Considering hiring an award-winning resume writer?

If so, you’ll find plenty of resume services online and via social media that tout award-winning expertise and credentials.

A quick search for “award winning resume writers” on Google produced more than 31 million results from nearly every country in the world. The same LinkedIn search yielded dozens of resume writers, all claiming awards on their Profiles.

You’d have reason to question these “awards.”

Of course, you’ll want to vet any resume writer thoroughly if you plan to hire them. Your resume (and LinkedIn Profile) are easily the most important career documents you’ll ever need – and if an award-winning resume service is truly important to you, being cautious will pay off!

In other words, you’ll benefit by looking for truth in advertising.

Follow these tips to ensure you’re working with an award-winning resume writer whose performance has been independently tested and verified:

1 – Check out legitimate resume award contests to see lists of award-winning resume writers.

There’s only one true global, long-running resume award competition in the world: CDI’s annual Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) contest, with winners announced at annually.

Considered the gold standard in the resume industry for more than 20 years, this competition is judged annually by a pool of recruiters, resume writing experts, professional careers industry experts, and former TORI award-winners.

Entries are scrutinized for grammar, format, keyword content, writing style, effectiveness, and adherence to resume industry best practices, and awards represent a coveted pinnacle of success among the resume writing community.

You can also find resume award competitions from Career Professionals of Canada and the National Resume Writers’ Association. Be sure to check out winning resume writer names and credentials at all of these sites.

2 – Be aware that some resume industry awards don’t require testing.

You may find writers who say they’ve won recognition; yet, these can be from websites you’ve never heard of (such as a rating company), while others may have earned accolades from various industry organizations.

This is particularly true if you see “Best 10 Writer” sites, or another resume writing service that places itself – miraculously! – in the #1 spot.

In this case (as well as with any online purchase), you’ll want to ask about the awards, using questions such as:

What organization is behind these awards?
Why was your work selected?
What was the process used to submit entries or judge them?

In addition, viewing sample work will be helpful in gauging quality. Most high-quality professional writers will post online resume samples to assist you in this process.

3 – Prepare to ask the hard questions before investing in an award-winning resume writer.

If you’re planning to partner with a well-qualified resume writer, be sure to ask questions such as:

How long have you been in business?
Where can I see (or talk with) references?
How will I know the type of quality I’ll receive from your service?
Where can I review samples of your work?
What credentials and honors distinguish you from other writers?

One advantage of the TORI and ROAR competitions is that you’ll find the name of each honoree (along with their winning entries!) on the CDI TORI Award-Winning Writer Page and the ROAR Resume Winners Page.

Be prepared to spend time selecting the right resume professional for you, especially if you’re intent on working with a writer whose work has earned credibility among peers and clients.

It’s worth a few hours upfront to ensure that your career is placed in the hands of a trusted writer and careers industry expert.