Marketing Your Resume Writing Business

A steady stream of new clients ensures the success of your resume writing business. But how do you get new clients? How do you get your phone to ring?

There is no secret formula or magic bullet in marketing your business. The key to success is to select a few, simple, effective tactics and do them consistently.

One common mistake is to think that advertising and marketing are the same thing. They are not. Advertising will get you results, but it is not as effective as marketing your services.

In order to build your career services practice, you need to cultivate relationships -- with prospective clients, new clients, and referral sources (other resume writers, members of the media, career and life coaches, real estate agents, human resources professionals, etc.).

Tell people what you do -- over and over again. And get your message to the same people over and over again -- because consistency creates familiarity.

People do business with people they know, like, and trust.

And don't wait until things slow down before you market! It is better to be overbooked. You want to consistently cultivate a pipeline of prospective clients.

For more of this article, purchase the Spring 2009 issue of Resume Writers' Digest ($3).

Helping Clients Use Their Network

A few weeks ago, I wrote about The Power of Who, a book about networking. (It's unique take: You already know everyone you need to know).

It reminded me of a story that I told in the Summer 2009 issue of Resume Writers' Digest, in my "From the Editor" column. I wrote about a friend of mine who was seeking a transportation job. One of the first discussions I had with him was about his network -- and, in particular, their importance in helping lead him to a new job. He had already started networking with some folks in his church, but I reminded him to contact his past co-workers (some of whom had been let go in a previous round of layoffs).

After a few weeks of searching, he was stuck. So I put out a message to some of my connections about what he was looking for. Within a day, I received a call from a mutual friend of ours who worked in a shipping department of a large manufacturer in a town about an hour away. He had a lead for a transportation company that was possibly going to be hiring a new manager, in my client's town. So I called my client and put him in contact with our mutual friend.

This was were it got interesting: My client mentioned that he had a former co-worker that worked at the target company, but that he hadn't talked to him in a few years. I was stunned. Obviously, our discussion about contacting past co-workers had fallen on deaf ears ... because this was the kind of opportunity he should have found out about from his former co-worker.

This should be a reminder to us as resume writers: You can lead a client to his or her network, but you can't make him or her use it!

Pharmaceutical Sales Careers

Came across this great post by Kathy Hansen's husband, Randall, and it reminded me of a book that I used to recommend to my clients looking for a pharmaceutical sales job. Unfortunately, the book is now out of print. (The last edition of it was published in 2008.)

Then, I learned about Teena Rose's book, "Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales."

Teena's book picks up where the Insider's Guide to the World of Pharmaceutical Sales left off, offering resume and job search tips for breaking into the industry, including a list of pharmaceutical companies, job banks, and forums. It also offers STAR interview tips, geared specifically towards the pharmaceutical industry.

Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales: The perfect book to help your clients and a job in pharmaceutical sales. The book author knows what she's talking about because she possesses a long history of getting jobseekers into the field! (And because she's a resume writer, you'll find the advice she gives on resume and cover letter development is consistent with industry standards. This is a great resource for your clients -- and it's just $29.95.


If, as Randall says, it's even harder than ever to break into the competitive world of pharmaceutical sales, you need to help your clients by giving them every advantage. 

WSJ Tackles "How to Choose a Resume Writer"

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal digital edition had an article, "Hiring a Resume Writer? Ask These Questions First." I was alerted to this by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, who wrote an eloquent blog post of her own in response to the article, "Selecting a Resume Writer: Trust Your Intuition." (You should also read Julie Walraven's post, "Are You Talking About Us? Choosing a Resume Writer" and Dawn Bugni's post, "One Bad Apple Doesn't ALWAYS Spoil the Whole Bunch.")

What frustrates me is that it seems that more and more articles that mention the resume writing industry (and, in particular, the selection of resume writers) takes a couple of shots at the industry, usually through the inclusion of an anecdote of a job seekers who paid for a resume (anywhere from $59 to several thousand dollars) ... and didn't get the job or the document is criticized. (In reading online articles, it makes me wonder if resume writers ever end up with any satisfied clients. I know we do, but you'd never know it to read about it!)

While it's a MUST that the documents you deliver are error-free, perhaps job seekers shouldn't be surprised that they don't get an incredible document for $59. But even a $59 resume should outperform many self-written documents.

I would also disagree that the five questions suggested will help ensure that the client gets a great resume writer. Following are the WSJ questions and my thoughts on each.

• "Do you know my industry?" While I agree it's important to be able to understand what your client is talking about, industry knowledge can be a double-edged sword. The "insider" knowledge can tempt the writer (and client) to using too much industry terminology and abbreviations. And you have to remember that often a resume will be screened by someone other than the hiring manager, and if they don't understand what you're talking about, you may not get in front of the person who "gets" all of that verbiage. There has to be a balance. To counter the WSJ's point, a good resume writer can position your qualitative skills and showcase industry relevance without having done the job personally in the past. (On the other hand, I think "niching" is a fabulous idea for resume writers, and I'll have a future post on this very topic.) But just because you're not a former IT professional yourself, doesn't mean you can't write for IT folks.

• "Can I see samples that aren't posted on your website, please?" Here, the resume writer must be careful, because resume samples on the website should have already been fictionalized (with identifying client information removed). If a client requests other samples, the resume writer must either pull out other already-fictionalized samples or take the time to fictionalize them. What I've found is that if you provide a client with a sample from his or her industry, then he or she expects the finished resume to look like that sample, even if the sample client's experience and qualifications are completely different. (It's like they think there is "one" way resumes in that industry should look.) I've never had a client ask to speak to other clients, but I get a lot of my clients via referrals, so that probably precludes it. (I think you're more likely to get clients who ask to speak to clients if you charge $700 versus $250.) But yes, make sure you put your best work online -- especially some standout designs and absolutely NO errors.

• "Are you skilled at working with people like me?" This goes back to question 1. But the example given in the WSJ article, like working with a local writer, and one that works face-to-face, are not necessarily good predictors of success in a match between writer and client. Also, from the anecdote given, I'm not sure the new writer had any better success with the client, Ms. Ray, than the previous writer, because the solution presented, to me, seemed to be to "dumb it down" (although Ms. Ray used the phrase "tailor it down"). One of the things I learned from Louise Kursmark is that a mid-to-entry level position resume isn't that different than a six-figure resume -- it still needs to be heavy on accomplishments and client value.

• "How will you tackle writing my resume?" I'm not sure what to make of this comment from a recruiter: "Resumes edited or created from scratch by lackluster writers are easy to spot because they often read like the experience is too good to be true." He goes on to say, "It's almost always a series of amazing achievements and it looks like it's written by someone who is trying to sell you." Without getting into his head too much, What is wrong with a resume filled with amazing achievements? Well, to be a little bit snarky, I guess it doesn't give the recruiter much to do to "add value" to the process, if the resume stands on its own. I do agree that an extensive questionnaire or over-the-phone interview is necessary to collect information. You simply can't do enough from an old resume and a job posting.

• "So, what did you do before you were a resume writer?" This is probably the point that I have the biggest problem with, especially this comment from Tim Heard, an IT recruiter (misidentified as "Tom Heard" in the article): "If someone owned a florist shop for 20 years and decided to go into resume writing, I'd question how this person is qualified." Does it really matter what the professional did before becoming a resume writer? A career change is a career change. (Was Mr. Heard always an IT recruiter?) And, as another snarky aside, how confident can you be in an IT recruiter when his website is still "under construction" in many respects? But to address his point: I've known many outstanding resume writers who transitioned from careers other than HR or recruiting. In many cases, this has made them a specialist in working with clients from these professions (which was the point of Questions #1 and 3).

I'm happy the profession is getting attention -- and helping consumers choose a resume professional is useful -- but I don't think these five questions are necessarily going to help ensure that a client gets a good experience.

Do you have some ideas on what questions might really help make a good match?