Founded by best-selling author James Innes, The Resume Center is one of four companies under the umbrella of the James Innes Group and is the resume consultancy geared for the U.S. marketplace (in the UK, they go by the name The CV Centre).

Since 1998, the company has grown to become one of the largest in the country employing a network of more than 200 contract writers and interview coaches. Taken collectively, the James Innes Group has a commanding international presence with offices in locations ranging from the UK and Ireland to Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

That growth is attributable largely to the skills and talents of career expert James Innes. Having authored five best-selling career-related books, Innes is regularly quoted in the media and in demand as a guest speaker at recruitment fairs and conferences.  

What I Liked (the Pros)

A respected name heads the company. Career specialist James Innes has the credentials you want as the man in charge. With his name and face figuring prominently on the website, one could make the case that reputation matters. And that's a positive for clients.

Note: Innes actually writes resumes himself. See pricing points at right for details.

What I Didn't Like (the Cons)

Resume examples. While they were acceptable in terms of contents (i.e. sentence structure, grammar, etc.), layout was simplistic and at times difficult to read. For example, I noted an over-reliance on bullet points in defining job experiences while the profile or summary sections could actually use a few bullet points to break up overly long text sections.

Update: As of 02/28/2017, all resume samples have mysteriously disappeared from the company's website.

Update: As of 08/14/2017, a company representative reports that the disappearance resulted from a website redesign. They are currently working on a new page of samples.

If you choose the reasonably-priced "Standard Bundle" don't expect a telephone consultation with your writer without paying extra (currently $32 extra for a 30-minute consultation). That's perhaps understandable given the pricing points of the company. You can conduct direct messaging with your writer, and that's good. Still, I believe any resume written by any company will suffer without an actual phone conversation, so adjust the price in your head accordingly.

Note: The option of a phone consultation is now available as part of the "Senior Consultant" bundle and the James Innes Premium" bundle.

An uneasy sense that quality is spotty. This, after reviewing numerous recent customer complaints and after conversations with former writers. Granted this is a large company doing a lot of work both domestic and international. And I'm sure that many resumes/CVs are written expertly and win the approval of the customer. But complaints regarding workmanship, customer service, and resume delays are real (see right column).

Review Summary and Recommendation

While you won't see the quality of workmanship that some of the other (and more expensive) A+ services can produce, for those on a limited budget, The Resume Center offers a service that will likely improve the look of your resume--especially if the alternative is to do it yourself.

Still, prospective customers need to be aware that some clients have had quite negative experiences with the company, and their BBB rating has been all over the map, sliding from an A to a D+ and then back to the current A+. That said, the money-back guarantee gives considerable assurance.

While I remain cautious, I believe the company deserves consideration. And to those with the resources to tap James Innes to personally prepare their document, that service is a clear winner.

To explore further...

TheResumeCenter.com

Best of luck,
David Alan Carter