10 Tips for Starting a Successful Resume Writing Business
Are you an expert in resumes and cover letters? If so, why not turn your skills into a business by starting your own resume writing business? Resume writing can be a difficult skill to master, but once you do it becomes easy to generate clients and leads. Follow these 10 tips as you start your own resume writing business and you’ll be on your way to success!
1) Network, Network, Network
Don’t overlook your personal network when looking to start a new business. If you don’t have contacts that may be able to benefit your business, reach out to them and ask if they know someone who can help. Also, look into networking events in your area where you can meet other professionals. The more people who know about your business, the more likely they are to refer clients or candidates. You never know what opportunities may arise from networking!
2) Know your resume format
Resumes are formatted differently in different industries, so be sure to do your research before putting pen to paper. In most cases, resumes can be one- or two-pages long and should include an address, phone number and email address. Cover letters may also be required; they should generally be a single page long and kept succinct. Most importantly, your resume needs to showcase what you can do for your employer—don’t just regurgitate facts about yourself.
3) Avoid these mistakes in your CV
A great resume is supposed to help you land an interview, but that’s not always what happens. Often, recruiters will look at your credentials and be turned off by some flaw or mistake. Here are ten common errors to avoid in your CV When writing a resume, make sure it’s clear who you are: One of the most important things about resumes is making sure that your experience matches up with the job description. If there’s even one discrepancy between what you say you can do and what they want done, then it’ll likely be ignored. You need to show them why hiring you would benefit them more than anyone else applying for the position.
4) The most profitable industries
People who work in finance or accounting; marketing, advertising and public relations professionals; people who work in medical-related fields like nursing and hospital administration. These are areas where employers are typically willing to pay higher rates because they know it can be hard to find qualified employees. So, if you’re working on building your resume writing business, focus on industries that will likely yield higher salaries and more profit. You should also make sure you understand what types of clients you want to target before jumping into anything else. A good place to start is by asking yourself: What do I want my ideal client to look like? This question may seem daunting at first, but don’t stress—it doesn’t have to be perfect! Just get an idea of what type of job seeker (and their skills) would hire someone like you for their professional services.
5) Get testimonials
Getting testimonials from happy clients can help you generate more business. If your customers are satisfied with your work, encourage them to leave a short testimonial on your website. After all, word-of-mouth advertising is one of your best forms of marketing. You can also ask customers to submit testimonials to you directly, either by email or in person; then compile those into a single PDF and make it available online.
6) Getting the word out there
Getting customers isn’t easy, but if you do it right, you’ll be successful. You need to know where to focus your marketing efforts and how to use promotional strategies like social media and search engine optimization (SEO). If you have an existing business or service, make sure it’s easy for people to find you on Google.
7) Use the right keywords on LinkedIn
Most people have a long, detailed LinkedIn profile. And that’s fine—you don’t need to fill out every single field. But, it is important to make sure your title, summary and education section are filled out correctly. For example, when you type Resume Writer in your occupation field on LinkedIn and press enter, it will autofill into your summary section of your profile.
8) How to handle a tough client relationship
Building strong relationships with clients is one of the best ways to ensure continued business. But if you find that client relationships are dwindling, it’s probably because they feel they can no longer trust you and your work. When it comes to cultivating these types of relationships, there are many things that should be considered, especially on your end—but we’ll get to those in a minute. The first thing to do when someone stops trusting you is make sure that you aren’t doing anything wrong. If everything checks out, then you need to determine why they have lost their trust in you. It could be something as simple as not responding quickly enough or as complex as providing bad service. Whatever it may be, think about how you can improve so that your relationship doesn’t suffer any further damage. If all else fails, then perhaps it’s time to reevaluate whether or not you want to continue working with them at all (if possible).
9) Key resources to know
The Association of Professional Resume Writers (APRW) sets industry standards by establishing and enforcing standards of ethics, business practices, continuing education and professional development. Check out their free guide on starting your own resume writing business to learn more about entry fees, licensure and more. If you’re just getting started, there are also plenty of other resources available online to help you understand how to start a resume writing business. You can also check out our detailed post here: How To Start A Resume Writing Business – Step-By-Step Guide
A good place to start is by reaching out directly to local businesses in your area and asking if they would be interested in hiring someone who can help them attract top talent with custom resumes that highlight what makes them stand apart from competitors.
10) Common sense rules
If you’re starting your own business and hoping to get some return on your investment, be sure to consider how much time you want to invest in your business, as well as how much risk you’re willing to take. If you have plenty of time and little money, starting out with a part-time business is an excellent way to keep things simple. It also means that if things don’t work out—and they often don’t—you won’t lose too much money or too many resources. Just remember that it can be difficult to maintain multiple jobs at once, so if you plan on working full-time elsewhere while running your business part-time, make sure that your other job doesn’t require too many hours or too much energy.