This story may sound familiar to you, heck; it could be your story. Jack lost his job as an asset protection officer. Knowing he needed an updated resume, Jack spent time researching and testing a number of free templates and examples that he found on the Internet. After a number of cut and paste operations, Jack decided his resume finally passed muster.

Unfortunately, as weeks morphed into months, Jack was not getting any responses. Heading back to the drawing board, Jack found a website of a resume writer, and it looked great. It had dozens of samples with tons of testimonials. He hired the resume writer.

Couple hundred bucks and a week later, the resume came back reading like it was written by an eighth grader - no, that would be an insult to the young person.

Unfortunately, like becoming a personal trainer, the bar for becoming a resume writer is low. Actually, I don't think there is a bar. And so, in today's difficult and challenging job market; if you believe you need the services of a resume writer, you must conduct due diligence.

As a part of your due diligence, always consider the following guidelines:

1. Always ask for samples beyond what they are showing you. Like any other business, what you see will be their "best and happiest" testimonials. Ask for the rest. When you look to remodel your kitchen, you naturally want to see the range of work the contractor has performed. Do not be dazzled by the samples or testimonials, rather, look at it all with a critical eye.

2. Ask to see their resume. Not so much to see if they "walk the talk," but to actually see if they have the background to be credible. Were they in the human resources field? Do they have experience in the field and industry you are in? Are there gaps that would lead you to believe that these guys just got into this profession? What are their credentials? You really do need to research this. After, if that personal trainer decided that he was a decent writer and then decides to throw together a great looking website (for under 100 bucks) - give him a pass.

3. In line with "walking the talk," what is their field of expertise? If the bulk of their experience is in the field of medical profession and you are looking for a job in the financial sector, then the distinction is critical. Not only must they write a resume to your specifications, they should also be familiar with the language of the industry. The terms and language must be relevant to your field.

4. One size does not fit all. Are you middle management wanting to move up or an executive level candidate looking to switch companies? Are you entry level direct from college with no work experience or from the military with 5 years of unrelated experience? The writer must write to your experience level. If the writer has only done entry level resumes or mid-management resumes or executive level, then the leap to another level may not work. Find the writer who can authentically write to your experience and skills.

5. How detailed and involved is the writing process? In reality, some services charge several hundred bucks to rewrite your resume. That's terrible. You could get an English major to do that for a lot less. Before you lay any lumber down, interview the writer and get a good feel for how she will develop your resume.

6. Lastly, what is their satisfaction guarantee? Do they have money back, refund guarantee?

The great thing about preparing your resume is the incredible range of services, templates, free and paid options before you. The hard thing about preparing your resume is the incredible range of services, templates, free and paid options before you. And for all the claims about getting interviews and jobs; all of it must be taken with a huge pillar of salt.

You and the research that you do are what matters. Due diligence will help you separate the wheat from the chaff. If you do decide that a resume writing service is what you need, just keep my guidelines in mind.

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