Should candidates use CV writing services?

From the viewpoint of a small business owner that’s looking to hire a new team member, the idea that the candidates applying for the position may have had some professional help to prepare their CV might seem a little questionable.

However, the use of professional CV writing services can actually have a number of advantages, not only for the candidate themselves but also for the employer faced with the task of hiring the right person for the job.

Advantages for the employer

According to LinkedIn research statistics, businesses that have developed a strong brand and have greater appeal to job seekers are seeing 50% more qualified applicants than they were in previous years. While this may be great in terms of recruitment advertising response, it can mean that recruiters are having to spend less time reading and assessing each candidate’s CV.

Being presented with a well-structured CV that not only has a good, easy-to-understand layout but also makes it easier to digest all the most relevant skills and experience, will enable employers to identify the most appropriate candidates more effectively.

A professional CV writing service will know exactly what information and key skills an employer will be looking for. They will have the expertise to structure candidates’ CVs in a way that allows these key skills and talents to stand out and be more easily found by the reader, without them having to wade through pages of irrelevant information in order to find them.

When you stop and think about it, candidates that use a CV writing service to create their best-possible CV help to make the task of assessing and selecting the strongest job applicants much easier for the employer – and also reduce the risk that an otherwise ideal candidate is missed, simply because of a poorly crafted CV.

Fewer good candidates missed

While many candidates are capable of doing a decent enough job of creating their own CV, there are some aspects that many of them can struggle with. Often these issues can mean that a potential employer or small business recruiter will receive CVs that contain a variety of errors, such as:

• Incorrect English
• Unexplained gaps
• Lack of detailed information and examples
• Underselling their achievements

When job candidates work with professional CV writers, they will be able to identify and highlight their key skills, experience, and achievements that are best suited for including on their CV and make sure they are presented in the best, error-free way.

In most cases, a CV writer will perfectly tailor the content to match the work sector or industry that the job seeker wants to work in. This means cutting down on the padding the recruiter doesn’t want to see, by leaving out all unnecessary information that isn’t directly related to the position on offer.

CV writing services are helping candidates obtain higher-quality CVs that they may not otherwise have been able to create themselves, but they are also helping recruiters, who stand a better chance of finding the right candidates with their professional help.

Advantages for the job seeker

The main advantage of CV writing companies for candidates has already been highlighted. Regardless of whether a job seeker is brand new to the job market or they are mid-career and looking for a change of direction, it’s not difficult to understand that their success can depend quite heavily on the quality of their CV.

With the help and support of CV writing professionals, candidates are armed with the information employers are most interested in, presented in a way that highlights how well they match up to the skills and talents required in the role.

More successful candidates and better recruitment

Candidates with professionally-written CVs that are focused on the specific role they are looking for are likely to land the job they want more quickly. This is great news for the candidates, but it also implies a key benefit for recruiters as well – filling vital positions faster.

When recruiters are faced with a mountain of CVs to sort through, instead of being a potential pitfall to be on the lookout for. Coming across a professionally-prepared CV or a well-written cover letter that highlights the exact skills and qualities they are looking for can be a blessed relief.

Rather than potential employers viewing CV writing services as a way for candidates to ‘game the system’, these companies are simply another resource for candidates who are serious about their recruitment. Career coaches or interview training, and something that recruiters aiming for better, faster hiring should encourage.