If you are a good listener who enjoys helping people and have skills in the areas of researching, writing, and formatting documents on the computer, you might want to consider becoming a resume writer. Make no mistake – the resume writing industry is huge and competitive, and you will not get rich quickly. You can depend on a steady income if you work hard, but it won’t be immediate. The national salary average for a home-based resume writer ranges from $25,000 to $100,000 depending on how much marketing you do, how many clients you can manage weekly, how much you charge, and if you are working for yourself, in partnership with someone, or employing subcontractors to write your clients’ resumes and cover letters.

GETTING STARTED

If you are currently working and are not in a financial position to take a risk, keep your job and start slowly by working only in the evenings and on weekend. As a home-based entrepreneur, you must feel comfortable bringing clients into your home. If you have small children and your home does not have a separate entrance, make sure someone is able to watch your children to avoid interruption. Make sure your family is supportive and is willing to keep the house clean and quiet when you know you are expecting a client. If you are not comfortable with meeting clients in person, you can decide to work strictly over the Internet. Some resume writes meet at local libraries and coffee shops to conduct their client in-take interviews.

START-UP COSTS

To succeed as a resume writer does require a lot of determination and hard work, but it does not have to cost an unreasonable amount of money to get started. Start up costs will vary depending on your investment. To begin, you will want to purchase an up-to-date computer with high-speed Internet access and a good word processor such as MS Word or WordPerfect. Ideally, you should have a wireless laptop so you can sit somewhere comfortably when you work or for when you want to take your computer on the road for whatever reason. You will also need a laser printer, a desktop or internal fax (such as e-fax.com), and a second telephone line if you live with people who use the phone a lot. Supplies include toner and resume paper (http://www.southworth.com) if you are providing resume prints to clients (usually local resume services; Internet-based clients are satisfied with the electronic version of their resume). Mailing clients hard prints of their resumes is an added cost to them and you since you must charge tax on a tangible item. Good resume paper averages three to ten cents per sheet and postage costs depend on how many prints you are sending (can be a lot if the resume is two pages).

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS

There are two sure-fire ways to generate new business. If you are looking to start small, local advertising in the Yellow Pages is the best way to get started. At first you can begin with an in-column print ad (simply having a commercial telephone number gives you a free line listing in the Yellow Pages under your business category, but will not generate as much business as an ad would) and eventually graduate to display ads with color or large black print ads. Often, the charge goes directly on your monthly phone bill.

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