Stuck In a Rut

It's been a busy week around here ... I don't know if it's something in the water, or something in the air, but all of a sudden, I've gotten three new projects yesterday from quotes I did a couple of weeks ago. Which is great ... but it certainly fits that "feast or famine" adage.

But lately, I find myself creatively challenged with the resumes. Not with the content, but with the design. Looking back to more than 15 years ago when I first started writing resumes, design wasn't a problem. I could use great fonts to help create an attractive document. But when I transitioned to a fully virtual practice in 2004, I had to make the change to providing resumes in primarily Arial, Times New Roman, and Verdana. B-O-R-I-N-G. But font compatibility and system issues meant that providing a resume in one of those boring fonts meant I could spend less time troubleshooting file problems (which I don't charge for) and more time writing (which I do charge for).

But now I'm feeling stuck in a rut. I haven't bought a new resume book in probably two years. There hasn't been a good session on resume design at a conference (at least not one I've been to) in a while .... I'm looking for inspiration. Anyone have any good recommendations for a book with some great designs using these tried-and-true fonts? I'd love to have someone write an article for a future issue of Resume Writers' Digest on this subject. If you're interested, or know of a great resource, post a comment or e-mail me at RWDigest@aol.com.

Industry Reputation Update

A job seeker posted a comment on my Sept. 2007 "Industry Reputation" thread today. It's the third one from a job seeker who found the post by Googling either "Resume Pro Writers" or "Stanford Writing Institute."

He wrote:

Wow. Thanks for posting this. I was just about to contact Resume Pro Writers when a little voice told me to Google the Stanford Writing Institute. You just saved me $125 and two weeks of aggravation. Thanks again, and good luck in your job search.

I guess I should be writing a couple of posts each month about how to choose a resume writer and other positive attributes of working with the professional resume writing community. Plus, all of you who are interested in getting more exposure should be contacting me to get profiled... a topic I'll get into more when I finally get around to writing up my impressions of the great teleseminar with branding expert Rob Frankel. (As I imagined, he had some great insights about branding both yourself as a resume writer and your clients...)

Encourage Referrals by "Sticking Around"

Encourage referrals and repeat business by making your business card a permanent fixture. You can purchase magnetic backs for business cards as well as Rolodex® tabs that adhere to the bottom of your business card. Look for both products at your local office superstore (Office Max, Staples, Office Depot).

Mail clients a magnetic-backed business card with your thank-you note after their final appointment -- or send it with their documents.

VistaPrint offers excellent, inexpensive business card printing -- including custom magnetic business cards (in quantities in as little as 10 pieces!). Use the link provided, or click on the VistaPrint ad on this blog. (VistaPrint is one of our affiliate partners, and we receive a commission on orders received through our link. Your purchases help support this blog and our bimonthly newsletter! Thanks!)

New Affiliate Program: LiveJobCoach.com Webinars

If you're a resume writer who doesn't offer job search coaching, you may be interested in the webinar series offered by Stewart, Cooper & Coon, Inc., through their LiveJobCoach.com website.

Fred Coon, LEA, JCTC, CRW, says that the company is offering a 20% referral fee to any resume writer who sends clients to LiveJobCoach.com who purchases one of the three Webinar Series programs. Call Fred at 602-385-3000 x 200 for details.