Wiki Resume...Professional or DIY?

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catalystracing4701@att.net

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Has anyone had their resume professionally done, or know of any coding specific resume builders out there? Or have you gone the DIY route? For those that have gone the professional route, did you notice any striking difference to what you would have done or had done already?
 
I've never had my resume "professionally done" but that was before companies were using programs to scan resumes for specific key words. There are hundreds of websites that can give advice and recommendations. Whatever you do, make sure there is not a single typo. Don't use "HIPPA" when you mean "HIPAA". Don't make it a novel. Don't use giant fonts. Don't use an email like "sexynakedcoder @porno.com". One page is ideal, two pages can also be acceptable if everything on there is relevant. If you already have 5 coding/billing relevant positions, leave off your movie theater job in college. If this is a new career for you, then word your responsibilities at your prior jobs to show certain experience is relevant to this position. If you are casting a wide net, I would have a few resumes worded differently based on the position you are applying for.
Me personally, I would do it myself, but if after sending out resumes for 2 weeks, didn't get any contact, I would then consider having it professionally done. It could also depend on how quickly/how desperately you need a coding job soon. If you're not working now, paying to have it done in order to land a position sooner may be money well spent.
 
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I saw professional resumes advertised for $250... umm, no thank you, not for 1-2 pages of abbreviated info on me and a cover letter! You can definitely do it yourself if you can't find it for cheaper. I have my generic DIY resume saved as a PDF on my desktop (I used a template in MAC/Pages, took me one afternoon), and I will tailor it in 5 minutes for each job I apply for, mainly for the keywords in the job descriptions so the hiring company's automated search will find it. It looks great. Have somebody in the industry proof it for you if possible. Then don't stop applying! Spend several hours/day if you can. Best of everything to you, and have faith, it will happen!
 
i must confess, my first gut instinct was to say it sounds like a waste of money, but I‘ve been with the same company and haven’t had to look for a new job in 11 years. In this day and age, with the technology used to scan resumes for buzz words, I’d say it may not be a bad investment to have it professionally done. You need any leg up you can get when you job search, and if it makes that initial impact just a little better, it‘s worth it
 
aackary said:
I saw professional resumes advertised for $250... umm, no thank you, not for 1-2 pages of abbreviated info on me and a cover letter! You can definitely do it yourself if you can't find it for cheaper. I have my generic DIY resume saved as a PDF on my desktop (I used a template in MAC/Pages, took me one afternoon), and I will tailor it in 5 minutes for each job I apply for, mainly for the keywords in the job descriptions so the hiring company's automated search will find it. It looks great. Have somebody in the industry proof it for you if possible. Then don't stop applying! Spend several hours/day if you can. Best of everything to you, and have faith, it will happen!
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$250 sounds like a lot - I'm wondering if you saw that rate from a general resume writer, and not one specific to coding?

There are 3 coding-specific resume companies that I'm familiar with. Resumes4Coders starts at $75. Project Resume starts at $50. Caffeinated Career Creations (Sarah Ragan) starts at $100.

Those are the starting resume packages. Some of the above offer different combinations of upgrades.

FWIW, I've used 2 of the 3 services above. (The 3rd didn't exist the last time I needed a resume done.) I was happy with the service from both of them.

I've worked in healthcare for a long time and always did my own resume. However, by the time I transitioned to coding in 2018, I wanted some help optimizing my resume for OCR scanning. Also tweaking the phrasing for my healthcare experience to sound applicable for coding.

Even now my current resume is a modified form of the ones I paid for a few years ago. I just add information as needed.

It's okay for a person to try creating their own resume. Some people are good at that sort of thing and can probably do okay on their own.

However, if a person is submitting hundreds of resumes and never hearing even one reply, they might need to consider whether their resume is holding them back. It might be worth considering a professional revision, or at least asking someone for honest feedback on the resume.
 
I agree, the prices you mentioned are certainly a lot more reasonable, and probably well worth the investment. $250 was just out of my league. I think the key is just not giving up, and if paying for someone to write or review their resume (affordably) even just helps someone feel more confident, then I would recommend it for sure.
 
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