want me to review your resume?

by Alison Green on April 2, 2013

I get a lot of requests to give people feedback on their resumes, but because it’s time-consuming to do it well, I usually turn them down unless they’re friends or family. But for a short time, I’m re-opening the resume review offer that I’ve run a couple of times before

When I’ve offered this in the past, the response has been so overwhelming that I’ve had to close the offer after just a few days, so reserve this now if you’re interested!

The cost: $99

What you’ll get: As you can probably tell by the price, I’m not going to entirely rewrite your resume for you. People who do that charge a lot more. What you’ll get for 99 bucks: I’ll read your resume, I’ll give you suggestions for improving it, I’ll tell you where I think it’s weak and where I think it’s strong. I’ll tell you if your design sucks. I’ll tell you if you’re coming across as generic and/or unimpressive and how to fix it if you are. I’ll tell you what you need to change to have a resume that will make a hiring manager excited to interview you.

(And because I obsessively edit things, I might not be able to stop myself from editing it too. Fair warning.)

To be clear, this isn’t multiple rounds of revisions, or a rewrite service, or anything like that. It’s really just a bunch of notes on what I’d like to see you doing differently — what a hiring manager might think when looking at your resume.

Limited time: I don’t want to be a full-time resume reviewer, so this offer is only good for this week, not something I’ll be offering regularly. So if you want it, lock it in now.
closed(And because I know not everyone can afford that, I’m also offering a discount on my my ebook, How to Get a Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager, where you’ll find lots of resume advice — just not customized to your particular resume. You can get a 20% discount this week by using this code: april2013 )

Update:  This offer is now closed. But it might come around again later this year! 

{ 53 comments }

{ 53 comments… read them below }

  1. Kay*

    I would just like to let anyone know who may be on the fence about this that Alison’s advice was amazing. I sent my resume in during the last review time and it was completely worth it. Alison’s advice was incredibly detailed and really easy to follow. I guess, for me it was good because I was a bit stuck after staring at my resume for so long. Just thought I’d give my two cents.

  2. VictoriaHR*

    You should start your own resume reviewing business where you can hire reviewers to do it for you to your exact standards. I’d do it! :)

  3. Josh S*

    Totally worth it. Totally, totally worth it.

    I’ve used resume-writing services in the past, and left feeling like I wasted a lot of money for the privilege of having someone else keyword-load my resume. Not what I was looking for at all, and pretty unhelpful.

    Alison’s advice was spot-on (as usual), and she gave me specific pointers that helped me really hone what I presented. Basically, you’re getting her general advice (which is available throughout her site for free), but applied specifically to your resume and experience. It’s fantastic.

    And if you’re not sure about dropping the money ($99 isn’t small change to most of us, I know), the eBook is likewise really really really good. Start to finish, how to deal with the interview and hiring process. I cannot vouch highly enough for her services in this regard!

    1. Meghan*

      Alison has to make a living too, and it’s not like prices are going down anywhere else. Speaking from experience, the advice that she gives is worth so much more than $99, it’s truly an amazing service at an amazing price point.

    3. Erik*

      $99 is still a bargain considering what other services charge. Most of them pretty much add a bunch of keywords to your resume and that’s it. I tried one in undergrad and they pretty much butchered it to hell and back. Thankfully the school paid for the service, but I ended up throwing it away.

  5. Andrew*

    I have two questions:

    Must the resume be sent along immediately after the PayPal purchase, or can I wait a day or so to review it myself beforehand?

    What is the timeline (really rough estimate) for the review to happen?

    Thanks.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Nope, you don’t need to send it immediately after paying; you can wait and send it when you’re ready.

      Once I receive it, I’ll get feedback to you within 10 days (usually less).

  7. Snow*

    This is so awesome. I’m a journo, but I don’t do a great job of highlighting my achievements on my resume. I actually despise writing cover letters and resumes. HATE. IT.

  11. Reeya*

    Hi Alison – just paid and sent my resume over. I sent it as a pdf; do you need a Word (editable) version as well (or instead)?

  12. Jill*

    Well, hell. I haven’t been reading very long and just finished the archives. Mine needs a lot of changes, and I was hoping to get them done before this offer. How long before you do this again? Should I just go for it now, knowing you’ll rip me to shreds?

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      I usually offer it at least once a year but no promises :)

      If you want, you can also purchase it now but send your resume along in a few weeks (just email me to let me know you’re planning to take a while).

  13. Lily in NYC*

    Oh wow, this is exciting. I’m not even looking for a new job right now but this offer is too good to pass up. I haven’t updated my resume in ages because I’ve been at my current job for 9 years, so I’ll pay now but will send my resume after I have time to work on it this Saturday. Thank you for doing this! I guess I will finally have to go to a 2-page resume.

  14. Emily*

    I did this a year or two ago and it gave me a starting point and a good push towards refocusing and reformatting my job search documents. I’d liken it to scheduling an hour with a personal trainer , where you get a little more knowledge and a lot of direction to motivate and improve your workout strategy. I received some specific advice and a general overview of the weak parts I could improve and the strong parts I should keep in my next draft. I credit this service, along with Alison’s ebook, for my successful job search. I’m 7 days into my new job and feeling like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This sounds like an infomercial, but I really can’t promote Alison’s philosophy and materials enough.

  15. Shelley*

    I am so thankful that Alison is offering this service at what I think is a very reasonable price. I have reviewed and changed my resume over 20 times and when I look at it now I just can’t make any more changes because I am not seeing it with a clear mind. I have made several tweaks so many times for so many jobs (as some jobs I have applied for I know use HR software) so I had to use specific vernacular. And I think because of this I have messed my resume up because I have so many different copies hanging around. I have already paid and sent my resume, and it it helps me land and interview and a job it will be the best $99 I will have spent.

  16. Andrew*

    Just took the leap and sent in my payment! Other than the Paypal receipt, should I be on the lookout for another email? Any notes I should include in the email with my resume so you know it’s from a paid customer?

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Once you send payment, I’ll send you an email with instructions for sending in your resume. No notes necessary, but feel free to include them if you’d like!

  17. Shelley*

    The email you are supposed to send it to is on the receipt. You just send it over..and that is it.

  18. Anonymous*

    Darn, if only I didn’t have so many upcoming bills, I would have done this!

    When do you plan on doing this again, Allison?

  19. Jesicka309*

    Oh no! How long will this offer be up?? I’m in the wrong time zone it’s 5 am and I don’t want to miss out, but I can’t get to a computer to sign up for another 4 hours!! :(

  20. Bob*

    Hi. Do you also offer feedback about how to translate the resume to Linked-In (or for that matter, do you provide feedback on Linked-In resumes)?

  21. Sarah*

    Hmmm…birthday gift for my husband? I’m not sure if he would like it as much as me.

    1. Chloe*

      Just bought this for my husband :-) He is a contractor, is amazing at his job and his employers pretty much always love him, but when he’s between contracts he really struggles to get interviews. We figure it must be CV related.

  22. Rob*

    Ug…I wish i could afford the $99 right now. I suck at talking about myself and my resume is…well…eh.

  23. Canuck*

    I’m sure AAM didn’t mean to do it this way – but with the resume review only being offered once a year or so, it reminds me of how Disney releases their movies for purchase. They pick one or two each year to sell, and if you don’t order right away you can’t get them again for several years.

    Pure brilliance :)

    (even though I know this is a workload thing, not a way to drive up demand)

    1. Jamie*

      But unlike with Disney there aren’t blackmarketeers snatching up all the AAM resume advice to sell on ebay for ridiculously inflated prices once it’s no longer available.

  24. Elizabeth West*

    Woop, even though I got a job, I’d do it if I hadn’t already paid $350 for a professional manuscript critique.
    I highly recommend Alison’s book, if you haven’t bought it already. It really really helped me. I truly believe my materials and my presentation improved because I got it. :)

  25. Bob*

    I meant to buy this and it’s closed. So, while the book doesn’t offer personalized information for my website, it does offer more general resume fixes, right? Thanks.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      It does! Although the book is about how to get a job overall, so it doesn’t focus exclusively on resumes — it covers resumes, cover letters, interviewing, follow-up, etc.

  26. Bob*

    Thanks. Looks like I’m buying the book instead. I’m not looking for a job right now, but why not study before I need to find one?

  27. HB*

    Thanks for adding the discount on your book! My younger sister is graduating college this year and I had been planning to buy her your e-book as part of her graduation present, so this was the perfect opportunity!!

  28. CEMgr*

    I paid via PayPal on about April 3, and sent in my freshly-edited submission on Apr 11. I didn’t see a confirmation and now I’m wondering if it actually got through or when the review might take place. Anyone know how all this is coming along?

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      You should have received an email from me with the date you can expect it by. If you didn’t, please email me again! (Also, check your spam folder in case my email went in there.)

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