want me to review your resume?

by Alison Green on March 9, 2015

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: $125

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: 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.

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: This offer is only good for this week — and maybe just the next few days, depending on how quickly slots get taken; it’s not something I’ll be offering regularly. So if you want it, lock it in now. (But once you sign up, you can send your resume in whenever you’d like; there’s no time limit on that.)

closed

Here’s what one person who purchased a resume review  wrote to me afterwards: “Earlier this year, when you offered your annual résumé review service, I sent mine in. You sent back reams of useful suggestions, which I promptly acted upon. Well, it’s been four months, and I have good news. I immediately started getting interviews. There were no offers right away, but I didn’t give up and all of sudden, within the past few days, I have received 4 offers. I am so pleased and relieved–now I just need to sit down and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. But what a happy task—and I’m convinced I owe a lot of my good fortune to your advice.”

There are more reviews in the comments on this post.

(And because I know not everyone can afford this, I’m also offering a discount on 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: march2015)

Update: The response has been so high that I’m likely to close the offer very soon, at least at the current price. So lock it in ASAP if you want it!

Update 2: This offer is now closed!

The fine print: After purchasing, you can submit your resume whenever you’d like; there’s no limit. I’ll get you feedback within three weeks of receiving it (or less if you ask me to expedite it).

{ 97 comments }

{ 97 comments… read them below }

  3. Adam*

    I jumped on this opportunity once, and I’m very glad I did it. Before that I had never been happy with how my resume looked before. Ever. I’d even been following AAM for quite a while and trying to make use of the mountains of advice, but I still didn’t feel good about my end results. Alison’s direct feedback helped me finally “get it”, and after reworking my document using her critiques was the first time ever that I actually felt pleased by the result. People even ask me to help them with their resumes now. I always link them to a bunch of AAM articles and say they should be following this blog, and it’s been helpful for them too.

    If you are at all considering this I definitely recommend it.

  4. Christy*

    Do you review CVs or government resumes? I know those are substantially different so I figured I’d ask.

  5. Dawn*

    WOOOOOOOOO! I’ve always wanted to take advantage of this- I’m not even really in the market for shopping my resume around at the moment but I have the money to do this so I’m hopping on!

    Thank you so much Allison for offering this again!!!!

  6. OhNo*

    Drat, this came around just when I can’t afford it! :( I did finally buy your ebook, though. Thanks for offering the discount as well, Alison, it’s much appreciated!

    1. C Average*

      Sigh. Same here. Just blew way too much money on an upcoming trip, and there is NO give in the budget. Next time!

  7. Jake*

    This is the secondthing I’d do if i struggled getting to the interview stage, after writing a personalized covert letter.

    1. BRR*

      I wish Alison would do a cover letter editing offer. Even though they need to be personalized for each job posting I feel like I could take the tips from one editing round and apply it to other letters.

      Since there is a problem with people stealing whatever letters Alison posts this would be a workable alternative. I would guess it would take more time and she would need to up the price but I am ok with that as I find cover letters far more difficult than resumes.

      1. Adam*

        I’ve actually given thought to floating up the idea of using the AAM LinkedIn group to do a peer review of cover letters. After getting Alison’s help with my resume and tweaking it every so slightly for every job app, I feel at this point to improve my resume any more I’d have to go find new skills somewhere or start making stuff up.

        Cover letters though I’m still not sure about. I think mine are better than they used to be before finding AAM, but getting some feedback from someone who actually understands how to job hunt would be handy.

        1. Sascha*

          I would be interested in doing peer review cover letters! I certainly need help with mine. Also, maybe we can do peer review resumes? I can’t take advantage of Alison’s offer today, but it would be nice to some other AAM readers review my resume.

          1. Relosa*

            I’m also definitely down for this, but I don’t want to step on her toes or risk possible copyright or disclosure issues. I know the LinkedIn group is a bit different but if we do it on AAM “ground” as it were where the branding is present, lets see what she says about it.

          1. Ask a Manager* Post author

            I have … mixed feelings about this. I’ve seen groups that operate like this and not loved much of the advice I’ve seen in them, and I’d feel uneasy about that happening under the auspices of the AAM LinkedIn group. Let me think on it?

            2. I am now a llama*

              Would you be open to offering a cover letter review for purchase like the resume review?

              1. Ask a Manager* Post author

                I think it would be really hard to give really detailed feedback on cover letters (it’s more likely to be “yes, this is good” or “go back and read these 3 cover letter posts”) so I think I am sticking with resumes!

            3. BRR*

              I think the issue is people want more guidance for cover letters. The problem is talking about them like how you are now by currently answering questions doesn’t seem to be enough but whenever you post what you consider a good one it gets stolen (like that company that is literally profiting off of your work by using it for customers).

              Is there some other method of helping with cover letters? If you need more ideas maybe do a post asking the readers for suggestions/what they want or throw it on the Friday open thread (although it’s gotten pretty hefty again but with collapsible comments I find it easy to navigate).

              1. AllisonMary*

                I really agree with this. More guidance for cover letters would be great, but posting good ones seems to invite plagiarism. :-/ It’s a catch-22. But maybe there’s another option we just haven’t thought of yet?

                1. Zillah*

                  One thing that I would actually find really useful is to see a cover letter along with the job listing it was written for. Maybe with the resume to see how the two work together, but definitely with the job listing. I feel like that would give a much better idea of how to tailor the letter to the listing.

            5. A Cita*

              I agree. I’ve seen that as well and the advice was awful (in fact, in one of them, it was the plagiarized letter from here and everyone said it sucked and gave the opposite of advice you see here).

              I think too that how a cover letter should read is often dependent on industry.

  8. MF*

    I’ve just started job searching and I’ve been hoping you’d do this offer again – just purchased!

  9. kdizzle*

    Considering this but not 100% sold. Could you please throw in some kimchi with the review?

    1. danr*

      This getting like another discussion group that I’m on… every topic winds up at food.

  11. Jubilance*

    Seriously, if you’ve been considering it, do it. I really appreciated the advice from Allison, especially when it came to making my “pretty good” resume into a great one.

  13. Alexis*

    Was hoping you’d be offering to do this again, Alison. After we pay where do we send our resume to your general email address? Thanks.

      1. CrazyCatLady*

        The email with instructions went to spam for me, so for other people, look there if you don’t get it.

        1. AllisonMary*

          Mine also went to spam! If I hadn’t seen this comment, I wouldn’t have thought to look there – so anybody else who isn’t seeing that email, definitely check your spam folder! :)

          1. Kethryvis*

            Same here! The email came instantaneously, so if you paid for this and don’t have an email other than the PayPal confirmation, check your spam!

  14. Tigress*

    I just paid! This will be my second resume review from Alison. Very excited to see what she thinks of my changes from last time!

  15. Blue Anne*

    Here’s the part where I make it super clear that I’m a penny-pinching accountant.

    Am I right in thinking that the price on this has increased since last time? (ISTR it being $100 before?)

    I ask because I’m locked into a contract for the next 2.5 years, but I’ll almost certainly be searching at that point, so if there’s really no time limit I might buy it at this price and send you my CV in 2 years!

      1. Blue Anne*

        Good call raising the price, I’m sure your advice is worth it. :)

        I think I’ll do that!

      3. A Cita*

        OoooooOOOOOhhhh….

        Alison, not to be greedy but…could one then buy 2x or 3x the review and spread them out over a few years???

        Or am I being a dirty maximizer?

        1. Ask a Manager* Post author

          Hmmm, I can’t guarantee that I’ll still be around in a few years — I mean, I plan to, but it’s not written on stone so I’d feel a little uneasy about encouraging you to do that. So I’d say to plan on no more than one year out. But if I AM around in a few years (and I hope to be), remind me of this conversation and I will give you the Long Time Excellent Commenter discount of a grandfathered price:)

  16. Sabrina*

    PSA: My email from Alison about where to send my resume went to my Spam folder, so check there if you are wondering where it is.

  17. Squirrel!*

    Ooh, I hope this lasts until my partner gets home from work! He definitely needs this, but can’t check the article out at work. *fingers crossed*

  18. Fawn*

    Purchased! Alison, I didn’t see any info on format (PDF, Doc, etc) in your email – any preference?

  19. Josh S*

    Every time she floats this, I write in and confirm what an awesome deal it is. She won’t re-write things, but the insights is EVERYTHING you wish people would tell you, and the best advice you can find on writing your resume, just about anywhere.

  20. YandO*

    I am going to go for it. I’ve already spent $340+ on a crappy resume writer, but I’ve been wishing AAM would offer something like this. I trust her feedback a lot more.

  21. Kethryvis*

    The timing on this is amazing.. i was just thinking lat night “yanno… the next time AAM puts up that offer to review resumes i think imma take her up on it because clearly i am doing something seriously wrong.” And lo and behold.

    Irony: i got a referral bonus just last week from my job, and i’m putting it towards this so that i can get away from that place.

  22. YandO*

    Alison, would you consider doing a LinkedIn profile review? They are similar to resumes, but not the same and I could really use it.

    2. A Cita*

      I also think Linked In profile reviews are dependent on industry. I don’t think there’s a one solution for all profiles. I’ve seen comments in this section where people didn’t like a particular kind of profile, but for the industries that those people were in, it was what was appropriate. So I think it’s best to get a review from colleagues, leaders, others in your industry–if not a review, at least look at what the successful ones are doing.

  23. A Cita*

    Got it!!

    Thanks for doing this again, Alison! Plus, I don’t know if you had done it like this in the past, but I really appreciate that we can send our resumes at any point, rather than have them ready to review this week. I won’t need your services for a couple of months (at least). This is great!

  25. Amber Rose*

    If I pay for this can I send you my husband’s resume? I just got a new job and I loves it but my husband really needs help.

    2. Stryker*

      She did my sister’s last year and gave her some great feedback! My sis had already gotten a job by the time she got back–great problem to have, right?–but I’m saving the email/feedback for when she’s looking for another job. (Doesn’t like the current one much, wouldn’t listen when I said she should hold out… She’ll learn.)

    4. YandO*

      I am on third round of interviews with 2 companies right now, so I got this to either use if I don’t get an offer or if I do, I will give it to my BF as a gift.

      I love the fact that I don’t have to use it right this second. You are awesome AAM!

  26. A Cita*

    Just a quick question: the email address I’ll be using to send my resume will be different than the paypal email address (I did indicate this in the note to seller), but the name will be different too. Also, I won’t be using the service for some time. What is the best way to make sure you’ll know who I am (and that I paid) when it comes time to use your service?

  27. Forrest*

    I recently had my credit card stolen and am waiting for the replacement. Is there anyway I can reverse?

  28. Aussie Teacher*

    I would definitely have been signing up for this if I was American! I’ve used AAM’s advice to make a bunch of changes to my resume (things like “list results instead of duties” are pretty universal) but I was worried that I had ‘Americanised’ my resume too much and that it might not be suitable for the education field in Australia anymore. Once I’d finished my resume (added References back in for Oz) and cover letter, I sent them to a friend who has done a lot of hiring in a medical field and who is a very straight shooter. She had some minor tweaks to both but said that my resume was ‘solid’ and my new cover letter was ‘heaps better than the old one’ and had a ‘good tone’! It felt amazing to have some good feedback from someone who knows what they are talking about!

    I’ve just pressed Send on my first job application in 5 years (after being a SAHM) and I’m confident that my application materials will get me an interview – now I just have to practice with all of Alison’s advice to make sure I nail it!

  29. MsMollyD*

    Perfect timing. My resume gets good results in academia, but I’m contemplating a switch back to corporate work, so a review like this will be ideal.

  30. GOG11*

    I attempted to purchase the review and got to the point of entering my credit card information then hit the button to continue and was given a screen with “Your Order Summary,” but I haven’t received an email yet (checked spam folder, too).

    Should I wait and see if the purchase shows up in my bank account transactions or should I go ahead and try again? I don’t want to get charged twice, but I’ve been hoping to have my resume reviewed since I first heard you’d done one before. I took a screen shot of the screen and can send it if that would be helpful.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      If it’s the same email address that you left with this comment, I don’t have a transaction associated with it. Is it showing up in your PayPal account? Assuming not, it looks like it didn’t complete for some reason. I’d try again (especially since I’m about to close the offer in the next hour or two). If for some reason the second one shows up later, just let me know and I’ll cancel one of them!

  32. Betsy*

    Oh, I think I got the last one! I submitted payment, came back to the post and it was updated as closed. SCORE ;-)

  33. TrainerGirl*

    I did this last year, and got loads of helpful feedback on how to turn my resume from competent to a standout. I got my current position with my Ask A Manager revised resume. Alison really is the best!

  34. Leigh*

    I am so bummed I missed this offer. It was exactly what I needed. And less than 10 hours later! Usually I read your posts during my lunch hour. Why, oh why, didn’t I do it today?!

  35. Hermoine Granger*

    Drats! I had an interview and some errands to run yesterday and didn’t see the offer until now. I’m looking forward to next time.

    Would it be possible for you to post the process for one of the resumes you review as an example? Like the original resume, your feedback, and then the updated version?

    1. Anon1*

      Since she sold out all of the slots within 24? 48? hours you could actually argue that she is severely UNDERpricing her work.

  37. MR*

    Aaaaaaaaaand I just saw this. Darn. That’s what I get for not fully checking AAM much in the last couple of days.

    Feel free to throw an Internet teapot at my head for this question since it is/likely is off topic, but I feel my problem is less my resume, as opposed to what I want to do with myself. I have a lot of experience in a lot of different areas but as I am underemployed now, my significant experiences are slipping into the past. I’m trying to figure out what to do to better position myself for positions I am into, but I’m having trouble breaking through. Any thoughts?

    I’ve actually written out a few emails to you on this in the past but deleted them because I felt it was more whining than anything else (maybe I’m being too hard on myself?). Sigh…

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Maybe post it on Friday’s open thread? More details will help too, I think — hard to say anything useful without knowing more context!

      1. MR*

        Ok, great, I’ll do that! Maybe I’ll type up the email, and post that on the open thread (and keep it around if you want me to send it to you…).

  38. Scott*

    Wow, I missed it! Too bad! out of all the writers in your field, I trust you the most to do a great job. I rarely buy books online, but I bought your book on how to find a job. Would be great if you opened up to do this again in the future.

  39. Ericka*

    Hi Alison,

    I bought your book today but I had a problem with the link to download the book. I just sent you a message but I don’t know if you will get it since you get millions of emails. So I just wanted to leave a quick note. I made the mistake of trying to download the book on my phone and then it wouldn’t open the download or let me attach it as a file to my email. Now that I’m on my computer I clicked on the link to download the book and it says the link has expired. So I haven’t been able to get the book. Is there anything you can do to help me. Thanks. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  40. Southern Gal*

    damn and blast. i missed this.
    are you doing a waiting list if someone drops out?
    if so, please consider me for that.

    thanks.

Comments are closed.