Let me ask you this…
Have you ever helped a friend or family member polish up their resume? Did you find yourself catching grammar mistakes, rewording awkward phrases, or suggesting better ways to phrase their job history? If that sounds familiar, I’ve got news for you…
You ALREADY have the skills to turn that knack into a reliable, home-based business.
Today, we’re diving into how you can offer resume writing help for job seekers, all from the comfort of your own living room.
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Here’s the short version: a LOT of people are switching careers, re-entering the workforce, or just plain stuck trying to figure out how to update that dusty old resume.
In fact, according to HR professionals, the average hiring manager spends just 7 seconds scanning a resume. Most people have no idea how to make those 7 seconds count, and that’s where you come in.
But you might be thinking: “I’m not an HR expert…” or “I haven’t written a resume for years.” That’s okay. You don’t need to be a corporate recruiter to be valuable.
What you need is clarity, clean formatting, and the ability to take a person’s work experience and help it shine; something many people over 55 already do brilliantly just by being detail-oriented and good with words.
- Step 1: Build a Simple Portfolio (Don’t Overthink This)
The first thing you’ll want to do is build 1–2 sample resumes. This gives potential clients something to look at and will help you feel more confident offering your services.
What should this include? Ideally, make one sample resume for a standard job seeker (someone applying to, say, an office job) and another for a job-hopper or someone switching industries. You can invent the fictional applicant; it’s just to show what you can do.
Use a clean, basic design (think Arial, Calibri, or Georgia… I’m talking easy to read, no weird fonts) and focus on formatting: bold job titles, bullet points for skills, clear dates of employment. Include a short summary section at the top. This alone puts you ahead of most resumes floating around out there.
- Step 2: List Yourself on Fiverr or Upwork
This is your digital storefront, and it’s the easiest way to start attracting clients without having to sell anything face to face.
Here’s how to set this up:
1. Sign up to Fiverr.com (completely free)
2. Add a gig and call it something like: “I will improve, write, or fix your resume in 48 hours.”
3. Choose 3 pricing tiers: basic ($20), standard ($40), premium ($60+)
4. In your bio, be honest and friendly. No need to overpromise. say that you specialize in helping everyday job seekers improve their resumes quickly and clearly.
You can also list resume help on Upwork or even post ads in local Facebook groups and Nextdoor. Trust me, a lot of folks would rather pay someone $40 to improve their resume than spend three weekends trying to figure out where the margins go.
- Step 3: Offer Add-On Services (This Is Your Power Play)
Here’s a simple trick to turn a $40 job into an $80 job, without doubling your workload.
Offer extras like:
- Cover letter writing (+$15 to $40)
- LinkedIn profile optimization (+$25 to $50)
- “Rush job” turnaround in 24 hours (+$20)
Most clients won’t think to ask for these upfront, but when they see you offer them, they’ll often go for the whole package. You’ve just doubled your income for the same client.
If you’re feeling nervous about the idea of jumping into something that seems to good to be true, there’s no reason to be.
There are websites like NovoResume and ResumeGenius that can help guide you through templates and updated resume strategies. These tools make it easier to create a professional result, even if your last resume was typed on a typewriter.
And remember, you’re not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize here. You’re offering a valuable service to someone who’s trying to get their foot in the door. Sometimes just fixing spelling errors and making sure dates are in order is more than enough to make someone’s week.
If you’re over 55, chances are you’ve spent decades helping people do exactly what this business requires: organizing information, presenting it well, and communicating clearly.
The world is full of job seekers who are just waiting for someone to lend a hand, and they’ll happily pay for that help.
All you need to do is show them you’re the helping hand they need.
You don’t need a fancy office. You don’t need to become a tech whiz. And you certainly don’t need to be a professional recruiter. You just need a laptop, a little patience, decent grammar, and the belief that your experience is worth something.
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