Average Cost of Resume Writing Services (Study)
If you’re wondering how a resume writer costs, you’re in the right place. We researched the prices of 90 resume writers to find the average cost of professional resume writing services.
These are the results…
How Much Does a Professional Resume Writer Cost?
The average cost of professional resume writing services is $527 based on our research of 90 resume writers. The cost of resume writing does vary significantly, from below $200 to multiple thousands of dollars. For example, we saw professional resume writing priced at $2,275, $2,450 and $3,000. However, these higher prices are typically reserved for high-end or executive resume writing.
Deals can be found if you’re at the earlier stages of your career (not an executive, manager, etc.) and looking for budget resume writing services.
For example, TopResume is a large, reputable resume writing service (and one of the resume writing services we recommend) with writing services starting at $149.
What Determines the Cost of a Resume Writing Service?
When we looked at the cost of various resume writing services, we noticed multiple factors that seem to correlate with cost…
1. Location of the Resume Writer
Professional resume writers located in areas with a higher cost of living tend to charge more.
If you’re looking for a good deal on a resume writing service, you may be able to find a very skilled resume writer who simply lives and works in a less expensive city/state, and therefore charges less. For example, the typical resume writer in Milwaukee is going to be charging a lot less than in New York, even with more experience.
However, if you’re applying for finance positions in New York, you’re probably better off with a resume writer who knows that market! So be careful – cheaper isn’t always better.
2. Writing Experience
The next factor that determines the cost of a professional resume writer is their experience. Resume writers who have been working for more time tend to charge higher rates.
3. Certifications
On average, we saw resume writers charging $100-200 more than their peers if they possessed one or more professional resume writing certifications.
It may be worth paying extra to get a resume writer who’s certified by a large organization like the Professional Association of Resume Writers.
4. Add-Ons/Packages
For this study, we looked at just the cost of a resume, not LinkedIn profile writing or cover letter writing.
However, add-ons and extras did influence the average cost of resume writing that we found, because some resume writers include a LinkedIn profile or other extras with their “base” service offering for no extra charge. (Or another way of looking at it: You’re paying for it, but it’s already built into the price).
5. Notoriety/”Fame”
Some resume writers have been featured in large publications like Forbes, or have large followings on social media. This often means they’re quite busy and can charge more. More demand for their services leads to higher rates.
Whether these resume writers are the most skilled at delivering a great resume for your job search is a difficult question to answer. Some are among the best, and some aren’t. You should evaluate them the same way you’d assess any resume writer before hiring them (keep reading for tips on how to choose a great resume writer for you.)
The same holds true for lower-cost services. There are many good low cost resume writing services online. However, some do not deliver a good result.
So here’s our top choice for a low cost professional resume writer online….
Low Cost Resume Writing Service: Our Top Choice
The best low cost resume writing service we found, while still being reputable, is TopResume.
Their resume packages start at just $149, which is a bargain considering how much experience they have in the resume writing industry.
We don’t recommend going lower than this price point for a resume writer, because you’re running the risk of getting a sub-par result or hiring someone without adequate knowledge/expertise to deliver an effective resume.
Resources for Writing Your Own Resume
One other option you have is to write your own resume. While this can be difficult if you’ve never worked as a recruiter or hiring manager, there are plenty of good resources online.
Now that you know the cost of professional resume writing, I want to leave you with some DIY resources in case you decide the cost is too high and you need to do this yourself.
First, I’d recommend this article on what to put on a resume. It will walk you through each major part of your resume and how to organize it.
Then I’d recommend reading these articles on the most important resume sections (where hiring managers look first):
Your resume summary paragraph.
Finally, after you’ve written your resume, you want to put some of the same key info onto your LinkedIn. Most hiring managers are looking at LinkedIn even if you applied elsewhere. Here are 5 other reasons you should use LinkedIn, too.
Here are some of our top articles about LinkedIn to help you transfer your resume info over:
What to put on your LinkedIn profile.
How to write a great LinkedIn summary/about section.
10 good LinkedIn headline examples.
Is Hiring a Professional Resume Writer Worth It?
Now you know how much a professional resume writer costs, and you have some resources above that will guide you through creating a winning resume yourself if you’d rather not pay.
In the end, the choice is yours. There’s always some risk with hiring a professional. You may hire the wrong person, and get a poor result. However, if you ask some good screening questions, or better yet, ask your network to recommend a resume writer they know and trust, you’re likely to get a great result.
Professional resume writers stay in business for a reason – they’re often VERY skilled at translating your past experience and qualifications into what employers are looking for in your next ideal job.
If you have the budget to pay for the cost of resume writing services, they can be a very good investment for your career.
Every week you’re out of work costs you money (lost potential wages), and if a resume writer helps you land a higher-paying job, the service will essentially pay for itself.
The bottom line is: You just need to be careful in making sure you’re selecting a very good resume writer.
If you want more help deciding, we’ve published a list of our top 3 professional resume writing services here.
Note: Some links on this page go to online resume writing services. Career Sidekick may earn a small commission on orders made through links to some of these sites (at no extra cost to you). We work hard to only recommend services that are high-quality and that we would use ourselves.