Professional Resume Writing?

I used one about 4 years ago.  I still get calls with job offers from that.  it is worth it.  they use techniques and software to get you interviews, you have to do the rest.

one word of advice - make sure you don't list a phone number that is wrongly on a debt collection call list... 

I've never used one - but I see resumes all the time for my job.  It is amazing how much that first impression makes a difference.  If you are in a competitive industry, would recommend having at least some type of service.

question - in your area, do you have recruiters / headhunters?  my resume has been polished several times over from various headhunters I've used in changing jobs.  (and this was a free service)

Yeah, I have been working with the same pimp recruiter for about the last 15 years and we have worked my resume over several times. I am just not sure if in the current environment, (Very Competitive) that it is up to the task.

If it improves my chances, I am totally open to the idea of paying for a professionally done resume. I just want to make certain it's worth it first.

and yes, Recruiters are definitely free for cases where I was using them to find me a job. I of course have had to pay when I used him for scaring up viable candidates I was hiring for

What's the industry?

What kind of position? (Technical, Management, etc)?

My general feeling is that anyone can create an excellent resume, without paying for it. (Although, for the sake of full disclosure, I'm only that confident due to a couple of MBA career services classes).

In general, I've found that you must tailor your resume to each position you seek (even if it is just a minor adjustment).  Make it speak to the stated requirements of the position, particularly for those opportunities you know or feel are being screened by HR, rather than the person to whom you'd be reporting.

 Also, spend more time on behavior interview techniques/stories than on your resume.

 Just my very humble opinions.

Hey thanks for the tips.

I am in the Software Industry and will be looking at either Senior Management or Senior Technical Positions. (CTO or Chief Architect) As I said in the OP, there are plenty of jobs out there but there are also a lot of folks applying for the positions.

Through my recruiter, we did tailor my resume and message (In the Past) for each of the positions that I applied for and you are correct, it does work well. (As opposed to blasting out a generic Resume to 100's of companies)

I am just doing the research to determine if a professionally authored resume is worth it. (Sounds like you think it is not)

Having (and paying) someone else to write your resume is probably worth it if you are not sure that your own approach is the most effective. In my line of work, we write resumes all the time. They are not exactly the same as street resumes, but here are a couple of tips that definitely carry over:

(1) As others noted, tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying to. Think of the company you are sending your resume to as your customer. What does your customer need? How can you fulfill that need? What specific skills and experience do you have that are highly relevant to the job requirement? Is there anything about your experience that may be unique and help you stand out from the other applicants?

(2) Be very specific (if you can) with regard to achievements. Don't just say you "managed a department." Say how many people you managed, what kind of budget you managed, etc. Did you implement anything that helped your company achieve its goals? Quantify that. Remember, it's not just about you and your experience, but you want to show the company that you're applying to that you can add value to their operations. But just saying it isn't good enough. Prove it.

Hope that helps.