Considering that you’ll spend more waking hours on your career than any other activity (with your salary riding on this decision!), it makes sense to thoroughly check out these services.

Ensure that your efforts result in a powerful résumé that opens doors by looking for a writer that offers:

1) - Verifiable Credentials.  Certification is a MAJOR distinction between dedicated professionals and “hobby” writers. Becoming a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW), Certified Expert Résumé Writer (CERW), or Nationally Certified Résumé Writer (NCRW) requires a candidate to pass a rigorous exam judged by industry experts—with a high failure rate.

Don’t be fooled! Verify CPRW, CERW, or NCRW status by visiting the Professional Association of Résumé Writers at www.parw.com, Career Directors International at www.careerdirectors.com, or the National Résumé Writer’s Association at www.nrwa.com to search for the writer’s name and credentials.

2) - Samples. Look carefully at résumé samples to discern the extent of the writer’s business knowledge. A clear strategy should be evident on each résumé, plus a keen understanding of the industry and career goal.

If the writer won’t show you sample work, consider moving on to another.

3) - Actual Recruiting/Job Hunting Experience.  True résumé experts couple their professional training with REAL -WORLD experience as a hiring manager or recruiter.

You can also look for corporate experience on BOTH sides of the hiring table; former job hunters offer a valuable perspective that cannot be learned in other ways.

4) - Dedication to Ongoing Development. Here’s a tip: writers who achieve the strongest results tend to belong to at least one professional career industry association.

With participation in these organizations, most members avail themselves of continuing development opportunities to learn the latest strategies that will deliver results for YOUR résumé.

5) - Published Work.  If you pick up a résumé book on Amazon.com or at your local library, chances are it contains the work of a select few writers compared to each other WORLDWIDE by the publisher.

In other words, résumé writers who have had work chosen for publication are among the cream of the crop.

6) - Guarantee.  Look closely at the type of guarantee or other verification of quality offered by a résumé writer. Do they stand behind their work? 

If so, this means that you, the customer, will receive an expertly crafted document that is fully tuned to meet a hiring manager’s expectations.

7) - Professional-Level Pricing.  This may seem like an odd criterion, but think about it: writers who charge less than $200 are literally telling you that they either unwilling or unable to devote sufficient time to your project. Many will simply reformat your information without an in-depth consultation.

Make no mistake about it:  a masterpiece résumé that truly markets your strengths requires critical analysis of your goals, PLUS content. A skilled writer will take presentation, keywords, and information placement into consideration, plus possess knowledge of your field. It’s a time-consuming process!

Keep in mind that many excellent résumé writers exist, along with a few who may fall short of your expectations. Your best bet is to check out each source thoroughly—since your future earning power and career happiness will depend on it!

A unique résumé authority and former corporate recruiter, Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC of An Expert Resume has achieved a 98% success rate landing interviews for fast-track professionals. 

In addition to published résumé work in national career bestsellers, Laura has authored 21 Insider Résumé Secrets to the $100K+ Job of Your Choice , plus two other books on résumé and cover letters. A Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Career Management Coach, and Interview Coach, Laura maintains active membership in the Professional Association of Résumé Writers, the National Résumé Writers Association, Career Directors International, and Career Masters Alliance .

If you're ready to empower your job search, get Laura’s FREE 7-Part E-Course on "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From a $100K+ Job... And How to Avoid Them.

Relax – there’s a point to customizing your resume to meet the needs of employers. In The Career Champion newsletter, I regularly cover the fact that a resume needs to deliver a clear message in order to be effective. However, this doesn't mean that every resume you send must be a completely different version.

If you’re unsure of the actual breaking point between one resume and another, here are 3 ways to tell if you’ll need an encore version:

1) Your skills aren’t focused on one main career goal. My clients often find that they can target one particular job type by showing strengths for that role. If they wish to pursue a similar position, I recommend that they change a few words here and there.

However, if they focus on an entirely DIFFERENT job type, that's another matter. It's hard to convince employers of your business development skills, for example, if your resume is centered around your expertise in operations management.

2) Your credentials are SO broad that your resume goes on forever.  If your resume gives hiring authorities too much to read (especially if there’s too many interesting facts that don’t add up to one message), then it’s time to narrow your focus.

Proving your fitness for a particular job is a matter of tuning the text around WHY you’re qualified, and then backing up your story with achievements and other examples.

3) Tweaking your resume for each job application requires a major rewrite. If you can’t reasonably dedicate a summary to one suite of skills, then you should separate out your career goals.

This may involve extra effort on your part, including additional keyword research and a different presentation, but the end results will be worth it.

Remember, recruiters have enough resumes to read without getting confused by what you want to do! Zeroing in on your specific, measurable credentials allows you to quickly convey why you are qualified, eliminates the potential for confusion, and gets your resume noticed much faster.

A unique resume authority, Laura Smith-Proulx is the Executive Director of An Expert Resume, a career services company that caters to technical, sales, and organizational leaders, from managers poised for growth to senior-level executives.

A Certified Professional Resume Writer, Interview Coach, and Career Coach, Laura has achieved a 98% success rate for thousands of clients through creative and skilled writing/editing, insightful career coaching, and positive motivation.

If you're ready to make a key change in your leadership career, get our FREE 7-Part E-Course on "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From a $100K+ Job... And How to Avoid Them."

If this situation applies to you, remember that you are in good company! I would estimate that nearly a third of my clients have experienced a period of unemployment at one time or another.

Your best bet in this case is to meet the challenge head-on by preparing to address the gaps directly. This will make it much easier to market your skills for a high-powered role. I have compiled three highly effective tips you can use when presenting an interruption in your work history to a potential employer:

1) Remember that hiring authorities see gaps all the time… but they also expect to see career progression, PLUS an explanation. This is a critical point! In order to deflect questions on gaps, ensure that your résumé shows some strong areas of growth, which can make the interim period seem more like a blip in your career.

Also, be prepared to explain the gap itself by pointing to an activity that filled it, such as volunteer work, caring for an ill family member, or launching a business.

2) If possible, give a name to the gap itself. Give readers of your résumé an idea of what you did by using a between-jobs “title” such as Consulting, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence, or Family Management.

But what if the gap was short enough that you were merely searching for work? You can just leave it “as is,” while still preparing your explanation. This leads to the next tip, which is…

3) Don’t point out a gap that you can’t name. Essentially, your best strategy when dealing with any potentially negative information is this:  focus more on the RESULTS you can bring to your next employer than anything else.

In other words, if you don’t have a plausible explanation for being out of work, then simply move on to focus on your value proposition—and save your explanation for an interview.

My personal philosophy is that everyone has something POSITIVE to offer their next employer. The more focus you put on your strongest contributions, the less you—and hiring managers—will need to emphasize any shortcomings in your career history.

A unique resume authority with a 98% success rate winning interviews, Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC is the Executive Director of An Expert Resume, a career services company that caters to organizational leaders, from managers poised for growth to senior-level executives.

If you're ready to make a key change in your leadership career, get our FREE 7-Part E-Course on "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From a $100K+ Job... And How to Avoid Them."