How to Get Started - Resume Design

Description of Job

• Interview clients for details about academic, professional, and relevant personal details.
• As appropriate, fact-check and verify information.
• Design a resume suited for the type of position sought.
• Print resumes and create an electronic version suitable for e-mailing and posting online.

The Need

A well-crafted resume is one of the primary ways for a job applicant to get a foot in the door. Human resources officers, executives, and recruiters appreciate a well-written cover letter, but they zero in on employment history, appropriate experience, and specialized education. (Some companies use computerized software to screen e-mailed and online resume submissions for keywords that relate to the job they are looking to fill.)

A resume must be easy to read and understand, accurate, and accessible in any form requested. The resume designer combines reporting and designing skills.

Challenges

You must be honest in dealing with your client and scrupulous of your reputation; any mistakes or willful misrepresentation will reflect poorly on both you and your client. Do not agree to falsify information or unreasonably inflate the importance of a particular job or experience.

You must also be discreet about the information you gather; not all of your client’s history may be positive, and the client may want to keep confidential some of the information, including salary history.

You will be expected to keep your involvement in a client’s job search to yourself. Not all job seekers want their present employer to know they are in the market to leave.

You must know how to use a word processor to create a resume, and you will need to have design skills to make it attractive and easy to read.

Many companies now ask applicants to send resumes by e-mail or by posting to a web site. For these purposes, you need to learn how to create a text-only version of the resume, without formatting, or to create an HTML-coded version. (HTML is the underlying code used to apply formatting to web sites.)

Know the Territory

Gather information from previous resumes, employment and academic records, and interviews with your client that yield relevant details about job responsibilities and accomplishments. With your client’s permission, research and verify any details that are not supported by documents.

Working with your client, develop a list of references who are willing to respond to inquiries about the client’s work history and character. Verify names, addresses, titles, and phone numbers, or assist the client in doing so.

How to Get Started

Advertise at colleges, in community centers, and in newspapers and shopping guides. Be prepared to show prospective clients generic versions of resumes you have produced, with names and other personal details removed or replaced with fictional names or randomly generated addresses and phone numbers.

Up-front Expenses

You’ll need a capable computer with Internet access and a professional-quality printer. You may produce resumes on your own machine, or upload them to a service bureau for professional printing. In the case of electronic submission of resumes, you will need the ability to send the file over the Internet.

Other expenses include advertising and promotion.

How Much to Charge

Bill for your time on an hourly basis. You might want to offer a basic package that includes a set number of hours plus production of a resume, with additional charges if research or fact-checking goes beyond ordinary efforts.

You can add a charge for printing resumes on your own equipment or for arranging for printing by an outside service bureau.