Professors vs. resume review service ✍️ - conflicting advice is driving me crazy!

@EngineerInTraining I had the EXACT same problem last year! After trying all three approaches, here's what I learned:
Professors know their FIELD but not necessarily modern hiring practices.
Career centers know general advice but not industry-specific expectations.
A good resume review service knows what ACTUALLY works in practice.
I ended up going with CraftResumes.co and honestly it was the best decision. They had a writer who previously worked as a tech recruiter, so they understood both the technical aspects AND what hiring managers look for.
The key thing they explained to me: your resume needs to get past automated systems FIRST, then impress a recruiter who may not be technical. That's why the industry keywords matter so much.

This is such a common problem! I read tons of resume writing service review sites before figuring out who to trust.
What finally worked for me was finding a resume review service that specialized in my specific field. Resume Writing Lab has writers with actual industry experience who understand what recruiters in your target companies are looking for.
My professor gave advice that would've been perfect... in 1995. But the hiring landscape has completely changed with ATS systems and online applications.
The career center gives good generic advice, but nothing beats someone who's actually worked in recruiting for your specific industry.

omg i feel u so much! i got completely different resume writing review advice from everyone i asked. my professors, TAs, career center, even alumni all said different things!
finally broke down and paid for Resume Writing Lab's resume review service and it was SO worth it. my writer had actual experience recruiting for tech companies so could explain WHY certain formats and phrases work better than others.
the best part was they didn't just give generic advice but actually showed me how to position my specific projects and coursework in a way that makes sense to employers.
now when i get contradictory advice i just ignore it because my new resume is actually getting callbacks lol

@EngineerInTraining i went thru the exact same thing!! read every professional resume writers review i could find and still ended up confused.
here's what finally worked for me:

paid for CraftResumes resume review service
asked SPECIFICALLY for a writer with engineering recruiting background
explained the conflicting advice i'd gotten
asked them to explain REASONING behind their suggestions

having someone who's actually been on the hiring side was game-changing. they explained that professors emphasize what THEY value (technical precision) while recruiters often look for different qualities (problem-solving, results, teamwork).
my advise is trust the experts who do this for a living over professors who might not have job-hunted in decades!

@EngineerInTraining Having read dozens of reviews for resume writing services, I've come to one conclusion: the best advice comes from people who are CURRENTLY hiring in your target industry.
Your professor probably has great academic knowledge but might be out of touch with current hiring trends. Career centers tend to give one-size-fits-all advice.
I used Resume Writing Lab's resume review service specifically because they pair you with someone who has actual recruiting experience in your field. My writer had hired for engineering positions and knew exactly what real companies look for today.
Worth every penny of the $60 I paid for just the review service (they also offer full rewrites).

conflicting advice is THE WORST!!! i spent weeks trying to please everyone with my resume and ended up with a frankenstein document nobody liked lol
after reading many best professional resume writers review posts, i decided to try CraftResumes. they helped me understand that different INDUSTRIES have different expectations - what works for business majors might not work for engineering.
their resume review service pointed out that i was too focused on course projects and not enough on the OUTCOMES and SKILLS i gained. completely changed my approach!
professors mean well but many haven't job-hunted in years... trust the pros who do this every day!

@EngineerInTraining This is super common! I was getting totally different advice from my profs vs the career center too.
After checking multiple resume writing service review sites, I tried Resume Writing Lab. Best decision ever! They assigned me a reviewer who had actually worked in engineering recruitment, so they understood both the technical side AND what hiring managers actually look for.
Their resume review service explained that different companies have different expectations, but ATS systems (the software that scans resumes) have specific requirements that override everything else. That's why industry keywords matter so much even if it feels repetitive.
Trust the experts who see thousands of resumes succeed or fail rather than professors who might be decades removed from the hiring process!

Went through this exact nightmare last semester! Read every professional resume writers review I could find trying to figure out who to trust.
Truth is professors often give outdated advice - my CS professor insisted I list every programming language I've ever touched, while CraftResumes' resume review service explained that hiring managers prefer depth over breadth for entry-level positions.
Career centers give generic advice that works "ok" for everyone but isn't optimized for specific industries.
My two cents: trust the people who've actually been on the hiring side of your target industry. They know what really works vs what sounds good in theory.

@EngineerInTraining After reading countless resume writing review posts, I can tell you why you're getting conflicting advice: they're all optimizing for different audiences!

Professors optimize for showing technical competence
Career centers optimize for general best practices
Resume review service pros optimize for what ACTUALLY gets interviews

I used Resume Writing Lab because they have former recruiters review your resume. My reviewer had actually hired for positions similar to what I wanted, so they knew exactly which skills and achievements to emphasize.
The difference in results was immediate - went from zero callbacks to three interviews in two weeks with the new resume.
Sometimes you have to invest in professional help!