The first resume I wrote was my junior year in college. The Sunday classifieds had a job listing that caught my attention, but there was a hitch. All candidates were instructed to bring a resume to a “cattle call” session on Monday. I like challenges and with the encouragement of my fiancé (now my wife) I wrote a resume that evening and made a plan to attend the mass interview.
Wearing a suit with pride and full of confidence, I made my way to the office located in an upscale St. Louis business district. When I opened the door, my heart sank; I saw a packed room of much older men and women each holding a resume in hand. I nearly turned away, but instead, I sighed heavily and pushed my way through the crowd and handed my resume to the receptionist. It was at that moment that I realized what the term “cattle call” meant.
Twenty minutes passed and I was tired of standing and growing discouraged. As I pushed my way towards the door, I heard an announcement made by someone in the back room wearing a tie. The group was told that only candidates that had earned a Master’s degree would be considered, which was a polite way of telling the rest of us that we should leave now.
Just before I made my way through the exit I heard “Crystal City, where are you Crystal City.” They were calling me, not by my name, but by my hometown. Crystal City is a well-known small town located 30-miles south of St. Louis. It had to me that they were calling, but I didn’t have a Bachelor’s degree yet, and they wanted someone with a graduate degree.
I was hired for the job and became a private-probation representative that traveled in the evening to the surrounding small municipal courts and enrolled offenders into courses that the company offered. It was a great job, especially for an undergraduate student. The reason they called me out of the crowd was the owners of the company used to live in Crystal City and spoke about their beloved small town often in the office. The junior executives thought hiring the boy from the same town would make points with the boss, and it worked.
That was the day I learned the power of the resume. There were several lessons I gleaned from that experience, but the most powerful lesson was not to let barriers scare you into not applying. Go for it anyway and do your best to connect with the hiring agents. Also, find a way to connect your background with something of interest in order to spark their curiosity.
My first career before becoming a professional resume writer was in education. I had a knack for getting hired in jobs that I wasn’t yet qualified to do. For example, I was hired to be a guidance counselor at the young age of 23, and before I earned the required graduate degree and certification.
When I was promoted to school administration before I had taken a single course towards that certification. I was the youngest school administrator in the St. Louis metropolitan area at the time. I quickly realized that I had a gift of communicating value to decision makers.
Writing resumes for other people became a hobby for me. I studied the trends and just started writing. I had no idea that it was possible to make a career of writing resumes. I was a principal of a large school and one of my assistant principals was ready to make the big move and apply for his own building position. He showed me his resume, since I was the unofficial expert, and told me that he paid a professional writer a large sum of money to create it. My jaw dropped, not just because of the dollar amount that the resume cost him, but because I hadn’t realized that resume writing was actually a profession.
I had no idea that it was possible to make a career of writing resumes. I was a principal of a large school and one of my assistant principals was ready to make the big move and apply for his own building position. He showed me his resume, since I was the unofficial expert, and told me that he paid a professional writer a large sum of money to create it. My jaw dropped, not just because of the dollar amount that the resume cost him, but because I hadn’t realized that resume writing was actually a profession.
My jaw dropped, not just because of the dollar amount that the resume cost him, but because I hadn’t realized that resume writing was actually a profession.
That same day I sent an email to the professional resume writer and I asked her what I could do to become a great writer just like her. She held credentials as a Master Resume Writer and was considered to be one of the best in her field in the St. Louis area. She was very kind and she recommended that I enroll in the Resume Writing Academy. I did, and in April of 2012 I graduated and earned my ACRW.
Three years had passed since the day I learned about professional resume writers, and I spent that time wisely. I planned my career transition in detail. As a long-time school principal, I had some perks, including an incredible early retirement incentive that was quite lucrative. I leveraged that incentive and officially retired as an educator at age 48, and in June of 2012, I launched my business.
Originally I planned to work from home for a short time and then find an office in St. Louis suitable for meeting clients. My wife and two sons surprised me by converting our lower-level family room into a very nice office, fully equipped. I never intended to meet clients in my home, but they started to just show up. The feedback from clients was that they liked meeting in my home office, and some even said that it resembled a lawyer’s office. So my plans changed and now I am quite happy working from home and I enjoy writing in a very comfortable office equipped with a beautiful fireplace.
The feedback from clients was that they liked meeting in my home office, and some even said that it resembled a lawyer’s office. So my plans changed and now I am quite happy working from home and I enjoy writing in a very comfortable office equipped with a beautiful fireplace.
The first three months was incredible. Clients were hiring me from referrals even as far away as New York and Boston. I am a planner, and it occurred to me that the pace of client referrals might not keep up and I needed a backup. I convinced an online resume writing company to hire me as a freelance writer. The experience was great and I received multiple assignments each week. In short, I was working long hours and not making very much income because of the relatively low pay. It got worse because I spent so many hours in my office writing for someone else to make a large profit, I was no longer able to get out and network.
Early December of this year, nearly six months since launching my business, I am flying solo. I stopped accepting contract work and started networking again. A career coach in Boston contacted me and offered to establish a referral partnership. My very first client came to me in June as a result of a referral from Louise Kursmark, one of the owners of the Resume Writing Academy. That client was also working with the career coach and he showed her the resume I created. She liked the resume enough to request a partnership, and we have been referring clients to each other ever since.
A career coach in Boston contacted me and offered to establish a referral partnership. My very first client came to me in June as a result of a referral from Louise Kursmark, one of the owners of the Resume Writing Academy. That client was also working with the career coach and he showed her the resume I created. She liked the resume enough to request a partnership, and we have been referring clients to each other ever since.
I also set up presentations at the local colleges to get exposure. I increased my prices at the suggestion of a colleague from the NRWA that reached out to me to deliver much needed and welcomed advice. On average, I bring in three to four clients each week, entirely through referrals and networking. The fee hike didn’t slow down the pace of new clients, in fact, my client base increased. I do have a website and I pay for a preferred listing in YP.com, but neither source has yet to produce a client.
On average, I bring in three to four clients each week, entirely through referrals and networking. The fee hike didn’t slow down the pace of new clients, in fact, my client base increased. I do have a website and I pay for a preferred listing in YP.com, but neither source has yet to produce a client.
The resume writing industry is a great American success story. If you are willing to commit to learning the craft and work hard to develop your business, then your opportunities are limitless. My background in education required me to participate in lots of professional development, but the education field has nothing on the resume industry when it comes to delivering quality training.
New members are in for a very pleasant surprise when they first join organizations such as the National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) and Career Directors’ International (CDI). Resume writers consider themselves colleagues instead of competition. How great is that, your competition is helping you become better at your trade and help you to build your business?
My advice to aspiring writers is to join the professional organizations and get to know our colleagues. Resume writers are an amazing group of professionals that proudly make the distinction that as a group we are colleagues, not competitors. I really love that! New resume writers need to join resource groups that provide additional training, free advice, and endless resources. I joined the NRWA, CDI, Resume Writers’ Digest (RWD), and I frequently use Resumebiz.com as a resource. I participate in every webinar from multiple sources. When Teena Rose gave a teleseminar through RWD I learned the best way to build your business was to become better at resume writing. Be an expert and start writing content for others to follow. Don’t spend large amounts of money on marketing, but instead build a reputation of excellence. I learned from Bridgett Brooks at RWD to use affiliates and earn income while you sleep.
I joined the NRWA, CDI, Resume Writers’ Digest (RWD), and I frequently use Resumebiz.com as a resource. I participate in every webinar from multiple sources. When Teena Rose gave a teleseminar through RWD I learned the best way to build your business was to become better at resume writing. Be an expert and start writing content for others to follow. Don’t spend large amounts of money on marketing, but instead build a reputation of excellence. I learned from Bridgett Brooks at RWD to use affiliates and earn income while you sleep.
The future of resume writing is bright, but it will evolve and only those businesses that keep abreast of the changes will continue to grow. My weekly schedule has evolved and no longer includes writing all day, every day. I set aside at least one day to improve my skills or to network. I can tell you that I am enjoying my new career beyond my wildest imagination and I am continually increasing my income as an entrepreneur.
