Have you recently searched for Mary Elizabeth Bradford Reviews or CEO Resume Writer Reviews? Entry-level firms are trying to attach themselves to us by writing fake reviews of our business. These are not award winning executive resume writers, like Mary Elizabeth Bradford, but they hope you will choose their services over ours.
If you’re searching for executive resume writing services, you may have encountered what appears to be a review of CEO Resume Writer and Mary Elizabeth Bradford reviews (and other firms) authored by a $399+ resume writing company.
You might wonder why this firm is publishing a “review” of our firm. The answer reveals a disturbing marketing practice plaguing the executive resume writing industry.
Here’s how it works: When you search for “CEO Resume Writer Reviews” or “Mary Elizabeth Bradford Reviews” you’ll find their article ranking high in search results. They assign an arbitrary score to premium specialty services like CEO Resume Writer and Mary Elizabeth Bradford Resume Writer while offering their own services as an alternative.
This is not only incredibly hostile behavior for an industry built on collaboration and helping others, but it forces comparisons between resume services of wildly different price points, levels of expertise, and specializations. This is called “false market alignment.” This resume services company has done this to hundreds of executive/CEO resume writing and career services firms.
This isn’t casual comparison marketing; it’s a calculated strategy designed to hijack search traffic and mislead executives searching for professional services.
This practice, also known as “false equivalency marketing” or “parasitic marketing,” serves several purposes:
You deserve to know that when you search for executive/CEO resume writer services or Mary Elizabeth Bradford Resume Writer services, you will find real reviews, not marketing content from competitors. Your career transition is too important to be influenced by companies that:
The answers typically reveal everything you need to know about their credibility—and whether they deserve any role in your executive career decisions.
When legitimate firms attempt to protect their brands, trademarks, and copyrighted materials from unauthorized use, they often face immediate retaliation from firms such as this. For example, when professional services send standard legal requests to remove unauthorized content, these reviewing companies respond by posting “warnings” claiming they “cannot recommend” these firms—solely because they tried to protect their intellectual property.
Consider what this retaliatory response reveals; a company that responds to legitimate copyright and trademark protection requests by publicly threatening others is showing you exactly how it operates. Would you trust your executive career to a firm that attempts to punish other professionals for protecting their legal rights?
This isn’t about market competition. It’s about protecting an industry that helps people advance their careers. When success depends more on marketing manipulation than service quality, professionals and clients both lose.
A CEO resume writing firm that purposely elects to build their business by deceiving clients and attacking colleagues shows you exactly who they are.
Would you trust your executive career to a company that:
True professionals don’t need these tactics. They succeed through expertise, integrity, and genuine client service—not deception and manipulation.
That is why you will not find legitimate and trustworthy executive resume writing firms and established career services practitioners engaging in deceptive marketing practices. The reason is simple: it fundamentally violates their professional ethics. For these professionals, integrity isn’t just a marketing buzzword—it’s the foundation of their business model and professional reputation.
The strategy to dominate CEO resume writing search results is systematic and concerning. This company has created hundreds of “Top 10” lists targeting every conceivable market:
Look closer at these lists, and a pattern emerges. The company creating these “reviews” invariably:
A small disclaimer link suggests this is all acceptable because it’s “just their opinion.” But consider the manipulation at play: A resume writing service claims expertise at every price point, location, and specialty, creating hundreds of comparison lists that rank themselves first while pretending to objectively evaluate premium services it has never used.
This calculated effort to flood search results with artificial comparisons makes it hard for executives to find genuine information about professional services.
It is worth further exploration if these practices fall within FTC guidelines:
Further examining these aggressive SEO practices, we find a pattern of digital territory capture that is not designed to add value for job seekers at any level but rather to dominate search visibility through volume and manipulation.
These tactics create an artificial authority that can drown out legitimate executive resume writing service providers, regardless of their expertise or track record.
When researching CEO resume writing services or Mary Elizabeth Bradford Resume Writing services, be aware of these various forms of deceptive marketing:
False market alignment occurs when a company artificially creates comparisons between services that aren’t competitors. For example, when a $399 resume service places itself alongside premium $3,000+ executive services in comparison lists, it deliberately creates misleading market equivalencies. This practice ignores fundamental differences in service depth, client level, and market focus.
This practice involves creating hundreds of “Best Resume Writer” lists targeting different locations and specialties:
Each list mysteriously ranks the reviewing company #1 despite having no physical presence or expertise in these markets.
Content cannibalization occurs when a resume writing company creates multiple pages targeting competitors’ brand names to dominate search results. When you search for a specific resume writing service, you instead find numerous “reviews” designed to divert you to their own service.
Brand jacking happens when resume writing companies publish unauthorized “reviews” using competitors’ trademarks, content, and brand names without permission. They hijack established reputations, often casting just a seed of doubt, in an attempt to intercept potential clients through search results.
This occurs when resume writing companies use paid plans on third-party review platforms to hide negative feedback and selectively display positive reviews. They might also create waves of positive reviews to bury legitimate negative experiences.
Trustpilot, Site Jabber, Google Business Profiles, and even the BBB offer paid plans to businesses, giving them more control over the reviews you see.
This practice involves budget or generalist services pretending to be qualified to evaluate and compare themselves to any and all other services, regardless of size, specialty, price, experience, or any other defining factors usually relied upon to make accurate comparisons.
If you are seeking a values-led executive resume writing services firm, one critical indicator of their ethics is their marketing practices. If a resume writing services company engages in the behaviors mentioned above, you can now proceed with your investment decisions from a more informed position.
You can also look at a company’s involvement in the careers industry, including membership, awards, and contributions. You can explore industry association lists (such as Career Directors International) to find writers by certification, awards, or specialization.
The most respected executive resume writing firms recognize that their actions shape not only their own reputation but the credibility of the entire profession. They understand that true industry leadership means maintaining high ethical standards, fostering professional collaboration, and building genuine relationships with clients and colleagues. This is how lasting reputations are built and how the executive resume writing industry continues to evolve and serve its clients with excellence.
As we conclude this examination of manipulative marketing practices in the resume writing industry, the scale and determination of these operations demand our attention. This isn’t just about individual executive resume writing services “reviews;” it’s about a systematic attempt to dominate search results through content farms that target every level of service provider, from basic resume mills to boutique executive resume writing firms.
Each competitor becomes fodder for hundreds of manufactured comparison pages, multiplied across locations and service variations. These pages build an artificial authority that clouds genuine market offerings.
The cost to executives is potentially tangible and significant. Beyond wasted hours evaluating misleading comparisons, there are potential negative career consequences: delayed transitions, investments in mismatched services, missed opportunities with better-aligned providers, and potentially compromised career documents that don’t meet true executive standards.
The damage from these deceptive practices in the executive resume writing industry extends far beyond misleading individual executives. The financial and ethical toll on our industry is potentially profound:
As I publish this exposé, I’m acutely aware of the ongoing risks. Companies engaging in these practices have shown they’ll retaliate against anyone who challenges them—through aggressive bad reviews, fake reviews, threats, and other forms of harassment. Knowing what we know now about these parasitic marketing methods, no one is overly surprised.
When an industry built on trust and professional collaboration allows these practices to continue unchallenged, we all lose. As executives ourselves, we understand that leadership sometimes requires taking uncomfortable stands against unethical behavior, even at personal risk.
We are emboldened with the hope that the more exposure these predatory marketing practices receive, the less they will plague the resume writing and careers industries.
About the Author Mary Elizabeth Bradford: A Statement of Professional Concern
As founder and executive director of CEOresumewriter.com, a boutique firm that exclusively serves C-suite and board executives worldwide since 2008, I feel compelled to address these industry practices. My perspective comes from 25 years in the careers industry, including experience as an executive search firm operator and current leadership in the executive resume writing profession.
My commitment to industry excellence is demonstrated through seven advanced certifications, active participation in leadership roles (including committee work, judging panels, and professional mentoring), and membership in major professional associations, including Career Directors International and Career Thought Leaders.
I choose to speak out not just for my firm but for an industry built on trust and professional integrity. While this article represents my professional opinion, it’s grounded in decades of industry experience and a deep commitment to maintaining the ethical standards that best serve executive job seekers.
Legal Disclaimer: ceoresumewriter.com® products and services do not guarantee “job placement”, though every effort has been made for accurate representation. Success involves many factors including the willingness to take action, focus, and dedication of each individual as well as various market conditions. The testimonies provided on this site do not guarantee the same or similar results.
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