Mystery shopping best resume writing companies - my surprising results

@ResumeSage GREAT point about achievements! This was the biggest differentiator. The lower-quality resume builder companies just reformatted my bullet points. The best resume writing companies transformed generic duties into impressive achievements with metrics. For example, "managed social media" became "Increased Instagram engagement by 47% through strategic content calendar and targeted campaigns."
@JobHunter2025 & @chuedi0F I actually used different versions for different job applications (all within my field) to test performance. The two resumes from the top resume companies got response rates of about 1 in 6 applications. The worst one? Zero responses after 20+ applications. So yes, quality made a HUGE difference in real-world results!

@TechTrekker this is fascinating! I'm curious about the interview process each best resume writing company used. Did they just have you fill out a form, or was there an actual conversation? I feel like the good ones would need to really understand your experience and goals, not just reformat what you give them.

@Jacqueline_PLopez Another great differentiator! The process varied dramatically:

Two professional resume companies just had me upload my old resume and fill out a short questionnaire
One had a detailed questionnaire but no human contact
The best resume writing companies both scheduled 30-45 minute phone consultations with actual writers

The phone consultation made a HUGE difference - they asked about projects I was proud of, extracted specific achievements I hadn't even thought to include, and really understood my career goals. CraftResumes even followed up with additional questions by email after our call.
If I could give one piece of advice: avoid any best resume companies that don't include at least a short consultation call. The human element makes all the difference between a generic resume and one that tells your unique professional story.

This was incredibly helpful! I've been on the fence about using one of these services. Based on your experience, I'm going to give Resume Writing Lab a try for my career change resume. Seems like the best resume writing companies are worth the investment when you're making a significant career move. Thanks for sharing your detective work, @TechTrekker!