Reputable CV writing services - are they worth the price?

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Aaroona

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#303615 22-Feb-2023 23:09

I'm looking to get some work done to my CV to pull more focus towards some specific skillsets, modernise the format, and improve the overall quality.

I was looking around for a service in NZ and came across ExecutiveOne - they seem to specialise with CV rewrites, LinkedIn blurbs, personal branding, plus a bunch of other related services.

I have a few questions

Has anyone had experience with using these types of services?
Are they worth it?
What pricing should I be expecting? the quote I have at the moment is is the 500-700 range.

I'm classing this as an investment in my career, but equally don't want to throw money away where its not needed! So figured worth asking here.

michaelmurfy

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#3040724 22-Feb-2023 23:47

To be honest for me who has reviewed a tonne of CV's and hired people I am happy to see a CV generated by LinkedIn (and this is what I personally use).

I treat LinkedIn as my live CV and keep this updated - when I want to flick it off I customize it slightly for the job I am applying for and export straight off LinkedIn. Never had to once pay for a CV!

If I get a CV the main things I am looking for is specific experience for the role I am hiring for. As I've previously hired for IT roles I am not really specifically looking for stellar spelling (I hardly can spell properly myself) or fancy graphics but instead I am just looking for a 1-2 page CV just showing a quick blurb about you and what you can bring to the table in relevant skills. People who make an effort to customize their CV per role get a tick in my books as I also have to review a tonne of CV's that are clearly generic and sent to a whole lot of companies (in-fact - one of them I contacted as they sounded interesting and didn't even know what role they applied for as it turns out they applied for multiple at the same company!).

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mdf

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#3040736 23-Feb-2023 07:20

ChatGPT has produced some surprisingly good CVs and covering letters - I think the best use case is if you essentially know what you want to say but need some help making it a bit more "corporate".

Might be a lower cost alternative to try (or just have a play so you can add "Experience with ChatGPT" to your CV).

xpd

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#3040741 23-Feb-2023 08:15

I just used LinkedIn over the years, with a bit of tweaking etc.

A lot of employers will look you up there these days anyway.

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gehenna

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#3040745 23-Feb-2023 08:45

Depends a bit on what you have as a starting position. If you've got nothing, then setting a baseline with a specialist resume builder is probably useful. But if you've got the baseline already then I wouldn't spend money on it. Like previous posts, I've employed a lot of people over time. The CV is pretty much the last thing I'm interested in. It's all about the interview/personality/aptitude for me. Each job is different though, for sure, as is each hiring manager....

Edit: If you have something already I'd chuck it into ChatGPT with some instructions and see what comes out. e.g. I am too wordy most of the time. I've told ChatGPT to simplify some of my documents lately and it does a great job. You never know...

gehenna

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#3040746 23-Feb-2023 08:47

xpd:

A lot of employers will look you up there these days anyway.

That's true, in fact the first places I go are Facebook and Instagram to see if there is an open profile and what's posted on there. You'd be amazed how many competent IT people have their lives on display.

Aaroona

3130 posts

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#3040763 23-Feb-2023 09:46

I do like the idea of ChatGPT and I will give that a try and see what it does.

However, does this change your mind if you are moving from mainly a technical focused CV to a more leadership focused CV and role?

MikeAqua

7619 posts

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#3040768 23-Feb-2023 10:01

IMO the cover letter is more important. Says more about the person than the CV which is just about their career. Obviously, this depends on the role, and whether it involves interacting with other people.

Mike

scuwp

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#3040817 23-Feb-2023 11:33

MikeAqua:

IMO the cover letter is more important. Says more about the person than the CV which is just about their career. Obviously, this depends on the role, and whether it involves interacting with other people.

As a hiring manager, this is the way.

The CV is really just an index of your skills and experience, the covering letter is where you get to demonstrate how your skills apply to the role, and what you believe are your attributes relating to the position description.

I know there is a general hate against covering letters, but honestly if all we get is a CV and we can't immediately see relevancy for the role, in the bin it goes. Employers/recruiters are not mind readers, particularly frustrating where you are changing career path, it's hard to see just from a CV why you want the role.

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quickymart

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#3040892 23-Feb-2023 15:22

I used a place called Auckland CV way back in 2012 before Linkedin really took off. I found using the CV he created I started getting regular interviews - something that hadn't happened previously.

Sadly it looks like he's not operating anymore, his website is offline 😟 a pity as he was really good!