I reached out to Kathryn for assistance reviewing my résumé and developing a Superior Qualifications letter as I pursued a promotion into a Regional Kitchen Manager position following my retirement from a 30-year Marine Corps career. One of my biggest challenges was translating decades of military leadership, food service, logistics, operations, budgeting, and program-management experience into language that clearly demonstrated its value to a civilian employer. Kathryn understood exactly what needed to be highlighted and helped me present that experience in a way that connected directly to the position I was pursuing. Her assistance made a difference. The résumé and Superior Qualifications package helped strengthen my case and ultimately close much of the gap between the initial salary offer and the compensation I was seeking. What I appreciated most was that she didn't try to turn me into someone I wasn't. She helped me better communicate the experience and qualifications I already had and made sure the résumé told that story clearly. For anyone transitioning from the military, pursuing a promotion, or struggling to translate years of experience onto a résumé, I would absolutely recommend Kathryn. Well worth it! read more

Over the course of my federal career, the hiring process has continually evolved. Moving to a two-page resume, however, has been the most radical change in 20 years. Even veteran feds need help fitting their full length resumes to the new page restriction, myself included. That is why I came to The Resume Place. My agency is starting to post vacancies again, and I want to have the strongest application possible. With their help I now have a two-page resume that lets me apply for jobs with confidence. read more

While somewhat experienced, in the acquisition of government applications and interview appointments, I nevertheless felt the need for professional advice. A close friend referred me to The Resume Place, Inc. before I was to attend a key agency Senior Executive Service (SES) interview. After a preliminary discussion Kathryn was able to efficiently design an interview simulation, application, and post-op review. Her no-nonsense observations/insight, guidance and follow-up has provided me with lifelong tips sharpening the 'Last 5 Percent' interview elements crucial to placement success in the increasingly competitive governmental environment. I could tell the positive difference made during the extensive agency interview that followed. The Resume Place, Inc. has been of great assistance to me during my career placement pursuit. I highly recommend their services that will allow you to achieve the cutting edge in your personal governmental service goals. read more

I submitted my academic resume to Resume Place staffperson Emily. We discussed and reworked it, also developing a suitable cover letter to accompany it. I sent it out to four potential employers, and I was amazed to receive an outstanding offer the next day. True story, and I am grateful to Resume Place for the exceptional result. read more

As a military spouse, it is difficult to sustain employment. The Stars Are Lined Up for Military Spouses is a great resource for spouses focused on building their careers throughout the barriers we face. I found the examples of how volunteer experience is framed inside resumes really helpful. I highly recommend! read more

This is SO important- please do NOT leave something as valuable as your CAREER to this place. They make enough $ off people like me to spend tons on advertising but they DO NOT PROVIDE THE ADVERTISED VALUE. First of all they are unresponsive, you don't talk to the same person, they drag everything out to nickel and dime you and then you are out of time and money to hire someone else, the product provided is basically the same as asking a friend to look at your resume, help was NOT substantive and at every opportunity they try to sell you more a la carte services so you don't even KNOW if the feedback is genuine or they are just wanting more $$. I missed out on the job of a lifetime because I trusted this place. My family is paying the price along with me. read more

They wrote a resume for me & I didn't need it immediately as I found non governmental work, but now needing it. They found it after a decade. That's service! Please use them for the service & customer service. Kathryn is great & responsive. Much faster than I am. Thank you Kathryn. The service is more than worth the price. read more

I used the advice given in Kathryn Troutman's book titled: Federal Resume Guidebook to structure my resume during both my Bachelor and Master degree programs. I used the guidance in the book and wrote a detailed resume which afforded me an opportunity for an interview. I received a competitive internship from that interview. After I graduated, I decided to work with her team and asked them to help me refine the details of my resume. Their service was fast and working with Kathryn was a pleasure. read more

I highly recommend Rita Chambers of The Resume Place for anyone interested in working for and earning promotions in the federal government. The federal hiring process and the resume builder on www.usajobs.gov are cumbersome and contradict all the resume guidance we received in college or resume workshops. A well-crafted one-to-two-page resume will not include sufficient information to earn you a federal job. Rita dedicated herself to understanding my concerns with my old resume. She showed a healthy commitment and curiosity in me and my job search by asking challenging questions which ensured my resume stood out from other applicants. In under a week, she took my federal employment history with its disparate collection of duties and accomplishments and helped me craft an easy-to-read professional resume. All winning streaks begin with a single victory. My first victory was working with Rita to better my resume. Thanks to her, I will land the interviews that lead to promotions and more fulfilling work. read more

I had a great experience here working with the owner Kathryn Troutman as she coached me through the initial consult where she gave me feedback to get my resume into the federal format. Kathryn is very personable and she coached me on how to get my rez to tell a story and make it interesting and memorable for prospective employers. I had an interview coming up and so I also did their interview prep service and worked with Charles who was also amazing, honest and supportive. He is an expert on how the fed hiring system works and gave me step by step advice on how the process works along with valuable insider tips. I wouldn't recommend anyone rewrite one's resume other than oneself because who would know better than what you did than you? I did not use their very pricey resume writing service nor they did not push it on me. Better to use these folks to coach you through the process and the fed system. read more

Kathryn Troutman, the owner of The Resume Place, literally wrote the book on federal resume writing. After reading it and preparing my resume, I decided I could benefit from working with Kathryn directly, both on improving my resume even more and on preparing for federal job interviews. Kathryn's personalized feedback and coaching has been absolutely invaluable in helping me receive more than a half-dozen federal job offers (and still counting). Particularly in a few instances when I feel I've hit a wall, Kathryn always seems to know what I'm doing wrong and how to fix my mistake. I haven't used The Resume Place for resume writing, their main service, and honestly I don't understand why it makes sense to pay someone else to write a resume for you. I always draft my own resume, then seek Kathryn's feedback. On occasion I have had problems reaching Kathryn at times we've been scheduled to connect, and sometimes I have to email her twice to get a response. I hope she works on these issues; however, her incredible knowledge of the federal job landscape more than makes up for these shortcomings. read more

Emailed this company, directly from their website for possible resume assist. To date, no response made. Emailed over a week ago, but funny they subscribed me to receive their junk emails instead read more

Ended up being told how to do it myself with not much help doing it. I got a review of an old resume and then guidance about how to rewrite it myself. I needed a resume written up so I could review it. If I had had the time to do it myself in the first place I would have and not paid for it. Get the books and do it yourself. read more

On the advice of a friend, I contacted the Resume Place in November 2015. I was referred to Nicole to write my Federal resume. I was very disappointed and did not receive the resume. I ended of asking for a refund but they charged me a two hour consulting fee. The quote for my package was $1830 which included 2 hours of consulting time for $190 each hour. Eight hours for the resume and 2 for consulting=10 hours total. I paid a 60% upfront retainer fee before the process could begin. For the first meeting/consulting hour, I was expecting to be asked about my background so she could gain clarity to build the resume. This was not the case. I have listed her process below: 1. One hour was spent lecturing on how to search using USAjobs.gov. There was no screen share, she just talked and talked about how to search. After that session, my task was to practice searching on my own and send a job description. 2. I received an email to complete my Challenges, Context, Action and Results for each position. This was to be used to highlight my accomplishments. This was a large task that took me awhile to complete. Once I completed the CCRAs and sent a job description, I still did not receive my resume. When I called, Nicole kept saying I should wait for a better position or I did not quality for the job I selected but I really did. It was almost as if she was buying time to finish higher priority work. Unbeknownst to me, these calls to ask about the progress of my resume were billed as consulting hours. By February 2016, I was frustrated and called the resume place for a refund. I did not get all of my deposit back, nor did I receive a Federal resume. I would not recommend this service! read more

My wife and I have been clients of the Resume Place since 2009 when I was a Program Specialist GS-0301-09 with the Department of Veterans Affairs and my wife a Budget Analyst GS-0501-11 with the Department of Defense. In fours years, I was promoted to a Management and Program Analyst GS-0343-13 with Department of Defense and my wife promoted to a Budget Analyst GS-0501-14 position. I attributed our professional growth and development to blessing from above as well as the resume writing assistance, interview prep, and coaching from the Resume Place. We have been long time clients and have worked with the Resume Place in so many capacities from being a client, coach and mentor, Certified Ten Steps to Federal Job instructor and trainer. Kathryn Troutman and the Resume Place are the BEST in the Business. My mission as a US Navy Veteran has been to help as many of my military brothers and sisters make the transition to federal employment. I can honestly say that the Resume Place has helped me tremendously hold true to my personal mission, helped me to be a successful Federal Resume Coach mentoring all I come in contact with seeking assistance and guidance to join the Federal government employee ranks. Working with the Resume Place I have personal experience and truly know the value of a great federal resume all because of the books, training, coaching, consulting, and editing services of Resume Place, Inc. read more

My experience with this company, years ago, was not a good one. I contacted this company after finding them on the internet. I had been unseccessfully looking for a government job for quite a few years. I thought this may have been the answer. The company assigned a specialist to my case. The specialist was extremely kind, but was quite overworked and overwhelmed. I was constantly "pushed aside" because she "received a rush assignment". After several weeks, we finally touched bases. She asked me a lot of questions about my professional background, what I was looking for, as well as, obtained a copy of my resume. After several more weeks (by this time about two months had passed), I received a federal resume. Upon receiving the federal resume, a friend reviewed it. This thing contained quite a few typos and quite a few grammatical errors. After I fixed those errors myself, I took it to a federal job career fair. One recruiter took a red pen too it and corrected a copy on the spot. Another recruiter literally chuckled at it. I picked up my face and my bloody red resume and went back home. Now it was time to get the two KSAs that I had already paid for. (I don't even think the government does KSAs anymore). Any who, I was "pushed aside" a few more times. Then, whenever I spoke to this lady, she would ask me to outline the KSAs. Isn't outlining an essay pretty much like writing it... In the end, after at least six months of communication, I received a horrible resume and I never received the two KSAs that I paid for. I was just too through with this company and this lady. I gave up. read more

My experience was not good with this company. Multiple rewrites, formatting incorrect, grammar errors...... I am a career civil servant and wanted my ECQs polished to be more competitive for an SES position. This is what I received as feedback from a position I put in for using the ECQs written for me (NQ = not qualified): "ECQs (NQ) - ECQs were written on a technical level. "Thinking strategically" with no defined results caused the panel members to ask: How did you think strategically? ECQ 1 and 5 would benefit from clearer explanation of your results." I would NOT recommend the services from The Resume Place. Buyer beware, this was a VERY expensive multiple thousand dollars mistake! read more

Horrible service. I would not recommend. Asked for their services and provided me with little assistance. Tried again and asked if they could write a resume for a federal job position with a quick turnaround she stated she could. Well that didn't end well. I had to send mutiple emails to get the status of my resume that I paid for and ended up $400 short with no product. I didn't even ask for a refund because based on the reviews listed on here I knew that would not happen. I would not recommend this company and luckily I was able to find a much better resume service in the Washington, DC area that was professional, efficient, and provided me with an OUTSTANDING resume! read more

These reviews don't lie. The owner will try to convince you that it's her competition that is writing the bad reviews. I don't believe her after learning first hand that they are unprofessional. The owner Katherine trusts her daughter Emily to do tasks that obviously she doesn't care about. I have asked and waited days for a response. I didn't ask for a large response, just a quote and a basic and timeline. It's been about 8 days of asking for the simplest things. What does a customer have to do beg to be helped? Beg for assistance? That's what I was doing. Disgusting that they masquerade as a tool to help troops. I will be notifying the transition program and see about have them removed as a recommendation. read more

Though others might think it is pricey, it was definitely worth the money. My experience was exceptional... In September, I contacted them as I know Kathryn Troutman has written many books about Federal jobs and other Resume Writing agencies use her books as a guidance to draft their resumes..., so I thought why not go with the source? She contacted me right away, and even found a different position that I was more suitable for. To make this long story short, SHE PERSONALLY worked on my resume over her labor day weekend and got it done in 3 days without charging me extra for the expedited service. She is caring and compassionate about her job. I got a call within 4 days, was interviewed over the phone . She also coached me for the interview and accommodated to meet my needs. I landed an awesome interview and was offered the job within 1 week from my application and got a career ladder position 7-9-11... I paid about $700 or so total but if you asked me it was TOTALLY WORTH IT... I made up that money in just 1 week. I would highly recommend her services to anyone! read more

The Resume Place, NOT a good experience. I was referred to Kathryn's services only to be let down. I needed a resume polished up and updated for a Federal employment opportunity and after a week of "biting my nails" and emails asking for a status, she sends me an email the day that the announcement closes... basically stating that her employee didn't want to start working on the resume on the day it closed and do I still want to use her services for another similar announcement??? Don't waste your time at The Resume Place, you might miss out on a great opportunity like I did. read more

Purchased the written resume assessment with 30 minute phone call from the website. Writer never called me for the review. Received my written assessment from the writer who then ignored my request to schedule the phone call. I shouldn't have to hound the writer to provide a service I already purchased. I feel ripped off and wouldn't recommend this company. read more

The Resume Place is a total rip off. In the heat of my job search, I sought to the services of The Resume Place. I was under the impression the organization held the key to get a federal job. As I recent, PhD grad, who decided academia was not for me and was more skilled in academic writing than federal resume-ease, I was happy to get the assistance. I was assigned a "seasoned, certified resume writing professional." Though the individual was nice person and accessible, s/he was a horrible writer. The writing was riddle with grammatical errors; it had egregious mechanical mistakes, spelling and punctuation errors. Additionally, the writing was illogical and unclear. And, above all, the seasoned resume professional provided no real insight into the federal writing process. I would avoid The Resume Place. There are new guidelines. Individuals would be better off finding a free workshop and spending the time and energy writing their own resume. Learn from my mistake. Don't do it! read more

I used the Resume Place to help me create an SES resume, I expected some tried and true advice and recommendations and really did not get any of that. They did provide some general recommendations and tips on writing it and I paid for 10 hours of service at $190 an hour. Any good English editor could have provided me those same recommendations and services for $40 an hour. I was expecting them to provide expertise from looking at the announcement and helping to craft the perfect replies to help overcome the USA jobs issues and to which any person would read and call me in for an interview. It also seemed more an upsell scam once we got into it. My editor would edit like two pages, claim it took her, 4 hours to do so, and that if I wanted the entire package reviewed I would need to buy more time. Since I now had a plan on how to finish, and the value added they were providing was minimal, I finished it myself. You can tell a lot by a company by how they post their reviews, and the resume place does not use a live review feed, they cherry pick the best reviews and only show those on their website. I am sure they have had some successes, but not honestly sure how many. So my bottom line is if you plan on using them, keep your expectations low. read more

Have had excellent results with Resume Place. One can see by the extensive Resume Place website, that they know their business and totally keep current about the government application process, they take the pulse of the federal hiring process. I sent a friend here, in fact, I treated her to the service. My friend's skills were all over the map. She needed a snapshot to illustrate her abilities, she had varied work experience. Resume Place pulled it altogether for a most impressive finished product. Now in terms of the price-- if one were to pay this kind of money, one must realize-- you are paying it Only Once. You've now got a Master, you can add on as you go, without further assistance, by yourself. Your Resume Place resume is correct as for style, is the proper length, uses the current accepted format. You will not find the format in a Off the Shelf resume preparation software. The cost of resume preparation is a tax deductible expense if one itemizes, it is job-seeking and therefore, deductible. In the case of those who have English as a second language, using Resume Place is especially helpful, troublesome syntax and all of that---not that native English speakers have it down completely, but poor syntax doesn't need to scream from the printed page. For the cost of six months' of Starbucks, would you like your resume done once and for all, by people who know the system inside and out? Government employees should insist that their agency provide a worksession conducted by Resume Place. Both agency and employee would be saving alot of time and trouble for everyone, eliminate having to sift through irrelevant material. Do it right the first time, let Resume Place teach us how in a few short classroom hours. Encourage your agency to sponsor Resume Place training. I'm surprised at any negatives as shown here. I'm sure that Kathryn Troutman followed up on any negative to make necessary changes, she is a hands-on business owner. She emailed me a response to a question I had at ten p.m. Geez, that was fast. My question was about a nephew who was a returning veteran. I was confident that KT could put the master's touch on his resume. He had already fought in one war--why make him eek out the federal hiring process too? As I said to Nephew....Resume Place is money well-spent. Quality is worth its price, plus, you only need to it once. We are saving so much on job seeking- printing and postage these days, because of the Internet. Let the saved money be well-spent on professional presentation of your resume. read more

I had a wonderful experience with the Resume Place. I needed to apply for a rather competitive federal job with a quick turn around and wanted to make sure that my resume was top-notch. I found the staff at the Resume Place to be highly responsive to my needs, they were very quick to find a good consultant to work with me one-on-one. Based on previous feedbacks I see that some customers complained because their consultant was over-booked and too busy. That's perfectly logical, however, that wasn't my experience at all! In fact, I would say that Brenda, the woman who assisted me, was extraordinarily responsive and willing to go the extra mile to help me with my project. The company's services are certainly a bit pricey, but I will certainly be using the Resume Place again if the need comes up. read more

Approximately, 10 years ago I retired from the Army, I always knew I wanted to work for the Veteran Administration, and I had a wealth of knowledge and experience, I just had no idea how to get a job with the federal government or put my experience on paper. By chance, I came across The Resume Place Inc. I was referred to Mrs. Carla Waskiewicz. Carla Waskiewicz changed my life; her wonderful works got me jobs with the state government. I decided for a career change a couple of years ago; again Carla got my resume in order again. I applied for many jobs with the resume Carla prepared for me and updated from time to time. I worked briefly at a prestigious heart hospital in Columbia SC, until I got the long awaited call from the VA December 2017 to become a VA Social Worker at the GS 11. Step 2, my dream jobs, it all happen because of Carla and the Resume Place awesome work staff of writers. I was not paid or solicited to write this review. If you need an awesome resume done by a very knowledgeable and professional staff I highly recommend THE RESUME PLACE. Thanks again Resume Place. Tyrone Small, forever thankful read more

I paid to have have my resume reviewed and got an unscheduled phone call and was told to apply for a different job. She projected a bunch of her own ideas onto me rudely. Her tone was arrogant and before I could even respond about my resume she hung up. Clearly, she didn't even read my first draft or look at the job posting I was requesting a review for because she didn't know my job experience and told me it was something completely different. Through e-mailed I set up two phone meetings to discuss further with her and she ghosted both calls even though she agreed to make the appointments. Her replies were vague, incoherant, my questions were ignored, and she messed up the details of both my job announcement and work experience twice. I gave her patience, but she abused it and ghosted me. In short, my money was stolen and no resume reviewed. Perhaps, she has a favorite clientel only...seeing some of these reviews? Do not pay her. I should have read the other reviews here first. Giving people like this your hard earned money will always result in regret. read more

I tried other resume writing services through Groupon that advertised federal resume writing for am additional charge without one referral. Even though, those services were cheaper I wasted my time, expectations and money using them as they did not have experts from OPM on staff. Finally, I came to my senses and was determined to get hired for the Federal Job of my dreams. I researched and found that the Resume Place had the best results. The CEO herself called me and took the time to understand my needs. She clearly explained the process and set reasonable expectations. Obviously, no company can guarantee that anyone will be hired, however, without a correctly written Federal resume, it would be nearly impossible to get a first look. Kathryn will assign a professional resume writer best suited to your specific desired position and gs level. Although, the cost may seem high, the goal is to get hired for a Federal job. After posting my resume place federal resume, I began to noticed more reviews and then referrals. Finally I interviewed and used the interviewing prep prior to the interview. I received a job offer one later and then interviewed for another closer position two weeks later and accepted that position. Moral of the story is that quality work costs more but the goal is to get a job offer not to apply for years and get frustrated. read more

Did not meet the deadlines represented. Editor was still submitting proposed revisions to me the night before and on the day that the application was due. These revisions required corrections which I needed to make on the application due date. I had initially told the editor that I wanted everything done and submitted before the due date, to which she assured me would occur. While I was able to submit the application on time, it was a frustrating experience and I felt that there was no regard for my schedule. Although I timely submitted documents to the editor for review, there was a very slow turn around time in her getting back to me with proposed revisions. Would not use them again. read more

I have used the services of the Resume Place on several occasions. I first bought the book and tried it and I was successful however I was only offered entry level positions writing my resume on my own. I used a resume writer in twice, once in 2008 and then in 2012. Although I had experience and education, I could not make my resume stand out from the pack. I let a couple of close friends copy my format and they have had great success as well. I was able to obtain a GS-11 position and one friend was able to obtain a GS-13 position. I also have been subscribing to their website for about 10 years. The Resume Place also posts interesting articles on employment leads, opportunities and resume tips. Their was a recent news article on the job opportunities for the Border Patrol which I referred to another a friend. Although he did not use the services I reviewed his resume and made suggestions to him based on what I told. He was tentatively selected for the program and is going through the application process. Yes, I agree it's expensive but worth it. I'm still reaping the benefits and passing it on!! read more

I am a current Federal employee and I was seeking to gain upward mobility by applying to other positions within the Federal Government. I decided to hire Resume Place to write my resume. I spent over $700 on a resume and to date I have yet to be referred for a position. I highly do not recommend this company. It's awful simply awful! read more

The Resume Place has failed. It is obvious that Kathryn forgot about my husband's resume. It is for a federal job announcement that closes TODAY. After holding on to it for a week, she told him TODAY that she can't find anyone with the time to work on it. Instead of owning up to the mistake and apologizing, she asked if he wanted her to work on one for a future announcement. Absolutely not. read more

I have had 2 great experiences with the Resume Place. My first was to create a resume for an SES position at OPM. I worked with their consultant who reviewed the USAJOBS vacancy announcement, my current resume, interviewed me over the phone and gave me some homework. During the interview and follow up she helped me frame the information into their CCAR process. Throughout the experience I felt the consultant was very passionate and interested in my success. My 5 page SES resume with ECQs made the Best Qualified list and I was called by OPM for an interview. I was one of 5 candidates chosen for an interview out of 58 applicants. I told the Resume Place of the results and they helped prep me for the interview. While I didn't get this job, I did get my foot in the door which never would have happened without the Resume Place. My second experience was a bit different. I asked them for help to beef up my LinkedIn profile. Here again, the consultant had a process, and the expertise in the latest LinkedIn trends to formulate my content to a different audience. Since updating my profile on LinkedIn I've seen a dramatic increase in looks at my profile. I highly recommend working with the Resume Place. It was a worthwhile investment in myself. read more