1. What led you to writing resumes? Do you have a background that made you an ideal fit for the industry?
I started writing resumes 13 years ago. Prior to that, I was in the field of accounting. During one of my tenures, I was charged with managing talent acquisition and recruiting initiatives. I reviewed a lot of resumes and interviewed tons of people to fill job openings the company had. I found that I absolutely loved resumes, hiring strategies, and working with people to help them achieve their career goals. I knew that I could make a career in the field of resume writing, career consulting, and personal branding because I excelled in this area and really enjoyed the whole process. My business and finance background coupled with my Bachelors and Masters degrees helped me to gain a solid foundation in diverse areas of business, which enabled me to specialize in expertly writing resumes for all fields. In order to personally brand someone on a resume, you as the resume writer must understand what the person does on a daily basis, their business terminology, and what hiring managers in their field require in employees. This is what helps my clients generate positive results while reducing the amount of time it takes them to land interviews and subsequent job offers.
2. How long have you been in the industry? Would you recommend it to others? Why?
Like I mentioned earlier, I have been writing resumes for 13 years now. It requires a lot of flexibility with your time because you are always working in conjunction with your clients’ time availability. When you work with multiple clients at a time, it requires you to be that much more flexible in terms of your availability to clients. I would recommend the field to other individuals that are very strong writers, goal oriented and able to flawlessly multi-task while meeting tight deadlines and client expectations. If you are not a goal oriented person that can power through external distractions with ease, then this industry is not for you. We all know the perils of working from a home office and the external distractions we all experience, but a successful resume writer does not let any of these circumstances stand in the way of giving our clients personalized attention, flexibility with our time, and most importantly flawless career documents within the established deadline.
3. What is the single best tool you recommend for building client relations? Building your business? Improve efficiency?
The single most valuable tool for building client relations and growing your business is repeat and referral business! Once you get established enough in the industry, you are allowed the opportunity to build enduring relationships with your clients that come back to you when they hit another career milestone. If you produce a high quality resume that gets your clients’ results, that makes a lasting impression on them. The next time they need to update their resume, they seek you out looking to make another investment with your company. In my career, I have authored 15,000+ resumes. This has enabled me to build up quite a large network of clients over the years!
4. If you could share one learning experience/great lesson, what would it be?
I think one of the best lessons I could teach budding resume writers out there is to anticipate what your clients will need before they verbalize to you that they need it. It is a finely honed skill that is developed over time and through years of experience. Once you get to the point that you can anticipate what clients need before they realize they need it, you know you have made it as a resume writer and career strategist.
5. Looking back, what would you have done differently? Done the same?
When I started writing resumes 13 years ago, it was an up and coming industry that not too many people were involved in at the time. There was a tremendous demand for the service, but not many companies offered it. Over the years, with the job market ups and downs, the field of resume writing has remained very consistent. Just like everyone has bills to pay and life essentials to buy, everyone also needs to work to earn a living to pay for these things. And in order to earn a living, everyone needs to have a resume to apply for jobs. The reason there is always such a high demand for resume writers is because most people don’t know how to write an effective resume that gets them interviews and lands them jobs.
6. What advice would you give someone just entering the resume-writing industry?
Get your certification before you officially enter the field of resume writing. The certification to write resumes will ensure that you have a foundation for producing quality resumes. Any individual can put together a document that shows career progression, but an educated and successful resume writer will produce top quality resumes that personally brand their clients and get them results. This is why it is important to set the bar high in terms of your resume writing standards and educational pursuits. It pays off in the long run.
7. How do you see our industry transforming over the next 12 months? 5 years? What do think resume writers need to know in order to survive?
In my personal opinion, I see the industry of resume writing continuing to thrive. Everyone needs a resume because everyone needs a job. In 5 years, I think the industry will be more saturated with transient people who think they can make a quick buck while working from home. But over time, those people will be phased out because they do not have the skill set, specialized expertise, certification, or continuing education to succeed in the industry.
Interview conducted with … Kristen Coria, CARW – Certified Resume Writer & Chief Career Strategist at Resume Innovators
Kristen Coria is a highly accomplished career strategist and resume writing expert with specialized expertise in creating resumes and advising clients on personal branding. Throughout her accomplished career, Kristen has authored 15,000+ resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, executive biographies, follow up letters, CVs, and Federal resumes for national as well as international clients at every stage including entry-level to CEO. Kristen merged her exceptional writing talents with her business acumen to become one of the industry leaders in the field of resume writing. She obtained the vastly coveted Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW) designation. She is an active member of Career Directors International. She was nominated for a Toast of the Resume Industry Award for Best Professional Resume as well as published resumes in the Resume Maker software. Kristen obtained a Master of Science in Management from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. She offers a full range of resume writing and career consulting services including resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, executive biographies, interview coaching, and job search strategies that personally brand my clients and guarantee results.
