Setting Yourself Apart From the "Competition"

Are you just "another resume writer"? Of course not! In your marketing efforts, you must demonstrate to clients the VALUE you offer to them. What makes you different and what makes you stand out from everyone else? (This applies whether you are targeting a local market, or clients across the nation.)

Areas of differentiation can include:

• Certification (value = expertise)

• Experience in the field (value = you know their industry; you speak their language)

• Accessibility -- easy to work with, hours that work for them, credit card acceptance, etc. (value = convenience)

• 1-on-1 In-depth interviews instead of forms (value = personal interaction and total customization)

• Affiliation (i.e., memberships in professional organizations). (value = current knowledge of trends and techniques in career management).

Answer this question:
"UNLIKE OTHER PEOPLE, I …"

Then you'll get people who say, "Call _x_ -- she does exactly what you need."

Role: Resume Writer? Cheerleader? Validator? Coach? Interviewer?

The answer is: "All of the above."

To be a good resume writer, you "must":

1. Be a good researcher / interviewer / listener

2. Have knowledge of journalism / writing principles.

3. Have "advertising" knowledge -- what makes people (employers) buy? What do I need to know to "sell" my clients to prospective employers?

4. Demonstrate Sales Skills / Customer Service Abilities. If you can't sell, you won't have anyone to write for. If you can't keep them happy, you won't have referrals or repeat business.

5. Utilize Time Management Skills. In order to make enough money to succeed, you need to write relatively fast and write relatively well. Being able to prioritize your time to manage your business (billing, invoicing, paying the bills), generate clients (advertising, marketing, referral relationship building), and write resumes is critical.

Where Are the Resume Writers Going?

I know the resume writing industry has a lot of turnover, but c'mon!

I recently sent out a mailing (snail mail -- a postcard, in fact) to 50 resume writers. Within the last week, four of the postcards have been returned as "Not Deliverable as Addressed." The problem isn't the mailing list; it's that these businesses no longer exist. That's 10% of them!

I sent out an e-mail to 300 new contacts (added in the last year), and had more than 30 returned e-mails (granted, some of them were changes in e-mail address), but a couple were practitioners who "no longer practiced."

Is it the nature of the industry, that it's easy to get into, and just as easy to leave? I've talked to colleagues (some who had been in the business a long time, mind you) who got out to take full-time jobs, or to focus on a different kind of writing (technical writing, or magazine article writing). I know it can be difficult to make money, especially in the beginning.

A colleague of mine and I have been trying for the past couple of years to get more new resume writers involved in the business locally. There are more clients than we can handle, and it would be nice to be able to refer them to someone good. We found someone who fit that description in Lincoln (hi, Angie!), but no luck so far in Omaha. Interested in moving to the biggest city in Nebraska?

If Everyone is a Prospective Client...

... Should you just start calling names in the phone book?

Of course not. You need to target your clientele a little more specifically.

Who do you PREFER to work with?
• Unemployed?
• Currently employed seeking better jobs?
• First job (i.e., students?)
• Returning to workforce?
• "Underemployed"

Young? Old? Specific professions?

Once you've identified your target audience, you can figure out how to reach them.