to use a CV writing service

[MaryBerrysSoggyBottBott]

or are they worth the money?
I'm trying to get back into the workplace after a long break away and could do with a helping hand on selling myself.
Anyone used one of these CV writing services?

How much does it cost?

It shouldn't be hard to write your own CV. Most of the info is facts: school, uni, degrees, qualifications. Jobs - where, when, job title, brief description.

Your mission statement/personal statement is the only thing you need to write.

What kind of jobs are you looking for?

There are plenty of websites to help, such as www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv

I'd be happy to help you :)

I haven't used one but a good CV is the difference between getting an interview or not, so if I were looking for employment again I'd definitely consider it.

I used to be a hiring manager in a shop, once we received 300 applications for 3 roles - naturally people would get discarded for the tiniest things. What was probably worse were people discounted just because their CV was just fine, but it was so un-memorable that it just languished in the 'maybe' pile.

When handed in, the ones that always stood out for me were the ones on a decent paperstock, the kind that costs 8p a sheet from a print shop as opposed to a home printer!

One thing I would say is that if you're in a specialist industry, make sure someone from that industry has read/written the CV to make sure the technicals are correct.

Thank you CocktailQueen, I've done one it's got all the basic stuff as you have said, but I just think it needs 'jijjing' up with all that douchey buzzword stuff that employers most likely want to see.
I studied for a particular industry at uni, completely disregarded it on graduating and went into Clerical/PA work, then had babies. For last 6 years have been self-employed doing something vaguely related to the industry I studied in.

I completely disagree that a CV is easy to write and is just basic facts and info and a list of past jobs.

You really need to tailor your CV to every job application - this is time consuming and tricky.

I'm a careers advisor and it certainly isn't an easy job though you can book in with the National Careers Service for help.

CVs, yet another subject upon which there are as many opinions as there are CVs.

Not sure I'd spend money on a CV service - every single time I have sought help with mine, the next reviewer says the version I changed to meet the previous reviewer's comments was utter crap.

Also I seriously doubt quality of paper (as long as it's not on bog roll) ranks that highly for every recruiter - but it was a determining factor for a pp when s/he was recruiting.

All this shows is it's a minefield and almost impossible to second guess the daft criteria being applied.

I'd take up CocktailQueen's advice and offer.

I did use such a service once, the CV came back "stuffed with keywords", which might get it through a CV filtering program that a recruiter uses, but did not read as good English!

Employment agency staff I was friendly with (we shared a kitchen in an office block) were horrified by it!

I expect some services are better than others'.

i have mine professionally written, I have 3 in fact, tailored to each 'type' of job I can do, I tweak it a little bit, send it over then revert it back to original. I update it yearly with new skills, qualifications or positions even if I'm not job searching. I paid £30 per CV (£90 total) 3 years ago and have tweaked it myself since. Could just be coincidence but I've always heard back and been interviewed quickly, which before was about a 70/30 split

My ex paid for one and it wasn't anything special. As long as your CV isn't terrible, a company will be able to spot if you're a suitable applicant.

"CV is easy to write and is just basic facts and info and a list of past jobs. "

Maybe if you are applying for a menial job.

For any other position I can think of, the CV is a marketing tool that sells you to the recruiter. Aside from facts & job history, you should also talk about your achievements and strengths.

These people : www.cvnow.co.uk just did a basic report on mine for free when I signed up to a www.uk-recruitment.net/ - might be worth a go to get some pointers and help you focus your efforts.

Oysterbabe
That's just not true- that an employer will spot you if you're suitable.
As pp have said you need a bespoke cv per job, or at least sector/ employer type. And yy to NCS will write you one.

I would reject a CV full of bollockspeak buzzwords as being too pretentious!!

Are you an employer or recruiter allthebest?

Register with a recruitment consultant, they're far more qualified than an online CV service, they know exactly what their clients are looking for, they see hundreds of CVs monthly, and they'll help for free! As a plus, once you're registered they'll keep you up to date with relevant jobs.

I have a master cv which is 3 and a half pages long. From that I copy what is relevant into a new cv for each job application.

I got some free advice recently at a careers fair. Have a look at industry events. There might be something similar that you could go to.

CV is easy to write and is just basic facts and info and a list of past jobs

Maybe if you are applying for a menial job.

Did you mean to be so insulting?!

YelloDraw: I completely disagree that a CV is easy to write and is just basic facts and info and a list of past jobs.

You really need to tailor your CV to every job application - this is time consuming and tricky. and others who have pointed out.

The OP asked for help, not to be told how difficult it is! At least I offered to help and said something constructive.

I find writing my CV quite easy; others may not.

OP didn't say what kind of job she wanted; maybe she just wants a general CV she can hand in to the Job Centre or recruitment agency. No need to 'personalise' her CV then. And I didn't say that a cv is just basic facts - I said 'most of the info is facts'. FFS.

No bacon, I didn't mean to be insulting.

I'm sorry that you feel insulted by a very general and imho correct comment that was not aimed at anyone and was posted hours before you appeared on the thread.

Yes if you don't have easily quantifiable work experience and/or aren't a graduate. No other wise.

A paper with a list of jobs won't even get you a 'menial' job. You need to relate your skills to the role.

Training on how to write one might be more useful? One of the things that always bumps CVs to the pop of the pile for us is "looks like they've actually read the job description, want to work here, and tailored CV to match". We get some coming through where you can tell it was written for a different post, and sent to everyone. Which probably works as a fine approach for some types of work, and doesn't for others. Hopefully you know which type you're targetting?