Career Planning Finding a Job Resumes Best Resume Writing Services Let’s Eat, Grandma is our pick for the best overall resume writing service By Bob McIntosh Bob McIntosh Twitter Bob McIntosh is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and career strategist who facilitates webinars and workshops on job-search topics, writes and critiques résumés and LinkedIn profiles, and meets with high-level job seekers on an individual basis. learn about our editorial policies Updated on January 24, 2023 Fact checked by Matthew Klammer We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Looking for a job can be stressful, and finding ways to stand out from other job-seekers is often difficult. Writing a quality resume is challenging, time-consuming, and requires a lot of effort. Instead of stressing out, one option is to have a professional do it for you. To choose the best resume writing services, we evaluated nearly a dozen companies based on their pricing, customer service, certifications, and guarantees, in addition to the quality, design, and formatting of their work on a test resume. Here are our top picks. Best Resume Writing Services of 2023 Best Overall: Let’s Eat, Grandma Runner-Up: Monster.com Best Price: The Muse Best Customer Service: TopResume Best Guarantees: ZipJob Best Advanced Writers: iHire Best Resume Writing Services View All Best Resume Writing Services Our Top Picks Let’s Eat, Grandma Monster.com The Muse TopResume ZipJob iHire See More (3) Final Verdict Compare Services FAQs Methodology Best Overall : Let’s Eat, Grandma The Balance's Rating 4.7 Let’s Eat, Grandma Price: $439 and upCover Letter: With $549 planLinkedIn Rewrite: With $689 plan Sign Up Now Special Offer Take $75 off a Starter, Accelerated, or Premium Package from Let's Eat, Grandma using the code BALANCE75 at checkout. Why We Chose It We chose LEG as our best overall due to the high-quality resume the company produced when we tested the service. Several sections of our test resume were among the best that we received from all providers tested. Overall, LEG produced a top-quality document in a timely fashion. Pros & Cons Pros Easy sign-up process Created a great resume Includes a cover letter Cons Slightly longer turnaround time Resume summary was lengthy Resume layout was a bit dense on one page Overview Let’s Eat, Grandma, (LEG) was founded by brothers Chris and Matt Villanueva in 2014. The Villanuevas realized that job searching could be one of the most stressful times of a person’s life and sought to help candidates in their search. The company provides career advice as well as resume-writing services for active job-seekers. One of the nice things about LEG’s resume writing service is that it includes a cover letter for its Accelerated Package which runs for $549 and includes everything in the Starter Package plus a cover letter, LinkedIn profile recommendations, a cold email, and a thank-you note guide. And, if you want the Premium Package, it includes all features of lower packages, plus a second design for your resume and a LinkedIn rewrite, all for $689. They also offer a new Executive Concierge Service tailored for high level careers for $1,899. Although the Starter Package, which costs $439, was one of the higher-priced services we reviewed, we felt the option of having a phone conversation included was beneficial. Runner-Up : Monster.com The Balance's Rating 4.4 Monster Price: $149 and upCover Letter: With $349 planLinkedIn Rewrite: With $349 plan Sign Up Now Why We Chose It Monster.com was a close second to Let’s Eat, Grandma because it produced a test resume that had many outstanding benefits. This included great skills and experience sections and lots of industry-related keywords that would get picked up by an applicant tracking system (ATS). Pros & Cons Pros Great communication with writer Relatively inexpensive at $149 Brief, easy-to-read paragraphs Cons One-page resume was a bit cramped Resume had a few typos Training and Education sections had some problems Overview Monster.com is a fairly typical job site, where job seekers apply for jobs and employers post jobs. It was founded by Jeff Taylor in 1994. In 2016, Monster was bought by Randstad Holding, a Netherlands-based human resources (HR) consulting giant. In addition to its vast database of current job opportunities, Monster offers a resume-writing service with three plans. Under the Basic Plan, you’ll receive a customized resume for $149. If you want a cover letter written for you, the Deluxe plan provides one in addition to a personalized resume for $197. The third plan, Premier, includes a resume, cover letter, and a LinkedIn profile makeover for $349. And, if you’re unhappy with your resume after 60 days, Monster will rewrite it free of charge. The biggest drawback with Monster was that our test resume included some poor formatting, although that could've been addressed in follow-up discussions. Best Price : The Muse The Balance's Rating 4.1 The Muse Price: $119 and upCover Letter: Depends on the writerLinkedIn Rewrite: Depends on the writer Sign Up Now Why We Chose It The Muse earned our pick for the best-priced option because its rates were extremely competitive, especially given the individualized attention that was provided in each of the packages available. Pros & Cons Pros Ability to choose your own writer Quick turnaround times Inexpensive pricing Cons Design and formatting needed some work Summary paragraph was too long Education and Training sections were missing information Overview The Muse is a New York City-based online career platform founded in 2011 by Kathryn Minshew, Alexandra Cavoulacos, and Melissa McCreery. It prides itself on providing career advice to new generations of job-seekers. The Muse offers three basic plans for cover letter assistance: Mentor, Coach, and Master Coach. The Mentor plan beats out Monster's cheapest plan. For $119 you’ll have the opportunity to chat with a resume writer via Skype or phone before having your resume updated by a professional. Coach costs $225 and includes a 45-minute chat as well as two rounds of edits. Lastly, for $479 Master Coach gives you a 60-minute chat and unlimited rounds of edits for two weeks after receiving the first draft. We found our writers to be more lenient when it came to revisions and rated them as excellent. Best Customer Service : TopResume The Balance's Rating 4.1 TopResume Price: $149 and upCover Letter: With $219 planLinkedIn Rewrite: With $349 plan Sign Up Now Why We Chose It When we tried the service, our resume writer was responsive to our needs and exceeded the number of revisions stated in the agreement. That's why we chose TopResume as having the best customer service. Pros & Cons Pros Simple signup process One-page resume had good design and formatting Cons Summary and Job Scope sections were too long Training section didn't stand out enough Overview Jeff Berger founded TopResume in 2014 and has since built a team of more than 1,500 resume writers across the United States. One nice benefit of TopResume is that you can have your resume scanned free of charge before you decide whether to have it written by a professional. If you opt to move forward, there are three plans from which to choose. Professional Growth is the entry-level package at $149. The second plan is Career Evolution, which at $219 also includes a cover letter and a 60-day guarantee that you’ll land more interviews. Executive Priority costs $349 and includes all of the above plus a LinkedIn profile makeover. The test resume that we got back from TopResume didn’t quite meet our expectations. The quality of the document was good, but not great, as the Experience and Summary sections seemed a bit short on accomplishments. Best Guarantees : ZipJob The Balance's Rating 3.8 ZipJob Price: $139 and upCover Letter: With $189 planLinkedIn Rewrite: With $299 plan Sign Up Now Why We Chose It Our pick as the best for guarantees is ZipJob because it provides a 60-day guarantee that job-seekers will land more interviews within this timeframe. If that doesn't happen, the company will review and rewrite your resume for free. Pros & Cons Pros Resume delivered on time Skills section contained strong keywords Easy signup process Cons Design and format made reading the resume difficult Summary paragraph was too long and contained clichés Education and Training sections were poorly formatted Overview Founded in 2016, ZipJob aims to make the resume writing process "as professional and easy as possible." The company acknowledges that resumes are boring, time-consuming, and a struggle for people to write. The plans available through ZipJob are modestly priced, starting with Launch. This entry-level plan costs $139 and optimizes your resume for applicant tracking systems. Fast Track is the next plan, at $189, and it includes a cover letter and a 60-day guarantee that you’ll land more interviews within two months. The third plan is Premium, which includes all the features of lower-priced plans, plus expedited delivery for $299. While the test resume that we received from ZipJob was generally lackluster, the guarantee reduces customer risk. Best Advanced Writers : iHire The Balance's Rating 3.6 iHire Price: $395Cover Letter: $49.50 extraLinkedIn Rewrite: N/A Sign Up Now Why We Chose It We chose iHire for best advanced writers because the resume writer we used wrote one of the best resumes we received. The company also has clients complete an extensive questionnaire that helps its writers focus on the proper parts of your resume to highlight. Pros & Cons Pros Strong resume content with impactful writing Contained brief, easy-to-read paragraphs Prestigious resume writing credentials Cons Took 18 days to hear from our resume writer Most expensive price of the services we reviewed Required to fill out an eight-page questionnaire Overview iHire has been in business since 1999, and it specializes in helping both employers and job seekers find the right match. If you’re looking for assistance with your resume, iHire offers a tool to score your resume against jobs, resume critiques, and professionally written resumes. This company offers a base price of $395, which includes writing services from iHire employees called "Certified Advanced" and "Master Resume" writers. This will ensure you'll be working with top professionals and industry leaders who know which skills and experience employers are looking for. The resume is written and designed to accentuate the client's goals and experience. Users also have the option to pay an additional $49.50 for a cover letter. The fee is a bit pricier than other services, but with iHire you know you'll be getting the most bang for your buck. Final Verdict Our top resume writing service is Let's Eat, Grandma, which includes a phone conversation in its Starter Package and returned a high-quality resume more quickly than many other services. The resume was professional and impressive enough that we'd be glad to present it to a recruiter. Monster.com produced a resume nearly as good as the one from LEG, but there is no phone call included. Other companies we reviewed excel in their own ways, and whether you're looking for something inexpensive or you just want professional help along the way, you'll find a resume-writing service that works for you. Compare the Best Resume Writing Services Company Price Cover Letter LinkedIn Rewrite Let's Eat, Grandma Best Overall $439 and up w/$549 plan w/$689 plan Monster.com Runner-Up, Best Overall $149 and up w/$349 plan w/$349 plan The Muse Best Price $119 and up Depends on writer Depends on writer TopResume Best Customer Service $149 and up w/$219 plan w/$349 plan ZipJob Best Guarantee $139 and up w/$189 plan w/$299 plan iHire Best Advanced Writers $395 $49.50 extra N/A Frequently Asked Questions What Is a Resume Writing Service? Resume writing services are companies or freelancers who help job-seekers improve the quality of their resumes so they stand out from other candidates. Though they all share this common goal, no two writing services are alike. They all have their own processes designed to provide clients with effective resumes with quick turnaround times and good customer service. The services available from resume writers are also diverse and vary across plans. However, all of them are designed to help candidates land more interviews. How Do Resume Writing Services Work? Customers typically are required to complete a questionnaire so the company can develop an understanding of what you do and where you are in your career, and find the best writer for your situation. A good resume writer will establish contact via phone and email and take some time to review your goals and accomplishments and ask questions about your career.The final stage is receiving your resume from the writer. How Much Does a Resume Writing Service Cost? The price of having a resume written from scratch or rewritten varies. The lowest price we paid was $119, and the highest price we saw was $649. You’ll find resume writing services that will charge less and some that will charge more. The resume writing service that did the best job for us charged $399, mostly because of the resume they produced but also because it provided us with a cover letter as well. Is Hiring a Resume Writing Service Worth the Cost? A resume writing service is worth the cost if it provides great customer service and, most importantly, delivers a great document. However, in all of our reviews, we found the number of companies that actually do this to be relatively small. Some offered great customer service but a subpar resume, while some rewrote a strong resume but lacked in customer service.To decide whether a resume writing service is right for you, query other job seekers in your personal network or on social networks like LinkedIn. Look at the services’ sample resumes as well. What Is the Best Executive Resume Writing Service? This ultimately comes down to personal preference, but iHire might be the best option for executives because it offers the most experienced resume writers of the services we reviewed. It also has one of the most extensive questionnaires, so writers should have a clear idea what to accentuate. Let's Eat, Grandma also is a good choice for executives because of the personal attention provided and the quality of the resume we received. Methodology To find the best resume writing services, we used a comprehensive methodology to review and evaluate nearly a dozen companies that are available nationwide. We then chose several to review more in-depth using a test resume. We contracted with each of these services and reviewed their offerings based on pricing, customer service, certifications, and guarantees. After we received the final test projects, we rated the quality of each section (Summary, Skills, Experience, Training, and Education) as well as the overall design and formatting. We combined all of the scores for these factors to establish overall ratings for each provider and make our top picks. peepo / Getty Images Article Sources Zippia. "Monster Worldwide History: Founding, Timeline, and Milestones." Related Articles Best Executive Resume Writing Services The 9 Best Job Search Websites of 2023 Best Sites to Find a Part-Time Job Resume Writing Service Review Methodology Best Websites for Freelance Jobs Best Online Korean Classes Best Online Real Estate Schools Best Online Nutrition Certification Programs of 2023 Best Personal Trainer Certification Programs Best Bulk Text Message Services Best Payroll Services for Small Business Best Job Search Engines for International Jobs Best PHR Exam Prep Courses Best Virtual Personal Assistant Services Best Accounting Software of 2023 Best Executive Coaching Certification Programs Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies