Keys to Success in the Careers Industry

I'm working on a mentoring group for new resume writers (those with fewer than 18 months in business -- if you're interested in joining, contact me). One of the common refrains is how difficult it is to get started -- or, once started, to make a decent income.

I've identified a couple of keys for success. In my opinion, these are:

** Your business skills. There is a fairly significant ramp-up period before you'll begin to generate steady income, so your ability to control expenses while increasing your profile (i.e., advertising investment) is critical. Cash flow will be the key in the first six months.

** Your marketing and sales abilities. Simply put: If you're not comfortable selling yourself, this is not the business for you. At least initially, you ARE your business. You are asking strangers to tell you everything about themselves. You're asking them (in many cases) to disclose their income. If you can't build credibility with prospects, you won't have customers. If you can't build relationships with prospective referral sources, you'll struggle ... because frankly, early on you'll get most of your clients from personal relationships or referrals, not from your website or any advertising you do.

** Persistence. Every business owner on here will tell you that they ran into roadblocks as they worked to launch their careers industry business. It could be technical things -- computer or software issues, an equipment malfunction -- or cash flow problems (investing in your startup with no promise of immediate revenues) or even overcoming your own hesitations about running your own business (that one usually comes with the filing of your first tax return -- or paying your first estimated tax payment -- if you've never been self-employed before).

An Interview with Syndee Feuer

Recently, as part of my research for an upcoming Resume Writers' Digest special report "Your First Year in Business," I had the opportunity to talk with resume writer and career coach Syndee Feuer, of Career Tactics, LLC in Jupiter, FL, serving the south Florida market primarily. Syndee spent 28 years in corporate America, working most recently as a Senior Global Training Director for Convergys, overseeing call centers around the world. When her position was eliminated, she decided to go into business for herself, and opened her business in October 2006, although she says she wasn't officially "launched" until June 2007;.

Like most new resume writers, Syndee is finding attracting clients to be the most difficult part of the start-up. We talked about several marketing tools she is using, or has available to her. In particular, I was interested in Syndee's website, since this is an important marketing tool for new resume writers.

RWD: How did you decide what you wanted your website to look like?

Syndee: I had been to many websites that suffered from "information overload." The website has to catch your eye. I read a lot of different websites, and decided on a minimalist approach. I found a local web designer and gave her some content. She's not just a website designer; she also has an eye for marketing.

RWD: What were some of her suggestions?

Syndee: She suggested I use my picture on the website, since resume writing is very personal -- it's a very personal service. It took me six months before I did it. Initially, I had the four apples on the home page (see below); she suggested changing it around. She wanted the site to be visual and textual.

RWD: How long did it take you to get the website completed?

Syndee: It took about two months -- much longer than I anticipated -- to get it up and running. And, of course, I continue to work on it.

RWD: Do you use paid search?

Syndee: No, I work to keep my site active in natural search. If you type in "Resume Writing South Florida," (without the quote marks) on Google, my site is in the top five natural responses.

You'll be able to read more about Syndee's marketing tactics in the "Your First Year in Business" special report.