It was a conundrum for Hayley McElveny. Two years ago, after starting a family, the now 29-year-old Battle Ground woman found herself pondering home-based business ideas. It was, of course, the height of the Great Recession – not the ideal time to launch any new business venture.
But McElveny had an idea. The former title and escrow customer service agent always enjoyed writing and, as such, found herself the family’s go-to person when something needed to be penned. Enter a recession-proof business that meshed with her new responsibilities as a mom: The Written Resume (thewrittenresume.net), a web-based resume writing service.
To keep costs low – and to keep her immersed with her family – McElveny funnels most of her business through her website. Clients, mostly blue collar and paraprofessionals (nurses, construction workers, newly graduated students) fill out their information on her website, select a package and McElveny uses the information to craft resumes, cover letters and thank-you letters.
McElveny charges $99 for a basic resume, and $149 for a package that includes a resume, cover letter and thank-you letter (her most popular service). The work has been steady, too. McElveny estimates she had around 70 clients last year, averaging one to two per week.
No doubt that the economy has helped buoy her business as her clients invest in resumes as part of a job hunt – and need to stand out from among the crowd. But while some resume services can charge in the hundreds, even thousands of dollars, McElveny aimed at a more moderate range, which would serve a wider spectrum of people – and help ensure her businesses’ future client base. She gets to see the benefits, too, when her clients request a thank-you letter and then they report back that they’ve landed the job. And those thank-you letters, McElveny said, often make the difference between a pass and a hire for a job.
“Many times that is the clincher – the thank you note,” she said.
The resume matters, too. And when asked for a most-needed resume tip for job hunters, McElveny has a ready answer:
“I think the biggest mistake that people make is listing two pages of responsibilities and not accomplishments. Especially in this market, employers want to see what you’ve done.”
With a new baby in arms and a toddler to manage, McElveny has her hands full with motherhood and all aspects of her business, right down to accounting and website management. But she hopes to grow her online resume business, perhaps adding a stable of writers to help with some of the work as word of mouth grows her business.
After all, even when the economy does brighten, clients will be interested in changing jobs and putting their best foot forward to land their next job. And no matter how great an employee may be, it can be hard for an individual to sell themselves on paper.
“Writing about yourself is the hardest thing to do,” McElveny said.
