Establishing Good Business Practices

Okay, so you might be wondering how managing your business correctly is going to improve the speed of your resume writing, but you’d be surprised at how inefficiency in one area leads to delays in others.

Here are some things to think about.

1. Resume writing is more than just writing resumes.

This might sound confusing, but it’s really not. A lot more goes into creating a resume than just creating the actual resume.

You have to gather the information you need.

You have to review the information.

You have to write the documents.

And then you have to handle any issues that come up with the client after you deliver the order.

A delay or problem at any stage of this process means that you’re spending more time on that order than you should, which in turn leaves less time in the day for your other clients.

If you want to have more time in the workday to write resumes, you need to do anything you can to minimize how much time you spend on each resume. This isn’t as hard as it sounds. We’ve already talked about using a worksheet to make sure you get all the information you need the first time around. The next step is writing the resume. The object is to deliver a document that accurately summarizes the client’s background and achievements and contains no typos or mistakes. Although it might seem counterproductive, you can save a lot of time in the long run by not trying to write too fast, and by remembering to proofread all documents before you send them to a client. A few extra minutes spent before sending out the resume will save a lot more time later on when the client has few or no revisions to make.

2. Create an efficient office.

Nothing is worse than when something going wrong in the office causes delays in your workday. Of course, some setbacks are unavoidable.

Printers break down, power outages occur, family crises happen.

But there are plenty of lesser work stoppages that can be avoided with a little forethought.

For instance, sooner or later every printer runs out of ink or toner. And if you don’t have a spare cartridge on hand, you could be looking at a major disruption of your day.

A good rule of thumb is to always have 2 or 3 spares on hand so that you can quickly change them out and continue with your work.

Another efficiency black hole is losing paperwork.

During a busy day desks and tables tend to get cluttered, especially if you’re working on more than one project at a time (I’m often bouncing between clients, working on my website, and writing e-books like the one you’re reading right now).

Take a little time to keep things in order and then you won’t find yourself going crazy trying to find something when you need it, like when a client calls to discuss a resume.

In the same vein, keeping your files in order on your computer (and backing them all up regularly) is going to save you a lot of time in the long run.

3. Eliminate distractions.

The majority of resume writers work from a home office.

The problem with that is homes are filled with potential distractions.

Cooking. Cleaning. Phone calls or visits from friends and family. Deliveries. Pets. Errands. The television. Setting up a schedule and sticking to it – No television until after three o’clock. No Facebook until all my orders are finished. – will help you stay on track and get your work done in a timely fashion.

In fact, you might be surprised how quickly you finish your work for the day when you stay focused on nothing except work!