I think most of my clients have noticed several resume writing certifications that have popped up over the years.  The main ‘company’ is the PARW/CC, or the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Coaches.

The follow up to this piece of information is whether we (ResumesCanada) should be certified under this organization or similar types of organizations.  We had a question from one of our clients who asked if we were affiliated with an ‘organization’ and our answer was “no”, we are not.  Our client was perplexed and wondered why not, so here was our explanation:

Well, think about how most resumes perform with respect to being noticed, adequate or effective.  You need a resume that is going to stand out from the rest of the masses of applications.  So what’s the problem? Resume writers who obtain certifications have to create resumes that are in a form or model of what the company who hands out the certifications dictate. The problem is who is creating these templates or standards? how new or old are they? and why would we trust someone who is creating a tool that is similar to everyone else? We believe this will hinder your chances of getting an interview. Similarly to those job hunters who use Word templates.

Needless to say, the question was answered, we performed our services and the client was happy with the results.

What do you think about how these certifications are perceived in the industry?