The questions below should help you uncover which type of resume service you are talking to:

• What background does the person who will be preparing your resume come from? (You want to find out if they were previously just in word-processing / administration or whether they have a background in recruitment and copy-writing.)
• How long has the resume service been producing resumes? (Ideally you want a company / resume writer with at least 5 years experience - rather than a company / resume writer with little experience of actually writing resumes.)
• Is a telephone consultation included in the price? Will this be with someone who has professional interviewing experience? How long is the consultation? (Ideally you want at least a half hour consultation with someone with professional interviewing experience.)
• Is the resume service a member of a professional body? If not, why not? (Have they really got any recruitment experience? If they are not a member of a professional body you may have little legal protection if something goes wrong with the production of your resume.)
• Can you show me an example of a resume you have prepared? (If they will not show you an example resume, steer well clear!) Does the resume look well presented or are they using a very dated layout? (Some services use layouts that are 10+ years out-of-date!) Does the resume have a profile / summary at the top of the first page? Is there a list of major achievements under the profile / summary section? Does the resume demonstrate any copy-writing skills?
• What results has the company / resume writer had? Can I see some testimonials? (You want to find out whether they can actually produce resumes that get their clients interviews.)