You’re either at work and want to get a better job (we know what you’re thinking, “in this economy?) or you’re just out of work and need to update the resume you have, or your resume is written on stone tablets and it could definitely use some sprucing up.

You go on line and search for resumes, sample resumes, resume services, resume coaches, resume recipes, etc., etc., etc.  And, you decide that instead of stressing through the writing part of your own, you’re going to hire someone to write for you.  It’s easy, right?  You just give them your stone tablets and some notes – and wham, you have a resume that will sell you to anyone looking.

Not so easy.

Once you gather your notes, last jobs and responsibilities, successes, numbers that illustrate your achievements, hobbies, the things you’re known for, how you’ve solved more problems than created, you sit in front of your computer (or chisel and hammer) and just sit there.  It’s hard to work up a good story about yourself, isn’t it?  It’s very hard.  It’s harder yet, to get a complete stranger to do it for you – about you.

Bizpain.com regularly offers tips on resumes and what they should contain, interviewing techniques, getting in the front door, etc., and we’ve seen a lot of articles in the news and on the web about resume writing services, so it’s a good idea, if you’re thinking of paying someone to write yours, that you take a few key steps.

You don’t want to waste time and several hundred to a couple thousand dollars to get something back in a nice format but with typos and misspellings.

Like a lot of make-it-rich scams out there, resume writing services have grown like weeds as people looking for work have continued to add top soil.  According to a recent WSJ.com piece, out of more than 400 members of the National Resume Writers Association, or NRWA, (one of two main trade associations for resume writers), only 34 have attained the National Certified Résumé Writer Credential.

So, how can you tell if the service you may be hiring is worth your time and money?  Follow this simple checklist.

Does the service you’re considering really know your profession and industry?

You need to find someone who understands the language of your industry and needed talents.  This is clearly important if you’re staying in your space, even more if you’re switching to another space.  Anyone can plop words and numbers onto a page, but you need someone who can plop yours down so the hiring manager or recruiter can easily fit you into their profile.

See sample resumes that have landed clients jobs and that are not those posted on the website.

Take it a step further.  Try to actually speak with the service’s happy clients and get a feel for the kind of service you’re going to work with.  Passing stuff back and forth via email is the way we all do things today, but is that how you’re going to approach your most important sales tool about yourself?  Can you actually get what you need without actually talking to someone?

Does the service have successful experience with people at your level?

If you’re an entry level person, you need someone who has a great understanding of that level, don’t you?  Similarly, if you’re a mid-level manager, or director, or executive, you want someone who understands the language, the psychology, the right angles.  Remember the “plopping?”  It’s like getting fitted for a suit – you need a tailor who gets it right – the first time.

What’s their process and does it fit with your own process?

Since you will need to tailor your resume to different job opportunities, you need a boilerplate that you can work with.  If someone offers to get you same day completion by just reviewing your current resume, move on to another service.  You need someone who asks extensive questions, gets involved in dialog on the phone (or in person, which is mostly likely very rare).  Find out how many drafts are included and how many versions of the final document.  Just make sure that what you buy is something you can work with and a service that you can work with until you land a job, not just until you land a document.

Find out what the writer did before becoming a resume writer.

If they don’t have a background in recruiting, human resources, hiring, or anything beyond resume writing, find another service.  You need to work with someone with end-result experience to ensure that your best effort is on the result, not on just the document.  Someone recently out of work in the automotive industry may not make the best resume writer.  Also, search everything you can on line about the writer – all the usual suspects like FaceBook, LinkedIn, general searches, etc.