Resume Writer, Career Coach, Recruiter, Executive Agent?

There are many types of professionals in the careers industry. While there can be some overlap, I thought it would be useful to clarify the jobs and roles of each professional.

Resume writers generally work for individual clients and are paid by the client to develop (and sometimes distribute) their job search documents. Resume writers may refer clients to recruiters, and may be paid a "finder's fee" for those clients, if they are placed. Resume writers may provide career coaching (either paid or unpaid). Some resume writers also do recruiting, although most do it in a "staffing agency" capacity, not as a "recruiter" per se.

Career coaches may also write resumes, although there is a definite subset of the profession that believes the client should write his/her own resume, and the coach will help "guide" them in this process. Very few career coaches that I know of function as either recruiters or executive agents.

Recruiters, in the traditional model, are paid by employers to find candidates to fill job openings. Some recruiters (also sometimes called "headhunters") will not accept unsolicited resumes from candidates; it is a "badge of honor" for some top-level recruiters to source the really-hard-to-find-candidates -- and these recruiters will find you; you don't find them. Some recruiters will work with resume writers; others see no need for resume writers ("we have our own format we use"). Most legitimate "recruiters" will not charge the candidate a fee; instead, they are paid by the employer.

The Executive Agent is the newest type of careers professional. Modeled on the professional sports agent, or entertainment industry agent, these individuals are paid by the job seeker (often a fee of $1000-$5000). The best known in the careers industry is Debra Feldman, although it could be argued that any of the top careers professionals that offer comprehensive resume writing/career coaching/job search assistance/resume distribution services fall into this category. The Executive Agent is not to be confused with the Bernard Haldane model, where job seekers pay a large fee to gain "exclusive access to the hidden job market." Instead, the Executive Agent model is much more proactive and directed, and relies heavily on the agent's network of contacts.

I wanted to define these different roles because of a question on one of the professional association listservs about the Top Gun Executive Group. From the website description, it appears the owner, Craig Chrest, is an Executive Agent, although he calls himself a recruiter. It's unclear from the site whether he also collects a fee from the hiring employer, which would put him in a sort of "dual agency" model.

In the same way that recruiters are sometimes dismissive of the services of resume writers and career coaches ("If the job seeker was any good, they wouldn't need someone to write their resume; we'd find them on our own"), resume writers (and career coaches) have to be careful not to be too dismissive of "executive agents" just because they charge clients a lot of money.

However, I foresee a time in the future when Executive Agents will be compensated like sports agents or entertainment agents ... with a percentage of the client's salary (similar to how recruiters are currently paid). Except, instead of the employer paying, it will be the job searcher. I'm not sure if the sports/entertainment industry standard of 15% will fly in this instance, but Executive Agents can expect to be well compensated for the role they make in helping highly compensated professionals and executives effectively find their next job.

A Quick Note on Closing Your Business

I received a note back today from a resume writer who recently retired. I asked her whether she had tried to sell her business, instead of just closing it, and she was kind enough to respond back to me, and provide this tip for resume writers too:

"It's practically impossible to sell. Or at least I found it impossible. So I just closed it up. In Rhode Island, there's only one other person who really made a difference in the resume writing market, and she figured she'd get people from me simply because I wasn't there, so she turned [the opportunity to buy the business) down.

However, if you're signed up for umpteen months in the Yellow Pages, they have an "Out of Business" office that will allow you not to pay for the remainder of the year if you can prove that you've cut off your phone and are actually no longer in business. It took me a long time to find this out, so I'm passing it on to you."

I believe that it is possible to sell your business, and this is a topic that I will be exploring in the future. If you have insight into the matter, e-mail me! (rwdigest@aol.com).

Surveying Your Clients

Today, I will respond to a reader question.

Q. Do you have a possible list of survey questions for me to send to my clients? I would like to get feedback about my business and what improvements I can make. Occasionally, a client sends me kudos, but I would like more specifics.
– S.F.

Bridget's Answer:

Surveying your clients can be a great way to not only collect testimonials, but also find out how the client's job search is going and identify opportunities for additional services you can provide.

I typically use two surveys with my clients: a "How Did We Do?" one initially, and a "How Are You Doing" as a follow-up 2-3 weeks later. I send them both by "snail mail," although you could certainly use an online survey program if you wanted to. Links to download the surveys in Microsoft Word form at below each survey.

How Did We Do? Survey
~ Please complete and return this brief survey and let us know! ~

We recently provided resume services to you. How did we do?
(Rate on a three-point scale from "Satisfied" to "Dissatisfied")

1. I was able to schedule an appointment when I wanted to...
2. Personal attention was paid to my needs
3. I feel my documents accurately reflect my skills, qualifications and accomplishments
4. I feel my documents will do a good job of "selling me" to a prospective employer

What have you done with the resumes?
What have you done with your resumes? (Specific mailings? Apply for jobs online? Passing resumes out to friends, networking contacts?) [I leave several lines]

VALUE
What do you think of your investment in your personal marketing documents?
Value for the money invested: __ Excellent __ Good __ Fair __ Poor

ADDITIONAL SERVICES
I would be interested in the following additional services:
(please note: there is an additional fee for these services)
Resume distribution to: __ Recruiters __ Targeted Employers __ Venture Capitalists

FRIENDS & FAMILY
Would you recommend us to friends/family/co-workers? __ Yes __ No __ I already have!

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL OTHERS ABOUT US? (We need your testimonials!)
[I leave several lines]

_ You have my permission to use my testimonial (names will be disguised, i.e., "Angela B., Omaha" unless you give us permission to use your full name.)

COMMENTS
[I leave several lines]

Use the enclosed postage-paid return envelope or mail to:
Image Building Communications • PO Box 241621, Omaha, NE 68124-5621

===================================================================
Download the "How Did We Do?" survey at http://www.buildimage.com/IBCFirstSurvey.doc
===================================================================

How Are You Doing? Survey
~ Please complete and return this brief survey and let us know! ~

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE RESUMES?
Specific mailings? Responded to any ads? (Where did you find the ad? Which company was it for?) Apply for any jobs online? (Which web sites did you use? Which companies did you apply at?) Did you pass any resumes out to friends, networking contacts?
[I leave several lines]

RESULTS
What has been the result of the resume services you received (what kind of response have you received -- phone calls, letters, interviews, etc.)??
[I leave several lines]

INTERVIEWS
Have you been on any interviews? __ Yes _ No

What has been the results of these interviews? (Second interviews, job offers?)
[I leave several lines]

COMMENTS
[I leave several lines]

Use the enclosed postage-paid return envelope or mail to:
Image Building Communications • PO Box 241621, Omaha, NE 68124-5621

===================================================================
Download the "How Are You Doing?" survey at http://www.buildimage.com/IBCSecondSurvey.doc
===================================================================

Industry Survey 2004

As I collect the results of the 2007 Industry Survey, I've been sharing results from previous years' surveys. Here's an excerpt of the article announcing the results of the 2004 Industry Survey:

Being a professional resume writer isn't getting any easier.

Thanks to the Internet, individuals seeking the services of a resume writer now have thousands of choices instead of a dozen or fewer firms found in the local Yellow Pages.

Self-employed resume writers find increased challenge -- or opportunity -- in the leveling of the marketplace. Some establish very specific niches and are able to attract a following from a highly targeted audience. Others compete on price, offering the "low overhead" of country living as an alternative to their more urban counterparts.

Many issues identified in the survey are constant from year to year -- the difficult "mechanics of formatting attention-getting resumes," isolation and the challenge of educating clients on job search strategy or resume pricing. Marketing -- getting clients -- remains a top priority, as the balance between writing and marketing shifts more towards the administrative, and away from the creative.

Is it enough to make the resume writer hang up her pen? Or will she find a way to win over those new clients?

According to the survey, the "average" writer produces four resumes per week, at an average cost of $250. That's $4,000 per month in revenue -- before accounting for marketing expenses, taxes, equipment and supplies, phone and Internet connections, or personal benefits. Even when that income is supplemented with updates and other services (career coaching, career testing, desktop publishing, etc.), the typical resume writer, after taxes, probably nets around $30,000.

They're more connected to colleagues online, but less connected to clients in person. Seventy-five percent of resume writers in our survey work from home. While a large number of them see clients in person at least some of the time (83%), the number of resume writers who report they only work with clients by phone, fax, and/or Internet has increased to 21%. (It was 14% in 2003, and 15% in 2004.)

Without the in-person appointments, virtual resume writers must work harder to connect -- with each other, with their community, and with clients (both actual and potential).

The average resume writer:
So who is the typical resume writer, and what can we learn about the resume writing industry from this survey?

She (respondents are overwhelmingly female) is in her late 40s or early 50s and is self-employed full-time. She has been writing resumes, on average, for 12 years. She works from home and sees clients in person or works with them virtually (by phone, fax, or Internet).

More likely than not, she's certified as a resume writer, but also offers job search coaching (but is not certified as a coach). She writes approximately 17 hours per week (including client consultations, research, and writing), and is a member of two or more professional organizations for resume writing.

-- Source: January/February 2005 Resume Writers' Digest newsletter

Want to compare these results to previous years? See the 2003 survey results and 2001 and 2002 survey results.