If you have a knack for writing great resumes and cover letters, you may have a lucrative profession ahead of you. Resume and cover letter writers have a scarce and very valuable skill. By turning this skill into your own business, you could be earning a very substantial income in just a few months, possibly over six figures in a year or two. Here are a few tips for starting a resume and cover letter writing service:
Select a Specific Clientele
There are many different kinds of people who may want to employ your services. It helps to narrow your specialty down to one of these types.
The first is someone who is extremely busy. The thought of spending days, or even a week or two honing a resume or cover letter is simply unthinkable to this person. They tend to be high income earners, often executives. They’d much rather hire someone to write their resume than spend the time themselves, provided they believe a good job will be done. Another demographic would be someone who doesn’t have the skills to create a good-looking resume. They may not know how to manipulate word documents very well and may not be very technically inclined.
The list of potential client types can go on and on. Come up with the specific kind of person you want to target and spend your time developing a brand for yourself in those social circles.
Test Marketing Methods
There are many ways you can start marketing your service. The first and often most important way is networking using your own circle of friends. According to Facebook, on average most people have 200 friends. Each of your 200 friends will have another 200 friends.
Around your network of contacts are dozens of people currently looking for jobs. By establishing yourself as an expert in resumes and cover letters, people you know and friends of people you know will start to come to you for help and advice.
You can also start advertising in the newspaper. Generally you’ll want to get your ad as close to the employment section as possible. Test several different newspapers with small ads first. If you identify a newspaper that seems to bring in good leads, experiment with a larger ad.
Finally, you can also try marketing online. Try posting regularly on Craigslist. Make sure you get a range of positive reviews on Yelp.
You won’t get rich overnight, but as you get more and more satisfied clients, your business will grow. You could eventually get to the point where you have more clients than you can serve at one time and will have to raise your prices. The time from start-up to real success could be anywhere from a month or two to up to a year.
