Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What do I get?

  We deliver Shiny New Resumes in PDF, MSWord, and ASCII. The PDF will look exactly the same on everyone’s screen and is ideal for printing and sending to employers. The Word (.doc) document is editable in all major word processing programs. The ASCII (.txt) plain text file can be used when employers need to scan your resume or if you need to copy and paste your resume into the body of an email.

  We also deliver a semi-customized cover letter in Word format. We say “semi-customized” because you will still need to personalize it and tweak it for every employer you send it to.

• How much does it cost?

  You’ll pay $179 to $279 for your Shiny New Resume and cover letter depending on your experience level. We offer a rush service for an additional $49, which puts you at the front of your writer's queue.

• What types of payment do you accept?

  We accept credit card payments with Visa, Master Card and Discover Card, or you can pay with PayPal.

• How long does it take?

  We typically deliver in 3 to 5 business days. Rush fee for faster delivery is $49, however if you don’t answer your writer’s questions quickly (within an hour or two), your resume may be delayed. You must also approve your writer’s draft resume quickly or your resume may be delayed.

  If you place a rush order, please be available between 9 am and 9 pm CST to answer your writer’s questions and approve the draft of your resume. A delayed response (more than 2 hours) may delay your resume.

  We don’t want to discourage you from making changes or asking questions to make sure you get the resume you want, we just want you to know our normal turnaround is a tough deadline to meet and we need your help to make it happen.

• Who are the resume writers?

  Our CPRW-certified resume writers are on the leading edge of high-impact resume writing. We also work with a large network of senior executives, recruiters, managers, and HR professionals who critique our resume writers. We like to keep them on their toes.

• Why is your service so expensive?

  We aren’t an overseas resume mill, so we can’t offer our services for less than we do. When you hire smart, skilled people to prepare a resume that really shines, it often takes more than 4 hours. Actually, in most cases, our prices are lower than the other major online resume services. We do offer group and corporate discounts too; contact us for details.

• Why is your service so cheap?

  We’ve gone to great lengths to create an efficient, online resume writing process that allows our writers, designers and proofreaders ultimate flexibility. This ease of use allows us to charge less than our competitors. Plus all we do are resumes, so you won’t see inflated resume prices to make up for cheap career counseling or placement services.

• Why does my Word resume look different from my PDF resume?

  Although it is widely used, Word is not the ideal program for layout design. There are certain limitations of the program that we simply cannot work around. Because the file has to be opened up in a variety of environments on any number of machines, our designers are limited to only a few font choices, and we have to be careful with the layout as well.

  In order to make your resume as shiny as possible, we bring it into another program (Adobe InDesign) to really perfect the design and create your PDF resume. This allows our designers total freedom to create the best looking, most professional resume possible. This is your PDF file, which will always look the same on any computer you open it up on. We suggest sending this file to employers whenever possible, and it should definitely be used for all printed copies.

• Do you guys work on weekends?

  We sure do. For a lot of our customers, the weekend is often the best time to communicate with their writer.

• Is there a time limit for working with my resume writer?

  Initially you can take as long as you need to submit your career info and answer your writer’s questions. After you have done this, your writer will take all of your information and create a draft text version of your resume for you to approve. At this point you will have 30 days to work with your writer until you are happy with your draft. We have found that this is more than enough time to go back and forth with your writer to get a document you are happy with. Having this time limit protects you and your writer from unreasonable delays. Please see our terms of service for more info on our time limit.

• What if I’m not happy with my resume writer?

  In the rare event one of our writers is not up to the task of writing your resume for any reason, please contact an administrator from our contact page. At that point, we can review the record of your correspondence and either match you up with a different writer or offer you a refund.

  Please note that there are two sides to this coin: If you constantly challenge your writer’s expertise and fall into the category of “extremely difficult client,” we could decide that we’re not the best service for you and decline to complete your resume. We only exercise this option in extreme situations, and we will provide a refund if this is the case.

• What if I hate my resume?

  Talk to your certified writer. They will fix it, really they will. Yes, there is a limit to the volume of questions they'll answer, revisions they'll make, and for how long. (You have a 30-day time limit to work on your draft resume with your writer.) But most people never even get close to that limit. The bottom line is that we will make every effort to work with you until you are happy with your resume.

  What is your guarantee?

  If you’re diligently sending out your resume and in 30 days you haven’t been interviewed, send it back to us for a free rewrite. If 2 months go by and it’s still not working, we’ll refund you 50% of the fee. Be prepared to provide proof that you sent resumes out and copies of the job listings you responded to. The reality is that we’re a service business: we really can’t offer a full refund for writing after we’ve delivered it to you. Text just isn’t something you can return and put back on the shelf. We’d like to think people aren’t unethical, but we also don’t want to risk being taken advantage of. Check out our terms of service for more info.

• What if I delete my resume?

  You can log into your Shiny New Resume account and download your files for 6 months following your order. After that you'll have to order a new one.

• What if I don’t know what I’m looking for?

  We have a lot of great people to help lead you in the right direction and make the best show of what you have to offer. The questions your writer asks will be a good reminder of what you've done, what you're good at, and why someone should hire you. Many of our clients feel renewed self-confidence after answering the writer's questions, and even more so after reading a resume that clearly communicates their unique value.

• Can I talk to my resume writer on the phone?

  Sorry, our resume writing service and communication is online. There are other resume services that offer phone interviews, but they generally cost more than ours. The written format helps both of us keep up with exactly where we are on your resume. You can ask any and all questions on the online bulletin board. Your resume is a written document in the end, so limiting our writer/client communication to writing just makes sense.

• Is this safe?

  Yes. All site transactions are protected with up to 256-bit Secure Sockets Layer encryption and we do not store any of your financial information. Additionally, all of your correspondence with your writer is completely confidential, and we will not divulge any of your personal info to any third parties without your permission. Check out our Privacy Policy.

• Other questions?

  Please contact us.