Profile of Resume Writers - 2001-2002

For several years, I conducted an industry survey through Resume Writers' Digest. I thought you might be interested in seeing the profile of the industry back in 2001/2002.

Here are some of the survey trends I revealed in the November/December 2001 issue:

• 75% of the resume writers surveyed are self-employed
• The average resume sale ranges from $40 to nearly $6,000, with most falling in the $150 to $400 range.
• There are approximately 900 to 1300 professional resume writers, with up to 6,000 firms nationwide offering resume writing services (including companies such as Kinkos and Copymax, which offer mostly resume typesetting). [I had about 2,400 of these firms in my database at that time; as of 8/2007, I have more than 3,600.]
• The average survey respondent is a self-employed sole proprietor who works full-time (35 to 50 hours per week) from a home office. She (the respondents were overwhelmingly female), has been in business for nearly nine years.

• The top challenges faced by resume writers (according to the survey):

• Sales and Marketing Issues
• Client Management (working with difficult clients, educating clients on job search strategy, putting up with impatient clients, handling no-shows, collecting on outstanding balances)
• Managing time effectively
• Handling the "craft" of resume writing (research, creativity, proofreading, formatting issues)
• "Wearing the many hats required of a small business owner" (bookkeeping, accounting, tax compliance, etc.)

• January is generally the busiest month
• December is the least busy.
• Most survey respondents offer at least one other service --- most often career coaching (66 percent) or desktop publishing or secretarial services of some sort.

Sound like you?