Résumé Writing from Monster.com

A familiar name in the job search world, to be sure. But overly pricey resume products, no assurance of certified writers, and a website oftentimes difficult to navigate contribute to a less-than-stellar ranking for Monster.com. That said, their posted resume samples are quite well written and service is prompt--a reflection of partnering with the online division of Career Services Group, Inc. Hint: that means their staff will be writing your resume, not the staff at Monster.com. Of course, that's not a bad thing.

How it works:

Navigate to the resume writing section (not so easy to find, so click the link Résumé Writing from Monster, then find Resume Writing along the left hand margin), and locate the category that best fits your work history: student or recent graduate, mid-career professional, executive, or military-to-civilian conversion. Place your order online and complete their exclusive questionnaire. They promise that you'll then receive "personal attention from an expert writer," though that is not necessarily an indication that phone contact will ensue. Rather, it seems more likely that--barring a catastrophic lack of information on the questionnaire--your assigned writer will begin working up a draft from that questionnaire. They promise that draft to you within 1-3 days. You're then given the opportunity to request any changes or corrections before the final draft.

Receive your finalized resume in one distribution format of your choice (i.e. Microsoft Word), unless you've purchased their Comprehensive Services package that includes the resume in 3 distribution formats (what they call Presentation, Scannable and ASCII).

Here's what we liked:

• Surprisingly professional end result--at least based on the sample resumes they make available. This kind of solid writing and excellent layout and design would keep any resume competitive in the marketplace.
• Three distribution formats available. Of course, you'll pay for it. But at least you won't then have to worry about converting your resume from one format to another if the need arises.
• Satisfaction Guaranteed. Once you receive your draft, you're given 10 business days to make up to two rounds of revisions.
• 24-hour (business hour) rush option available.

Here's what we didn't like:

• No indication the writers are certified, which leads us to assume they are not. That said, certification alone is no indication that one writer can produce a better resume than the next. And in the interest of giving credit where credit is due, these writers appear to be top notch--certified or not--based on the samples they've posted.
• Because Monster.com has their hands in every conceivable career service under the sun, navigating their web site to the resume writing quadrant can prove challenging.
• If we're going to spend that kind of money, it would be nice to actually talk with a human. Preferably the human who will be writing our resume. No such assurance.

In summary, steep pricing and a generally less communicative approach to resume writing pulls Monster.com down a notch in our books. However, we can't deny the quality of their writing and their resume presentation skills. Good stuff.

As a sidebar, signing up for a free Monster account not only affords access to their many additional services, but allows you to search their massive database of available jobs. This is something you're going to want to do--sooner or later. Make it sooner.

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