Anyone used Purple CV / CV Writing Services?

[GhostWKD]

Nattering away to a friend at the weekend I mentioned despite working in much more senior jobs vs 10-15 years ago I've barely updated my CV beyond adding in the most recent jobs & descriptions. Whilst I obviously know my stuff relating to my job my writing skills are somewhat lacking so potentially am not selling myself the best way.

He mentioned Purple CV's had re-written his other halves CV and she genuinely credits them with getting her the job she's in now. They seem to have pretty good reviews also with only a few negative ones in the mix. Has got me contemplating using them but just wondered if anyone else had first (or second) hand experience of using them or similar services?

NB: Incase context helps, I'm doing reasonably well in the Pricing/Analytics world but struggling to make the jump from Manager / Senior Manager to 'Head of' roles and I think my CV is part of what's letting me down if I'm honest with myself hence considering this.

 

[NickK]

I remember a long time ago to get a quote for a CV writing service. Talking to the guy on the phone the entire delivery was negative and ripping apart my CV in order to sell the service. Nothing on the CV was any good.. etc etc.

Later I've had two redundancy workshops - one as middle/upper management and one more senior. They were good, talking through focus and identifying issues across the CV and approach.

 

[mid_gen]

Hard to really say without seeing what state your current CV is in. I wouldn't ever use one, but I've never had problems....scratching my head to think back over the 20-odd years I've been working, I've never failed to get an interview from an application.

I always tailor it a little to each role, make sure you've got keywords matching up to the JD etc.

'Head of' level roles are just going to be harder, you'll need something to stand out, know someone, have something more than just 'have done X job for Y years and haven't majorly screwed up' along the way.

 

[NickK]

Demonstrating ability for hackathons/seminars etc is a good way if your industry has those kinds of events.

 

[SideWinder]

I have a meeting with a guy who is going to, maybe if I like his examples, create my LinkedIn profile for me. Will feedback.

 

[dowie]

These things sound sus in general, IIRC last time there was a thread about some company providing these services it didn't take long to find out that they were just using templates and copying & pasting standard filler sentences/irrelevant fluff.

I can see the argument that maybe hiring a professional writer directly could help with a CV or cover letter or a university admissions essay (apparently a big thing in the US) but I'm not sure the employees of these companies are really at the level pro writers/freelancers.

The person you're hoping will help you land a dream job by re-writing your CV has only managed to land themself a £10 an hour CV writing gig, I don't think they're the experts here.

Recruiters can actually be helpful sometimes re: what adjustments to make, though don't rely on them 100% especially re: domain-related stuff.

 

[dlockers]

I have a meeting with a guy who is going to, maybe if I like his examples, create my LinkedIn profile for me. Will feedback.

Dude.... no...

 

[Dup]

What helped me was asking other people in my field who were stepping up what their CV looked like, especially if they have recently been employed. You have to tailor it to your field somewhat and I wouldn't expect a generic CV writer to understand this.

For "lead/head-of roles" you'll need to show people management & implementation skills. This is something you may need to stretch or embellish from your experience.

If you're getting interviews then it might be you're not not getting across everything that might help your case, which is easily done when time is finite in these situations and conversations meander. An old boss of mine told me to basically write down every question you might expect from an interview, and questions you would want from an interview to highlight your talents, then answer it all ahead of time in a formal document. Also write down any questions you may have. It's just good prep anyway, but what he then said is to email this to them later in the day after the interview to thank them for their time and here's some points I didn't quite get to cover. Makes you stand out and it certainly worked for me in my current role.

 

[SideWinder]

Dude.... no...

I didn't, all good.