Resume Writer's Action Plan - Part 1

Attracting resume clients to your business requires action on your part. This series of blog posts will provide a mixture of tips -- some that are meant to be implemented in the short-term and some that can be developed over time. A few are designed to produce a one-time boost, while others are geared towards multiple exposures to targeted audiences.

Any one tip, if implemented, can mean an extra $1,000 a month.

1. Write a news release for your local newspaper. As a resume writer, you are often in the position to spot emerging trends. News releases don't have to be long or flashy to be effective. But they do have to be newsworthy.

For example:
With the unemployment rate at a 10-year low in Iowa, job searchers in the Des Moines area are "trading up" to better jobs, according to a local resume writer.

"We are seeing many of our clients taking advantage of a competitive hiring environment by updating their resumes and sending them out to be considered for higher-paying jobs," says Donna Rose, a Certified Professional Resume Writer and owner of Rose's Resumes. "In many cases, they are increasing their take-home pay an average of 15 to 20 percent."

For more information on this trend, contact Donna Rose at 555-4224.

2. Send thank you notes after your client receives their final materials. You can use generic thank you notes or create customized thank you cards featuring your business logo. Tuck two or three business cards into the notecard and write a short, personal message.

3. Produce a client newsletter. Write your own articles or purchase pre-written stories. Send it out quarterly (at a minimum) to clients, friends, family, referral sources, the media, employment agencies, career counselors, and real estate agents.

4. Call your competitors. Perhaps there is an area of specialty you work in that they don't (for example, military separation) ... and vice versa. Help your clients... and yourself... by referring to each other.

5. Host a workshop. Develop and promote a one- or two-hour workshop. Possible topics are the job search strategy, finding a better job, even writing a resume. You will be targeting qualified prospects. Charge $10-$50, depending on the value of the information you present.

Dissecting a "How to Choose a Resume Writing Service" Article

I like Don Goodman, but I have to disagree with some of his points in his article, "How to Choose a Resume Writing Service" on his website.

While I agree with some of his points ("The resume writing firm should have some credentials") and "Look at their samples," I have to disagree with him in particular on at least a couple of points:

Don writes:
...Look for credentials beyond the CPRW designation. Do the people have impressive backgrounds? Many sites won’t tell you anything beyond their CPRW designation. Great writers have great accomplishments so look to see if they have been published in books and, most importantly, find out about their business background. Did they attend a good school – did they rise through the business ranks? Being in HR is good and being an executive is even better as they have been the decision makers behind the hiring process and have demonstrated the skills to excel.

My response:
I know of numerous outstanding resume writers who are neither certified nor published in books. And I also know of several resume writers who "went to good schools" and "rose through the business ranks" but the resumes they write aren't nearly as good -- or effective -- as other writers who went to a state school and went into the field from a technical career or journalism. If you're looking for an objective measure of a good resume writer, certification can be good, but samples and the ability to draw information out of the client are more important than a fancy degree or the fact that you were once a Director of HR.

Second, he writes:
Check out their resume writing process and make sure you get to speak to someone. A good resume cannot be written just from a questionnaire, and a good resume writing firm will insist on speaking to you. This way they can ask you insightful questions that highlight the skills and achievements that impress an employer. If they don’t interview you, this means that their writers are not strong enough to have an intelligent conversation with you.

(He adds:)
The best resume writing firms will use both a questionnaire and a phone interview. The questionnaire will jog your memory and make you think a bit about things that you haven’t thought about in a while. In fact, it not only helps you get a better resume, it helps you prepare for a job interview. High level executives would insist on a questionnaire and a phone interview and there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to get the same VIP treatment.

My response:
According to the preliminary data from the 2007 Resume Writers' Digest Industry Survey, more than 70% of resume writers use questionnaires -- many of them exclusively. In the early days of my business, I conducted the client interview in person. Since July 2004, I have exclusively used questionnaires (occasionally supplementing them with a phone call to collect 1-2 missing items). I don't think you can judge the quality of a resume writing service by how they choose to collect their information from the client. Now if you want to talk about preferences (how clients prefer to share information), that's something else entirely.

Do they offer a guarantee? A good service will stand behind their work and offer to revise your resume for free if it is not working. You’ll want to choose a resume writing service that stands behind their product.

My response:
Some resume writers offer a guarantee -- but most see it as a marketing tactic. Lots of great resume writers will provide top-quality work and ensure their client's total satisfaction, without touting a "guarantee." And most guarantees are that they will "rewrite it for free" -- if it's not any good the first time, will it really get better? And will the client "guarantee" that they will follow the resume writer's advice and not just post their resume on Monster.com and expect the job offers to roll in?

Is there some seal of approval? Look for the BBB Online Reliability seal that shows they are a safe and reliable site.

My response:
While the BBB Online Reliability seal is nice, the fact is that the Better Business Bureau exists not only to help customers achieve trust in the businesses that serve them, but also to make money. "Buying" BBB approval isn't a guarantee of a good resume writing service. There are plenty of great resume writing services that don't have this seal.

Finally, Don and I absolutely agree on this point: "(The resume) is one of the most important documents in your career, so it makes sense to spend what it takes to get a resume that you know will work."

Feel free to e-mail me to share your tips on "How to Choose a Resume Writing Service" for a consumer-oriented article I'm writing.

Guest Author: Marketing the Real You

By C.J. Hayden, MCC
Author, Get Clients Now

I often wonder how the practice began of pretending to be someone else in order to market your business. You know what I'm talking about -- it's the marketing face, the selling voice, that you often put on in order to attend a networking event or make a sales call. Who taught you to do that?

I have a suspicion where we learn this behavior. Most of us spend a lifetime observing showroom salespeople, product spokespersons in the media, and hucksters on street corners. What we see demonstrated there is artificial enthusiasm, manipulative use of language, feigned interest, and in some cases outright deception.

Sounds awful, doesn't it? So why copy any part of this distasteful way of selling?

Psychologist Abraham Maslow said, "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Perhaps we believe this is the only way we can sell because it's the only way we know. I'm not accusing anyone of consciously deceiving prospective clients. What I'm suggesting is that what we do unconsciously and automatically is to behave inauthentically around them.

Intuitively, many of us feel as if something is wrong with this way of operating. When we have to sell ourselves, we find it unpleasant, disagreeable, even repulsive. But what if all those negative feelings were simply because we hate the artificiality and manipulation we think must be a part of selling?

Imagine what it would be like to go to a business networking event as yourself. No facade, no pretension, just plain you. When someone asks your reason for coming, you tell them the truth. You don't have to claim you wanted to hear the speaker (if you didn't). You can come right out and say, "I'm hoping to make some contacts that will lead to business for me."

You wouldn't have to invent reasons to start a conversation. You can walk up to someone who looks interesting and say, "Hi, I haven't met you yet." If you're shy around strangers, you can tell the first person you meet, "I'm sort of a wallflower and feel awkward at events like this. Could you introduce me to some folks?"

Now imagine placing a follow-up call to a prospect where you are completely honest. You could say, "I have some days open on my calendar soon and I'm wondering if this would be a good time for that project we've been discussing." Or, "We haven't talked in a while and I'd like to find out if you're still planning to look for a new job."

I see so many professionals and consultants struggle with trying to find an "excuse" to call a prospect. You don't need some manufactured excuse. You know the reason you're calling. Most of the time THEY know the reason you're calling. Just say what it is.

Let's extend this same principle to making a cold call. Instead of stumbling around awkwardly trying to make a polished -- but unnatural -- sales approach, imagine yourself saying, "I'm not much of a salesperson, but I'm really good at what I do. Can we have a conversation about what you need and see if I'm the right person for the job?"

If you've been working from a cold-calling script that makes you flush and get a tight throat every time you read it, throw it out. Come up with one really good opening line that feels authentic and gets directly to the point. Then decide how you will answer -- honestly -- some of the typical questions prospects ask you. My bet is that your calls will immediately get easier.

In fact, the more you become honest, direct, and authentic in all of your marketing, the more appealing selling will be to you, the more effortless it will become, and the more success you will ultimately achieve. Because most business results from building relationships, and how can you develop a relationship with someone when you never reveal who you really are?

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Copyright C.J. Hayden.
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Monster Releases Hiring Outlook 2008

Monster.com has weighed in with its analysis of top job prospects in 2008, and the answer is heavy into math. The 2008 Hiring Outlook says demand will be heavy for "creative workers who excel in the logical and mathematical."