I have made the decision to leave my current employer. I am smart enough to know that things have changed in the 13 years I have worked for my current employer. A couple friends and colleagues have told me that I should have my resume and LinkedIn profile professionally written. I have done some research and these services online cost between $100 and $3000. I was hoping the oracle would have some input.

Does anyone have a recommendation on a resume writing service?

Disclaimer: This is my opinion as it relates to electronics / high tech. YMMV if you work in a different area.

sadly, yes, professional help in this area is helpful unless you want to do a lot of research to DIY the task.

Resumes are written for "key words" reflecting your skills and the skills needed for the job. You may have a half dozen resumes, all focusing in on different things. The style seems to have changed from what it was a decade ago too.

I've done the resume screening process manually, and to be honest, a resume only gets my eyes for an average of about 10 seconds unless I find something interesting. I know there is computer screening, but I don't do that (yet).

By when, I was told to tailor my resume to the job applied for. To read the job description, and organize to address each part in order.
Radioman is correct. Resumes will only get a quick look. The basic truth goes “A resume only gets a job interview.”

I almost used one last year, I had used one years ago and I realized that unless the writer understands your industry they really cannot do a good job.

The key word search point is true, that was the only reason I considered doing it this last time.

I read a lot of CVs and as radioman pointed out it normally takes me 10 seconds to know whether I am interested in a candidate or not.

I have and it was well worth the money spent.
When I moved out to Salt Lake City in 2006 with a company, I had a good job that I really liked. They ended up shutting the plant down in 2008.
I had Career Builder do my resume and then saved it on their site to apply for jobs.
It was extremely well composed and got me another position comparable to what I had before.

quote:

I have made the decision to leave my current employer. I am smart enough to know that things have changed in the 13 years I have worked for my current employer. A couple friends and colleagues have told me that I should have my resume and LinkedIn profile professionally written. I have done some research and these services online cost between $100 and $3000. I was hoping the oracle would have some input.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
The one thing that has not changed is that you get a job interview mainly through your contacts and reccomendations from others. I do get headhunters that call based upon my very brief resume on LINKedIn. I am generally not interested in those proposals. You do not mention your field of work. The work that I do is very specialized and I feel competent composing my own resume. I have not been impressed with professional resumes because frankly they "look professional."

I have used a resume writer. It cost $350 and was worth every penny. He rephrased my resume so online applications would pick up on key-words related to the job. He also shortened my resume from 5 pages to 2.
I was able to land an interview and got the job.

If you go this route, pick one that specializes in your career focus.

There are random scammers. Join your career’s forum and listen. The good guys survive. Others don’t.

Tailor your resume to the job opening. Use the same buzz words and key phrases that are in the job description.

Be brief. List major accomplishments and skills. Don't get cute, they can see right through it and it just makes you look weak. A recent very heavy handed example, I received a resume with someone claiming to be the CEO of a cosmetics and jewelry company.

Cut the shit, you sell Avon and some jewelry. Thats not a bad thing or something negative, to make a living doing that you have to hustle and be good with people, and be organized. All good qualities. I would respect that, just say you are a successful salesperson don't try to "spice it up"

Yes I have and I would HIGHLY recommend it. Many resumes are well written, but having a pro do it made a huge difference. The company I used was www.GotTheJob.com and not only did I get a resume, but a cover letter and thank you letter and various formats of my resume. I had about 13 years in as a professional and had a solid resume based on my experiences, but honestly it was not being conveyed well. They took care of that for me and really opened my eyes on how to get a prospective employers attention. I've got another 10 years on top of that now with an employer I will retire from one day...in 20 years or so.

The best way to get a job is to grow your contacts list and make your name known, but outside of that, you need an excellent resume.