In today’s economy, competition for jobs is fierce. If you’re one of the many people looking for work, will your resume stand out from the crowd and shine, or sell yourself short?

A resume typically gets a 10- to 15-second look from an employer, so you have only a short window to make a good impression. A professional resume writer can save you time, help you avoid simple errors with grammar, and should know how to address issues like employment gaps in your job history.

A reputable writer will also be familiar with the formats needed for today’s job search and know how to optimize keywords that will increase your exposure in database searches

Angie’s List advice for hiring a professional resume writer:

• Ask about background: Pick a resume writing professional who is familiar with your industry, and make sure the service has worked before with people of similar employment levels. Ask to read some of their resume work and closely check grammar and formatting.
• Up to speed: Hire a writer who has researched the latest trends and is tech-savvy. You want someone who can convert your resume to the appropriate formats such as rich text or a Portable Document Format (PDF).
• One-on-one: A good resume writer will meet with the client first; an interview will typically take 60 to 90 minutes. They will then advise clients to dig deep to find those things that describe ones’ ability and past experience to go above and beyond basic job requirements. Just going through the interview process usually makes a client more aware of her or his skills.
• Review before signing off: Before you make final payment, review your resume in detail to make sure the information is correct, reads well and is appropriate for the positions to which you will be applying.
• Be realistic: Your resume should be your marketing tool – don’t rely on a resume to get you a job. You still need to convince the employer why you are the best person for the job.