to check out our guarantee details.
Yes and no!
We regularly enhance other firms’ CVs, and have done for 20+ years. So proving it is not a problem. If anything, that is the easy part.
The hard part was amassing all the skills, knowledge, expertise and methods in the first instance to give us the foundations to write the special way that only we can (powerfully, concisely and naturally - and in alignment with sales and marketing principles).
None of that comes easy. For us, it meant engaging with recruiters as well as responding to client questions and listening to customer and employer feedback - not to mention a great deal of research, testing, trials, tweaks, experiments, refinements and hard work writing CVs every day for years.
Without all of that we would be just another CV firm. But with all that, as well as that little matter of natural writing talent, marketing expertise, creativity, and attention to detail etc, we are sector leaders, and we have been for many years.
We know that choosing a CV company can be a minefield.
We cannot speak for other CV companies, however, what we can do, and what we promise, is to do our utmost for those deserving executives who put their trust in us.
If you would like our unique assistance then we would be happy to help you.