Brenda Collard-Mills, Certified Resume Strategist, and owner of Robust Resumes & Resources. A member of Career Professionals of Canada and Career Thought Leaders, Brenda offers professional resume writing, cover letters, thank you letters, biographies, LinkedIn profiles, and resume workshops.
1. What led you to write resumes? Do you have a background that made you an ideal fit for the industry?
Brenda: I’ve worn a few hats over my career and focused on continuous learning in each role to make myself invaluable to my employer and the industry.
Initially, I worked in the insurance sector at Canadian Head Offices of major insurance companies, attaining my Fellow Life Management Institute (FLMI) designation.
After moving with my then fiancé and stepdaughter to ski country 2 hours north of Toronto, none of the local insurance brokers were interested in my qualifications.
After 6 months in transition, I landed an informational interview with the only new employer in town – a manufacturing facility catering to the automotive market.
I grew a temporary HR role into a permanent appointment lasting 18.5 years!
Again, I took advantage of the tuition reimbursement program and achieved my Qualified Administrative Assistant (QAA) designation.
Within my various roles, I always wrote, reviewed and edited a ton of documents in WordPerfect back then, long before MS Word took over the word processing world.
Then in 2007, our facility closed and I was part of the staff offered to attend outplacement seminars.
During the resume workshop, I was enlightened on how much resumes had changed.
The facilitator was a member of Career Professionals of Canada and a Certified Resume Strategist.
Suddenly I was excited and had determined my new career direction.
I became a certified resume writer and launched Robust Resumes and Resources. I’m still using my expertise in Word, crafting and editing career documents for clients at all levels, and have seen my work published in three books.
2. How long have you been in the industry? Would you recommend it to others? Why?
Brenda: I achieved the designation Certified Resume Strategist in June 2008, achieving a mark “in the top tier of professionals who write the exam”.
I would recommend a career as a self-employed Professional Resume Writer for someone who is disciplined and fortunate to have the support and understanding of family members.
Why?
As you know, being an entrepreneur means you might work weekends and evenings to accommodate clients.
I have a fabulous husband who is retired and leaves me alone in my home office.
In fact, he’ll run errands and do any other chores to allow me to stay focused on my business. Discipline is a priority again because of the array of potential distractions when you work from home.
It takes a commitment to prioritize customer needs when the calling of a warm summer breeze and a deck chair are only seconds away from your office space.
I don’t miss corporate life!
I remain stimulated helping my clients, learning about their career achievements and aspirations, the various twists and turns that have brought them to where they are today.
In fact, my husband says I have 2 personalities and he prefers the upbeat, outgoing and engaging business person he hears when I’m interacting with clients over my “wifely” side. Guess there’s a lesson there.
3. What is the single best tool you recommend for building client relations? Building your business? Improve efficiency?
Brenda: I do less in-person networking now than when I first started the business.
I’ve learned the majority of client inquiries started with a “google” search for a local resume writer, so my digital footprint is important.
I’m not big on spending hours a day in front of the computer doing social media, so I’ve learned to use Buffer and schedule posts to my LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages.
Referrals are also a great business builder.
I have a Referral Reward Program.
When a referred individual becomes a paid client, the person who sent the referral earns a $25 gift card. This has certainly helped turn people into sales advocates for my services.
One of the best sources of improving how I write and how I operate my resume business is by joining and following professional resume writing groups and associations like yours, Resume to Referral.
I belong to groups in Canada and the US and have gleaned lots of tips from resume writing and formatting, to various business phone options, scheduling tools, and the list goes on.
I also enroll in several webinars and teleclasses each year to stay up-to-date on industry trends and learn new tips.
4. If you could share one learning experience/great lesson, what would it be?
Brenda: Don’t let others influence your career decision!!
Believe in yourself and your vision.
I say this because I initially wanted to name my business “Rocket Your Resume” with a tagline of “Taking Your Resume To A Higher Level,” but during a business mentoring workshop, the facilitator totally thrashed the name.
He insisted I come up with a new one that would allow for future expansion of the business beyond resumes.
Thus, the creation of the name Robust Resumes and Resources.
5. Looking back, what would you have done differently? Done the same?
Brenda: Looking back, I would have gone with the first name I had for the business and not have allowed myself to be influenced by a business advisor with no experience in the resume sector and no belief that my business would exist in 5 years and in 2018, my resume business will reach the 10 year mark.
The rest of my strategy would still be the same; starting a business you need an online presence – website and social media pages.
That certainly hasn’t changed from 2008 to 2018.
6. What advice would you give someone just entering the resume-writing industry?
Brenda: I would recommend a new resume writer earn a credential.
There are plenty of low-cost resume services on the internet, but people will pay more for your expertise as a qualified professional.
Seek out a mentor and connect online with colleagues!!
I am very fortunate, as early in my resume career, I was introduced to a highly established executive resume writer – Martin Buckland of Elite Resumes.
His knowledge sharing has been invaluable to accelerating my skills and boosting my confidence in those early days.
Facebook groups for resume writers are fabulous platforms to post your question and get advice on almost any topic including how to price a resume business, how to market your business, and resume writing guidance when you’ve got a challenging client or a quick question.
Resume writers are highly supportive of each other.
We’re really not competitors, but advocates for each other.
7. How do you see our industry transforming over the next 12 months? 5 years?
Brenda: While there is lots of discussion surrounding the future need for a resume and AI tools that help you build a resume, I firmly believe our industry will stay strong.
Artificial intelligence might know the right keywords to populate into a resume, but it can’t inject personality into a resume reflective of the attitude, attributes, and nuances a writer has gleaned by having a one-on-one interview with the client.
I believe what we, as resume professionals, need to understand to survive is to remain connected with clients and industry trends; learn the tools employers and recruiters are using to engage with applicants.
Remain in tune with how companies use social media, applicant tracking systems, and other emerging tools in their candidate selection process.
Don’t get stagnant.
Assess and reassess your strengths and identify areas for professional development.
Update your profiles regularly (albeit, I could be better at this).
Learn.
Share.
Engage.
Connect
…and Repeat.
I don’t regret the decision I made in 2008 to start my own resume writing business.
I have expanded my client base, written articles for a local magazine, been on a local TV show, presented to students at a community college, am a Certification Assessor with Career Professionals of Canada, and been published in Modernize Your Job Search Letters, Best Canadian Resumes (3rd edition) and Best Canadian Cover Letters (2nd edition).
Without taking this risk, I wouldn’t have accomplished such unimaginable feats!
