You've made the decision that you need professional help writing your resume. Now where do you go? Do a search on Google for Resume Writer and more than 24 million entries are returned. How then do you find a good resume writer with so many choices?

The Internet abounds with those claiming to be professional resume writers. The majority of resume writers on the web have no more training or experience in resume writing than the average job seeker. It's easy to spend hundreds of dollars for a resume that doesn't work. What should you look for in choosing a resume writer?

Typical deciding factors in selecting a professional resume writer

• The cost of the resume is very affordable.
  Unfortunately, it is true that you get what you pay for. Would a good writer spend hours designing a resume that is capable of beating your competition for $75 to $99? Wouldn't they charge more for the resumes they write if their resumes were worth it?
• The resume writer should have a background in recruiting or human resources.A background in HR or recruiting helps to identify a poorly written resume but doesn't teach anyone to write resumes. How do I know? I have countless HR professionals that come to me for help with their resumes. Resume writing requires exceptional writing, grammatical, and marketing skills. These are not learned simply by reading the resumes of others.
  
• The resume writer should be proud to show you samples of their work.
  Any writer who will not provide samples of their work upfront should be stricken from the list of possible writers. Writers may claim that they don't want people copying their work which "is" likely. However, the counter argument to that is they can send resumes outside of the field of the job seeker which are of no use for copying.
• Check references!
  Ask for references and contact past clients to see that they are indeed happy with the writers work.
• Most importantly, choose a certified professional resume writer and verify their certification.
  Certified professional resume writers have been extensively trained and tested to ensure they meet the high standards of the certifying association. Don't forget to verify certifications! Many resume writers claim to be certified when indeed they are not.