Why Are You Quoting Me More For My Resume Than (This Other Company)?

Every so often, I provide a quote for a resume to a prospective clients, and the client comes back and asks why my quote is so much higher than another firm they've contacted. Or, when I follow up with them, they tell me that they've chosen a lower-priced provider.

Here's what I write back:

I'm glad you found someone to assist you with your resume update!

As you might imagine, with more than 4,000 resume writers worldwide, fees very considerably. In fact, I've done quite a bit of research on this topic as the editor of a trade magazine for resume writers. While it's true you might find someone competent who will charge very little for their services, the majority of professional resume writers -- that is, individuals who do this for a living -- invest quite a bit of time and money in keeping abreast of the latest trends in resume writing (especially about things like keyword summaries for companies who use applicant tracking systems). The national average for a resume is $478, according to my latest research.

You'll also find a wide variety of credentials among professionals. As a member of three national professional resume writing associations, and as a Certified Professional Resume Writer with a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations, I have more than 17 years of experience writing interview-winning resumes. My clients rely on my expertise to get them an interview in a highly competitive job market. 

For example, I had a client recently who paid around $400 for his new resume and cover letter -- but he landed six interview from 10 resumes he sent out, and ended up accepting a new position that will pay him $25,000 more than his current position, with the potential for $15,000 more in bonus. In essence, his $400 investment landed him a 30% raise. His situation isn't typical, but many of my clients have landed more modest increases -- along the lines of $8,000-$10,000 -- through development of an accomplishment-focused resume that helps them not only get the interview, but helps the interviewer establish the areas of value that he/she can bring to the company -- by saving money, saving time, attracting new clients, etc.

I share this information with you not to impress upon you the results I've achieved with my clients, but to let you know that your investment in your career can make a big difference over time. Finding a job faster (being out of work for a shorter period of time), being able to quantify why you're worth a $3,000 higher salary than you were initially offered … these are things that an effective resume can do for you.

I hope that you are able to achieve the results that you are seeing from the service provider that you selected. Good luck in your job search!

Bridget (Weide) Brooks, CPRW
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Image Building Communications
402-393-4600

Profile of an "Average" Resume Writer: 2012

Based on the information compiled from the 2012 Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey, here is the profile of the “average” resume writer:

She (the majority of resume writers are female) is in her 50s, and has been writing resumes for 10 years as a self-employed resume writer. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and is a member of both the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC) and the National Resume Writer’s Association (NRWA).

Our average resume writer works from home almost exclusively. She spends 25-30 hours a week writing, and another 15-20 hours a week on administrative and marketing activities. She writes 2-3 new resumes a week, and works on 1-2 updates weekly. Her average package — for which she charges $300 — includes a resume, cover letter, and references page.

Lately, she has added LinkedIn profile development to her service offerings, and she charges her existing resume clients an additional $129 for that. (She has just started getting serious about LinkedIn herself in the last 12 months, updating her own profile, joining a couple of LinkedIn Groups for resume writers, and attending a LinkedIn training webinar to learn more about how to use it.)

She collects payment upfront and uses a combination of a questionnaire followed by a brief phone consultation to gather information from the client.

Her biggest frustrations revolve around marketing her services (especially finding clients who are willing to pay the rates she is charging without too much push-back) and figuring out how Applicant Tracking Systems technology affects the resumes she writes.

As for income, she brings in gross revenues of $3,800-$4,600 each month, and she nets around $44,500 a year after taxes.

Information compiled/analyzed by Résumé Writers’ Digest/BeAResumeWriter.com

© 2013–2014 | Bridget (Weide) Brooks for Image Building Communications

http://www.rwdigest.com

http://www.bearesumewriter.com

2012 Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey

The Résumé Writers’ Digest Annual Industry Survey is an opportunity for résumé writers to benchmark their progress compared to their peers. The survey was first conducted in 2001.

The 2012 Résumé Writers’ Digest Annual Industry Survey was conducted from February 2013 into March 2013 and the results were first reported in September 2013. One hundred seventy-eight résumé writers contributed to the survey data. They spent an average of 10 minutes answering 20 questions in the survey.

The information in this blog post was excerpted from the "Profile of Professional Resume Writers: Who We Are, What We Charge, How We Work" report published in September 2014, outlining the results of the 2012 survey.

The respondents can be categorized as follows:

Eighty-two percent of survey respondents are self-employed résumé writers. Almost 20 percent of those folks also write as subcontract résumé writers.

The survey respondents are not “newbies.” More than 80 percent of those responding have been writing résumés for more than six years. Almost a fourth of survey respondents have been writing résumés for 11-15 years. Only 10 percent of survey respondents have been in business for fewer than two years.

The pricing data reflects the “veteran” nature of survey respondents. Generally, résumé writers who have been in business the longest charge the most. (Those who don’t charge enough to support themselves in their résumé writing business generally leave the industry.)

Services

The survey revealed that participants write an average of three résumés a week — the same as in 2011. Writer reported spending an average of 24 hours a week on résumé development (including client consultations, research, writing, and finalization).

The busiest month, according to the survey, is January, followed by February and September.

Let’s Talk Pricing

The most common hourly rate cited was $75 in this year’s survey, compared to $50 per hour in 2010 and 2011. The hourly average this year is $90.87, an increase from $83 an hour average in 2011.

The average reported price for a résumé and cover letter in 2012’s survey is $478, down slightly from 2011’s figure of $511. The most frequently cited amount charged for a résumé and cover letter was $300.

Certification and Training

Most résumé writers surveyed are a member of at least one professional association. Memberships included:

• The National Résumé Writer’s Association – 15%

• Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches – 14%

• BeAResumeWriter.com – 13%

• Career Directors International – 11%

• Career Thought Leaders – 8%

• Resume Writing Academy – 6%

• JibberJobber.com – 4%

• The Academies – 4%

Note: No survey was compiled in 2013. The 2014 report details the results of the 2012 Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey. The survey is a voluntary report from participating resume writers and is not considered statistically valid.

How Much Do Resume Writers Charge?

I received this question via email yesterday from a career professional:

"Bridget, do you have any information -- or from your own experience -- about the average price charged by resume writers? I think in one of your programs you mentioned something like $500? I think this is probably high. I have been looking at some websites, and they charge $179-$199 for a professional resume. $500 probably is for a resume writer who is well known in the industry. Can you forward me pricing information? Thanks."

Here's my response:

I do have current statistics on pricing for resume writing services in the U.S. 
The figures for an average resume and cover letter have been pretty steady for the last 3 years -- around $500. The average number of resumes written by professional resume writers is 2-4 per week, according to the 2011 survey data.

• 29% of resume writers charge $100-$299 for a resume and cover letter
• 35% charge $300-$499
• 12% charge $500-$699

"Resume mills" -- with multiple writers -- tend to charge less than a single writer web site. 
Certified writers generally charge more than non-certified writers. Resume writers who charge more than $1,000 per project tend not to put their prices on their website -- they quote client projects individually.

I pulled up five random websites from thenrwa.com for illustration:
-- http://www.WriteStepResumes.com/Services.html (Alabama) - $199 to $399
-- http://www.awriteresume.com/services.htm (Arizona) - $299 to $1199
-- http://www.eischensresume.com/services (California) - $200 to $750
-- http://www.Career3D.com/services.html (Colorado) - $297 (resume re-write)
-- http://www.srbcg.com/reacutesumeacute.html (Connecticut) - $299+

All are substantially above the $179-$199 rate ... but again, none of these are "resume mills."

Here is a profile of the "average" resume writer -- 
excerpted from the "Profile of a Professional Resume Writer" special report, which you can get free here by putting in your name and email address. (Offer is for professional resume writers and career coaches -- not for jobseekers, please!)

Get the Profile of Professional Resume Writers Report Here

Profile of the "Average" Resume Writer
Based on the survey information collected, here is the profile of the "average" resume writer:

She is a female in her mid-50s, a self-employed resume writer who has been writing for 11-15 years. She is certified as a resume writer who belongs to one professional association (either the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC) or Career Directors International (CDI).

Our average resume writer works from a home office primarily, but occasionally meets with clients in person -- usually in a public place, like a coffee shop (not a separate business office). She spends 24 hours a week writing, and another 15-20 hours a week on administrative and marketing activities. She writes 2-4 resumes each week, and her average package - for which she charges $350 - includes a resume, cover letter, and references document. She collects the full payment upfront for her work and uses a combination of a questionnaire and phone interview/phone consultation to gather information from the client.

As for income, she brings in gross revenues of $3,600-$5,600 each month, and she nets around $55,200 per year after taxes.

Although she has her own profile on LinkedIn, she's not actively soliciting clients on LinkedIn, nor does she do very many LinkedIn profile development/overhaul projects -- primarily because she's unsure of how to market this service and what to charge. She gets most of her clients from her website or referrals. She has a personal Facebook account, but not a Facebook Business Page (if she does have a Facebook page for her business, it has fewer than 100 "Likes" or "fans.") She doesn't have a Twitter account, or if she does, she's not using it very often.

When it comes to keeping up with trends and information in the industry, she relies on her professional association, resume books, and teleseminars (mostly free, but 1-2 paid ones a year) for information. She doesn't attend professional conferences (either in-person, or virtual ones).

Her biggest frustrations revolve around getting new clients (especially educating them about the value of a professionally written resume), and the hassles of being self-employed (recordkeeping and taxes, managing the processes and paperwork associated with client management, and having to wear "all the hats, all the time"). She's not in this just for the paycheck -- she'll often spend an average of an hour of her time with her clients to help them with other aspects of their job search (answering their questions about job searching or preparing for the interview), and won't charge them extra for this assistance. She loves the work that she does, especially when clients let her know her work has helped them land their dream job.

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Notice that the "average" resume writer charges $350 for a resume and cover letter, but the survey data found that $500 is the "average" across all survey respondents. In profiling the "typical" resume writer, I used the most commonly provided answers, not the "average" calculated. Note too that the survey is based on self-reported responses. 

Want to learn more about who resume writers are, and what we charge? If you're a resume writer, career coach --  or are interested in becoming one -- enter your name and email address in this form and you'll immediately receive access to the "Profile of Professional Resume Writers" special report, and emails with resources that will help you become more effective in your work and in your work with clients.

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