How to Get Started as a Subcontract Resume Writer

 

Fifteen years. That’s how long ago I published the first edition of “Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor.” But that was probably five years after I actually started writing resumes for a contracting writer. I also wrote for CareerPerfect from to May 2004 to October 2008. But before that, I wrote for a solopreneur contracting writer. Along the way, I earned between $500 and $2500 a month from my subcontract writing.

Before, during, and after my subcontract writer phase, I also worked with my own clients. Many subcontract writers do the same. They write as a subcontractor to smooth out the peaks and valleys in their own client load and income as they build their business. Or they want to get exposure to writing for a variety of different types of clients while seeing how another writer or firm operates their business.

But with so many resume writers feeling burned out these days, there’s a third reason to subcontract: To focus on the writing instead of the marketing and business management. Sometimes, you just want to write resumes, not spend your time creating content to attract jobseekers and filling your days with talking with prospects. 

If you’re interested in learning about how to get started as a subcontract resume writer, I’ve got you covered. The 51-page “Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor” special report addresses it all.

Chapters in the special report include: 

• Who Are Subcontractors and What Draws Them In?
• Show Me The Money! (Compensation for Subcontractors)
• Client Interaction & The Information-Gathering Process
• Managing Your Business: Can You Market Yourself and Subcontract?
• Signing on to Subcontract
• Comparing Contractors: Big or Small?
• Once You’re In, How to Stay in the Contractor’s Good Graces
• Don’t Forget Legal Issues
• Other Subcontracting Opportunities
• Golden Nuggets: Benefits of Subcontracting
• Keys to Success as a Subcontractor: From a Contractor’s Perspective
• Words of Wisdom from Experienced Resume Writers
• Results of Survey of Subcontract Writers
• Red Flags When Selecting a Contracting Firm
• Making a Pitch to Subcontracting Firms (including a sample Resume/Cover Letter)
• Your Contract
• Seven Profiles of Subcontract Resume Writers

Even if you’ve never thought about subcontracting before, there might be a subcontracting opportunity that is the right fit for you right now. One way to know is to check out the 25+ listings in the Directory of Subcontract Opportunities.

Each listing includes the following information:

• Specialization (what kind of clients does the contracting writer/firm target, and what services are provided)
• Client fee (what the client pays, not what the subcontractor gets paid)
• Writer qualifications (desired/required)
• How to apply
• What spells rejection for a candidate
• Special requirements
• Turnaround time for projects
• Pay to subcontractor
• Demand weekly (# of projects)
• Client management (client contact vs. ghostwriting; also, if the contracting writer uses a CRM)
• Phone consultation? Paid extra?
• Do writers upsell?
• Revisions? (how are revisions handled; included in pay or compensated separately?)

The Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor Special Report — and the 25+ listings in the Directory of Subcontract Opportunities — are INCLUDED in Bronze membership on BeAResumeWriter.com. There are opportunities with no client contact — and some with. Some offering 1-2 projects a week … or 1-2 a month. Some that pay as little as $75 per project, but some that are $500+. Like I said, there’s something for everyone, even if you’ve never considered subcontracting before.

Join as a Bronze+ member for $27/month or as a Bronze Annual+ for $279 a year. 

You’ll get full access to the “Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor” resources, plus all the other benefits of Bronze membership:

• New done-for-you content each month (Pass-Along Materials)
• A Special Report to help you with some aspect of your bsiness or work with clients
• A Profession-Specific Career Worksheet (licensed from Evelyn Salvador), based on member votes
• Two new Content Checklists each month to help you create client-attracting content
• 30 Ready-to-Use Social Media Graphics (conversation starters, inspirational quotes, and month- and holiday-related themes)
• Discounts on Resume Writer’s University courses (including the signature “Pricing Right” course)

Learn more here.

Note: If you are a contracting writer looking to connect with subcontract writers, fill out this online form to be included in the Directory of Subcontract Opportunities.

Answering the “Tell Me About Yourself" Question (Creating Your Elevator Pitch)

“Tell me about yourself,” the interviewer says.

“So, what do you do?” asks the person you just met at a networking get-together.

You find yourself on an elevator with a person you’ve wanted to meet. What do you say?

 

Be ready to say something! It’s smart to prepare a brief summary of your background and experience. Often called an “elevator pitch” — because it should be short enough to give during an elevator ride — there are many situations when a short, pre-prepared introduction (no more than 30 seconds) will come in handy.

This type of introduction can be used:

• When networking
• In a job search
• On career documents (in the cover letter, for example)
• In job interviews
• When a stranger strikes up a conversation with you in line at the grocery store
• To request an informational interview

You have probably heard the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So how do you provide a brief, concise introduction of yourself? 

I’ve created a simple 5-page guide to give jobseekers five easy formulas to choose from to help them create a succinct, memorable introduction — no matter their profession or the circumstances that they’re using the introduction.

 

An effective introduction should answer four questions:

• Who are you? (education, work experience, skills, specialization)
• What do you do?
• What sets you apart?
• Where do you want to go from here?

The guide includes five specific formulas to choose from. Jobseekers can pick the one that helps them create the best introduction to describe themselves and for the specific situation they are using it in. It includes lots of specific examples, plus eight tips for creating an effective introduction.

Purchase the guide here.

(Note: Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com, this is INCLUDED with your membership until March 31, 2022.)

This is Pass-Along Materials content, so this is content you can re-brand and/or re-work to use with your clients. Put your name on it. Publish it on your website, give it to clients as a bonus with their purchase of a job search package, or use it as an opt-in to gather names for your email list. (See the license below for what you can — and can’t — do with the content.)

Pass-Along Materials License:

[YES] Can edit, take apart, add to, or use/sell as is

[YES] Can be bundled with other products and/or content

[YES] Can be offered as a bonus

[YES] Can be used to create audio/video products

[YES] Can give them to affiliates to publish to promote your products/services

[YES] Can be used for opt-in bonuses (newsletter signups, etc.)

[YES] Can claim full ownership

[YES] Can alter e-cover graphics (if supplied)

[YES] Can publish as web content (except on free article directories)

[YES] Can be added to your own free membership site for job seekers

[MAYBE] Can be added to paid membership sites (if approved  — contact Bridget for approval)

[NO] Can submit to free article directories
[NO] Can sell on the Kindle platform (Amazon.com)
[NO] Can use as content for a LinkedIn Published post (unless stated in description)
[NO] Can sell resell or master resell rights (You can use these with your clients,

but you can’t pass the materials on to other resume writers for their use,

or sell the content to other resume writers for use with their clients.)