If you are a job seeker looking for work you will almost certainly need a CV (curriculum vitae) to help you gain employment.

When it comes to writing a CV you have several options. Fore example you can compile your CV yourself from scratch, you can use a template or software to help you write it, or you can enlist the services of a professional CV writer or CV writing company to write it for you. There are pros and cons associated with all of the above and these can be summarised as follows:

Writing your CV yourself from scratch:

This is certainly the cheapest method, and if you are an excellent writer with a good grasp of recruitment and HR it may be worth trying. What you really need to ask yourself is how good does your CV need to be? The answer to this often depends on how many other people are applying for the same job. If there answer is just you, then your CV does not necessarily need to be slick and professional. If however, there will be several (or many) applicants then your CV needs to be as strong as possible. The chances of you writing a better CV than seasoned professionals is somewhat remote, so if you are expecting competition you really need to avoid this option, as you will probably miss out on the job if your DIY CV doesn't beat the standards of your competitors' CVs.

Writing your CV yourself using software or a template:

This is a better method than writing your CV yourself from scratch as an integral part of CV effectiveness is presentation. Whilst CV software and templates don't really help with content and the nitty-gritty of CVs, at least they can help you improve the look and presentation.

One point of caution here though. Having a CV which looks ok can be a faux-ami. Don't be deceived by thinking that a decently presented CV will land you a good job. Employers are not stupid, on the contrary they are very discerning; so whilst good presentation is certainly helpful and desirable, your format and content (among other things) also needs to be excellent too.

Weighing up the pros and cons, CV templates and software are cheaper than hiring the services of a professional CV consultant. However, templates and software are more useful for helping you with presentation rather than writing the type of considered content which is going to make an employer sit up and take notice. If you are serious therefore about improving your career prospects then you should seriously consider paying the extra for a professional CV consultant rather than using CV software yourself.

CV Writing Services

The main disadvantage of hiring a CV consultant is that it costs money, and will cost more than CV software. On the plus side, if you choose the right CV company, your CV should almost certainly be far better than your original version, and the chances of you landing your dream job should increase at least tenfold.

Hiring the services of a professional CV consultant is certainly a good idea, and if you want an edge over your competitors and want employers to sit up and take notice you then there is no other way round it. Writing good CVs is much harder than people imagine, and to do it properly takes specialist knowledge, time, experience, excellent writing skills, recruitment expertise and a great deal of natural talent.

If you want to boost your career prospects then professional CV writing services are a very good investment, especially if you choose a good writer/company. You should be aware that quality varies widely depending upon who you hire. Larger companies sometimes employ a good sales force to entice you to buy. The only problem with this is that sometimes the sales force are better than the CV writers rather than the other way around. Possibly the best indicators of quality (not just of CV but of service) are personal recommendations. The best companies don't have to rely sales techniques because they receive good word of mouth referrals. If you don't have a friend/colleague who can recommend a service then another good indicator is how professional the company website looks. Some companies with badly presented websites make extravagant claims about their professionalism. If their website does not look the part then neither will your CV!

This 'CV Writing Services' article was kindly supplied by Silvia Morais, a CV consultant who provides quality CVs in both English and Portuguese.

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