Got a resume of dubious distinction? With the economy plodding and jobs scarce, now is not the time to crank out a resume that isn't firing on all cylinders.

You may have had a few friends or some family members look over your resume -- and that's good. But unless one of them is a recruiter or a hiring official or a pro resume writer, such critiques are not likely very useful beyond your basic thumbs up, thumbs down. So, what if you could find a professional resume writing service that offers to critique or review your existing resume--for free? Excited?

Curb your excitement. While I can't speak to the motivation behind every company offering such a service, my experience leads me to one general conclusion: they are marketing ploys designed to convert you to a paying customer of their resume-writing service. While there's nothing inherently wrong with a company peddling (pushing?) their products, just don't be under the illusion that a "free" resume critique or review is objective, unbiased, or a stand-alone offering designed to simply inform you and let you go on your way. It's none of the above.

The Free Resume Critique - What To Expect

Lots of resume writing services will offer to take a look at your existing resume and make suggestions. With most companies, you can be assured that among their suggestions will be the plea to let them have a crack at re-writing your resume. Nothing wrong with that, per se. But in their evaluation, are they giving you any reasons why they could do a better job? Any details?

A good resume critique -- free or otherwise -- from an ethical service will provide an honest resume evaluation that identifies areas that need help. It's OK to expect the writer to make a case for his services, but that case should be backed up by pointing out specific areas on the resume that could be improved upon, and how the writer would address those areas.

In sum, don't expect much from a "free" service. And don't let the availability of a free or inexpensive resume critique sway you to doing business with a particular company. Before you pull the trigger and spend your hard-earned money on a service, you'll want to consider the credentials of the writers, the quality of workmanship behind each resume, customer service, and price. If you're interested, we take a hard look at the most popular online services in our Resume Writing Services Reviews.

© David Alan Carter
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