How To Start A Profitable Cv Writing Service

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Here's a business you can start for virtually nothing and build
into a million pound enterprise in five years or less.

Many established resume writing services in the large metropolitan
areas are reporting annual incomes of œ60,000 or more.

Even the smaller operations, in towns as small as 15,000 are
experiencing sales of œ50,000 or more.

No special knowledge, education or experience are required for
total success in this business.

An awareness of the general format of the modern CV, and the
ability to keep oneself up to date on refinements or new
approaches to presenting resume material are about the only
pre-requisites to successfully operate a resume writing service.

Probably the most exciting and motivational aspects of this
business idea are the low investment and risk factors involved,
and the growing demand for resume services.

Up until the past couple of years, few if any people really had to
look for jobs.

People in general have either forgotten how to look for a new job,
or never knew how in the first place.

But no more!

There are fewer jobs and an increasing number of people applying
for those jobs that are available.

A little while ago, the Post Office advertised that applications
would be accepted on two days only, for 600 upcoming vacancies.

Would you believe that twenty thousand applicants showed up to
fill out applications?

Can you imagine the post office personnel people reviewing all
those applications, and then interviewing all those people?

On another day, word got out that there was going to be an opening
for a forklift driver at a local warehouse.

Fifteen hundred men and women showed up even before the job was
advertised.

Times are tough, and we're moving even deeper into the age of
specialisation.
Employers are demanding to know more about the applicant - his
work record, natural talents and personality traits.

They want more information upon which to base their interview
selections than just the cold facts on the application form.

Personnel managers are placing a higher premium on their time, and
delegating to others the job of 'weeding out' the unqualified
applicants from those whose backgrounds and goals come closest to
fitting the needs of the company.

To get in to see the person doing the hiring nowadays, the job
applicant has to sell himself, and that calls for a professionally
written resume.

More and more firms are demanding resumes.

Industry estimates are that by the year 2000, most of the jobs
worth having will require a written resume before even an initial
interview is granted.

And that's where you can fit into the picture with your
Professional CV Writing Service.

Probably 80 percent of the people searching for jobs don't have a
resume.

Of the 20 percent who do have resumes, many are ineffective; they
simply do not adequately present the applicant's total
qualifications.

Everyone - with or without resume - is looking for this key: a
professionally written resume, a sales presentation of their
qualifications and experience that will get the job for them - the
job they want.

The job hunters are wound up in their own specialities and
problems.

They don't know how, and they don't have the time - AND they're
willing to pay you to put it all together for them.

Just as you are willing to pay a doctor, dentist or investment
broker, those who need a resume are willing to pay you for this
service.

The market exists in every city and town in this country, and the
demand for this service is growing daily.

Your opportunity for success beyond your fondest dreams has never
been greater!

You'll need a modern, professional typewriter, or preferably, a
word processor or computer.

Setting up and operating from your own home will be the most
economical way to begin.

In addition to your typewriter or computer, you should have a
typewriter stand, typist's chair, adjustable long arm lamp, and a
file cabinet.

To prepare properly, invest in a good book on how to write job
winning resumes.

Select a book which discusses both the cover letter and the format
of the body of the resume.

The most important part of any resume package is the cover letter
the applicant sends as part of the resume.

This letter states the specific job the applicant is applying for,
explains why he believes he is qualified, and pointedly asks for
an interview.

In most cases, you'll be able to provide an "all purpose form
letter" which your client can adapt to any position that interests
him.

More later about actual writing of the resume and the cover
letter.

The format and style of the body of the resume are the items you
want to learn from your book.

Resumes of today are generally in this outline:

1. Name
2. Address
3. Date of Birth
4. Availability
5. Health
6. Phone Number
7. Type of job or position wanted
8. Goals and/or desires in life
9. Job history, starting with current or last job held
10. Special courses, education or training completed
11. Military History
12. Formal Education
13. Activities while attending school: athletics, offices,
awards, etc
14. Hobbies and special interests
15. Notation that names of business and personal
references will be furnished on request

Once you're organised with space and equipment, you're ready for
business.

All that's necessary from this point on will be advertising,
client interview, and producing the final product.
Your advertising needs, in comparison with many other businesses,
need not cost you an exorbitant amount of money.

It should, however, be consistent and eye-catching.

You should contact your area's most widely read newspaper and
arrange to run a one-column by one inch ad every day for the next
six to twelve months.

By purchasing your ad space on a daily insertion basis, and over
at least a six month period, your rate will be much lower than the
rate charged for shorter contracts.

Your newspaper ad might read something like this:

A Complete, Professional Service
LOCAL CV SERVICE
Resumes - Letters - Applications
... that result in jobs!
Phone 12345

Aside from an ad in the newspaper, and perhaps a similar one in
your local free papers, the only other advertising efforts you
should worry about are those that don't cost money - free bulletin
board announcements, radio talk shows, and low cost flyers,
circulars or brochures that describe your services.

Once you spread the word that you're in the business of preparing
resumes for people looking for work or wanting better jobs, you'll
have no trouble at all keeping busy!

Your brochure can be as simple as an A4 sheet.

It should describe your services, emphasise your professionalism,
fast service and reasonable cost.

It would be best to have your brochure typeset and laid out in
three columns down the width of the page. Most print shops can
handle this for you, at a nominal cost.

Once you've had your brochures printed, leave off a supply with
your area high school and college counsellors, business colleges,
and private employment agencies.

When prospective clients call you, simply explain your services
and prices, and set up an appointment for them to meet with you.

You now have a client, and an appointment to interview him for
background information in order to put together a resume that can
result in a job for him.

Be sure you're prepared with a researcher's questionnaire to guide
you in the questions to ask.

Put your resume format on a separate sheet of paper, numbering
each question you want an answer to, or subject you want to cover.

This of course serves as a "master" which you duplicate and use as
the researcher's questionnaire guide.

For each interview, take one of these "interview guides and an
ordinary note pad, and start asking questions.

Identify each page of notes with a number or subject matter from
the resume format, and use a separate page of the notepad for each
subject and each job the client may have had.

The interview should be relaxed, with the client doing most of the
talking.

However, you should control the interview and take notes as the
client gives you the information you need.

Be confident, but friendly.

Maintain your confidence, and ask leading questions that elicit
complete, revealing responses.

Take your time, and "listen" to what the client isn't telling you
as well as what he is telling you.

With a bit of practice, you'll be able to find out all there is to
know about your client in twenty minutes or less.

Look ahead to the day when you have employees working for you.

Develop your interviewing techniques to a state of maximum
efficiency for your business, and then record three or four
interviews for use in training your employees.

You should also reproduce several examples of completed resumes
and put them into an instruction book for study by employees.

After the interview, you need to interpret your notes and type the
information into a resume.

This should be easy, because you've gathered the details in
sequence with your resume format.

Familiarity with format writing style makes the task of putting
everything into finished form quite simple.

At the very least, a quick course in resume writing will be
necessary.

Check out a book on the subject from your public library.

The important thing to remember is to write in a kind of
note-taking report style:
'Hired as an entry level shipping clerk. Recognised need for
organisation on the loading dock to eliminate congestion.
Suggested designated spaces for incoming and outgoing shipments.
This programme was adopted and immediately eliminated congestion
of trucks and decreased overtime requirements, with an estimated
savings of œ700 per week for the company. Promoted to Line
Expeditor after six months'.

Don't put a time limit on the amount of time you devote to each
client, but once you're organised and established, the interview
through the finished resume shouldn't take more than an hour or
two.

After you have the resume typed, call the client in to check it
over and approve it.

In almost every case, he'll be favourably impressed and ready to
go with almost anything you suggest.

The secret is in the quality of your work - a modern typewriter or
word processor, with good clean type, clean paper and error free
copy.

So, you explain to your client that his resume will make a more
favourable impression on the prospective employer when it is
printed on better quality paper.

Suggest to him that you have it printed for him on coloured paper,
or conqueror paper. Ivory, tan or blue shades are desirable.

The charge for your service should be about œ15 per page, which
covers the interview, original resume, and 50 copies on white bond
paper. For different papers, etc, check current prices at your
local copy shop. You should pass those costs onto your client,
plus a service charge of about œ5.

Also explain to your client that you can up-date or add to his
resume whenever the need arises, and for this service you charge
œ10 plus the cost of printing as many copies as they require.

And that's it - the basics you need for starting your own highly
profitable resume service.

A couple of things always to bear in mind: Your success will be
directly related to the quality of the finished product you put
out.

Remember too that the image you project is the credibility rating
you'll carry with your customers.

Shabby surroundings, a disorganised office and a less than
professional appearance will doom you to failure.

Be impressive and you will succeed!