How to Become a Professional Resume Writer

As you probably know, a resume is a document that details your work experience, skills, and education. It’s essential for anyone who wants to land a job or transition into a new career.

A lot of people find resumes intimidating and put off creating or updating theirs. Many would rather hire a freelance writer to do it for them. Professional resume writers provide this service, creating polished resumes for people so that they don’t have to do it themselves.

As a resume writer, it’ll be your job to produce a professional-looking document for each client and do so in a way that presents their qualifications and experience in the best possible light. They’ll be relying on you to boost the odds that they’ll get hired quickly.

Who can become a resume writer?

Anyone with the right set of skills can write resumes for money. Above all, you’ll need to be a strong writer with good attention to detail. You’ll also need a certain amount of technical savvy (to use the software required to create a resume), and if you have design skills, that’s also a plus.

You don’t need a college degree or a special certification to do this kind of work—you just need to be able to convince potential clients that you’d do a good job.

That said, there are professional resume-writing certifications, and getting one can be a big help. We’ll go over this in more detail below.

Professional resume writing isn’t the hardest field to break into, but it does take some work. Follow these five steps to get started writing resumes professionally:

1. Build your skills

Although most resumes are short (between one and two pages long), it still takes time, effort, and expertise to craft an excellent one. Brush up the following skills:

Writing and editing

Traditional writing skills are a must for a resume writer. You’ll need to summarize your clients’ work experience with simple but descriptive language that will grab a hiring manager’s eye.

Basic editing and proofreading skills are essential as well. You may be asked to edit an existing document instead of creating a resume from scratch. You’ll need great attention to detail to spot and correct any errors and to be sure you don’t introduce any mistakes yourself.

Research

As a resume writer, you’ll need to gather information on each client’s background and the job market in general. You’ll also need to gain a thorough understanding of terms specific to their industry. This will help you highlight relevant skills to persuade the hiring manager that the client is a good fit for the position.

Note that clients may want you to use particular keywords that are specific to their field or the job they’re applying for. Even if they don’t, you should be prepared to research this on your own. Many companies use automated systems to process incoming resumes, and it’s important to include any keywords they’ll be scanning for.

Communication

You need to understand your clients to create good resumes for them. This may require interviewing them via phone, email, video call, or a fillable form to get the information you need—their education, work experience, skills, accomplishments in the field, etc.

The client may ask for revisions if they’re unhappy with an aspect of the final product. You’ll need good listening skills so you can understand and incorporate their feedback. Sometimes, you might also need to tactfully explain why their suggestions are off-base and you recommend doing things another way.

Computer skills

While you don’t need expert technological skills, you’ll need proficiency with the software programs that are commonly used for writing and laying out resumes. Microsoft Word and Canva are both popular programs with editable resume templates.

As mentioned, you might need basic design skills to customize each client’s resume and make it visually pleasing. You also should know how to export documents in a variety of formats, such as PDF.

2. Considering furthering your education

You don’t need a degree to become a resume writer, but having a bachelor’s degree in English, communication, journalism, or a similar discipline will give you an edge. If you have a degree in an unrelated field (such as engineering), that can be an advantage, too—you can leverage your industry knowledge to write resumes in that niche.

If you don’t already have a college degree, it probably doesn’t make sense to get one just to launch a resume-writing side hustle. However, there are less formal types of education that you can pursue as well.

For instance, consider taking a human resources course (either online or at a local university) to learn about the hiring process from the perspective of a hiring manager.

You could also contact a company in your area and ask to shadow someone in their HR department while they review resumes. There’s a surprising amount of bad resume-writing advice out there, and you’ll have a leg up (both when it comes to landing clients and doing your job) if you have direct insight into what hiring managers are actually looking for.

3. Get certified (if you plan on pursuing this long-term)

Getting a professional resume-writing certification isn’t required, but it will give you an advantage when you pitch your services. You have several options:

Become a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

The Certified Professional Resume Writer credetial is the industry-standard certification given to experienced professional resume writers who pass a test administered by the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches (PARWCC). They offer a training program to prepare you for the test, although taking it isn’t required.

In order to take the test, get certified, and maintain your credential, you’ll need to have an active PARWCC membership.

Cost

• CPRW exam: $295 (one-time fee)
• PARWCC membership: $175 (yearly)
• Training course: $500 (one-time, optional)

Become a Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW)

The Nationally Certified Resume Writer certification is a similar credential offered by the National Résumé Writers’ Association (NRWA).

The NRWA also requires membership to go through the testing process, and you’ll need to participate in their in-house continuing education program and submit a writing sample for review before taking the exam.

Cost

• NCRW exam: $250 (one-time)
• NRWA membership: $175 (yearly)
• Writing sample review: $75 (one-time)

Note that there are several other certifications for professional resume writers, but they’re fairly niche. Most of the time, when people claim to be “certified” in this industry, they’re talking about either the CPRW or NCRW, with the CPRW being significantly more widely recognized.

4. Gain experience

A lot goes into writing a winning resume, and your first few projects may take you longer than you’d like, but as you practice and develop your skills, you’ll get faster and better.

Here are some ways to gain experience so you’re ready for your first job:

• Begin with yourself: One way to gain experience right away is to be your own first client. Create a resume for yourself to showcase your skills to potential clients.
• Help out people you know: Ask to revamp existing resumes for your friends and family and add those to your growing portfolio as examples of your work.
• Volunteer: Donate your skills to recruitment companies or nonprofit organizations that help unemployed people find work.

5. Look for jobs

With a great number of people seeking new employment all the time, the demand for resume writers is consistently high, so finding jobs shouldn’t be difficult. Look for work in the following places:

Online job boards

Your best bet is to register on online platforms that list jobs for freelancers, such as:

• Freelancer
• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Indeed

Create a profile showcasing your skills and start applying to jobs.

Other sources of resume-writing work

You can also find job opportunities by contacting:

• Recruitment agencies: Search LinkedIn for recruitment agencies looking to hire freelance resume writers.
• HR groups: Reach out to local HR groups that regularly hire new resume writers and ask about internship opportunities or entry-level positions.
• Individuals: Talk to people you know who have recently been laid off or who are looking for a new job. New graduates wanting to enter their chosen field and business executives looking to advance their careers also make good potential clients.

You can also choose to set up your own website and start advertising your services by connecting with people on social media.

The rates you can get away with charging will vary widely based on the complexity of the resume and the industry the client wants to work in.

Writing a standard resume for somebody who wants to land a job at a retail store might pay between $50 and $75. Meanwhile, a resume for a business executive seeking employment at a Fortune 500 company might pay between $200 and $300.

As you’d expect, the latter type of job will also be much tougher to land, with a lot more competition from your fellow freelancers and CPRWs. Remember that you can charge more if you’ve been certified or have several years of experience.

Other jobs that use the same skills as resume writing

There are always people applying to jobs, so resume writing is in high demand. But if you aren’t sure whether it’s the right fit for you, there are other similar side hustles you could try.

Consider pursuing these services instead of or in addition to writing resumes:

• Writing cover letters: Many job applications require a cover letter, and writing a good one takes specialized skills. People will hire you to write a cover letter for much the same reasons they hire you to write their resume. This is a good side hustle to add if you particularly enjoy the “writing” part of being a CPRW.
• LinkedIn profile optimizer: People looking for employment may also pay you to optimize their LinkedIn profile, which can act as a sort of resume itself. Potential employers are more likely to hire someone with a complete, professional profile.
• Copywriting: If you want to flex your writing muscles, try writing blog posts, articles, or marketing copy for businesses or websites. Knowledge of SEO is especially prized in this industry.
• Proofreading or editing: Professional writers often transition into careers as editors or proofreaders. While many of the same skills apply, you’ll need additional training to perform these services.

Resume writing is an engaging and rewarding side hustle that can start off small and grow into an entire business if you so choose. Helping people get jobs could become your job!