Latest / The Side Hustle Career Podcast with Fexingo: Second Income, Freelancing While Employed / How a Recruiter Built a 8000 Monthly Side Hustle in Resume Writing
Transcript
- Lucas: If you work in HR or recruiting, you spend your days looking at other people's resumes. You know what works, what gets filtered out by the software, what makes a hiring manager actually call someone back. Luna: Right — you have the cheat codes. So why not use them on your own time? Lucas: Exactly. That's what today's guest did. Her name is Sarah, she's a corporate recruiter at a mid-size tech company in Austin, and she built an $8,000-a-month side hustle writing resumes and optimizing LinkedIn profiles for mid-career professionals. Luna: And she's not breaking any rules — she's doing this outside work hours, for people who aren't applying to her company. It's a clean side hustle. Lucas: Totally clean. And actually, her day job makes her better at the side hustle, and vice versa. She told me that writing resumes for clients has made her a sharper recruiter — she now spots weak phrasing and keyword gaps in candidates' resumes instantly. It's a flywheel. Luna: I love that. So what's the first thing she does with a new client? Lucas: She starts with a 45-minute deep-dive call. Not just about job history — she asks about their career narrative, their proudest achievements, the kind of culture they thrive in. She's essentially doing a mini-coaching session. Then she takes that raw material and translates it into resume language that will actually pass through applicant tracking systems. Luna: Applicant tracking systems — the ATS. That's a huge part of her value, right? Because most job seekers don't realize their resume is being read by a bot before a human ever sees it. Lucas: Exactly. Sarah told me that over 75 percent of large companies use an ATS. And these systems parse resumes for specific keywords, job titles, skills, and even formatting quirks. If you use a two-column layout or put your contact info in a header, the ATS might just drop that information entirely. So she teaches clients how to structure their resume so it survives the machine. Luna: So it's not just about writing pretty bullet points. It's about reverse-engineering the system. Lucas: Exactly. For example, she had a client who was a project manager in construction. His resume said 'managed budgets up to $10 million.' But the ATS was looking for 'budget management' as a phrase. She swapped it to 'budget management — oversaw budgets up to $10 million,' and suddenly he started getting callbacks. Small tweak, big impact. Luna: And that's the kind of insider knowledge a recruiter has that a general resume writer might not. She knows exactly what recruiters are searching for. Lucas: Right. And she also optimizes LinkedIn profiles. That's a separate service. She helps clients rewrite their headline, summary, and experience sections to align with their target role. She also advises on keywords for the skills section and even suggests profile photo improvements. Luna: I'm curious about pricing. How does she structure it? Lucas: She charges $500 for a full resume rewrite plus the phone consultation. LinkedIn profile optimization is another $300. She also has a combo package for $700. And she does a fast-track option — if you just want her to review and add keywords, that's $150. Most clients go for the full package. Luna: So to hit $8,000 a month, she needs about 11 to 12 full-package clients. That's doable, especially if she's working evenings and weekends. Lucas: Very doable. She told me she averages about three new clients per week, and she's usually booked out about two weeks in advance. She does the calls in the evening after her day job, and writes the resumes on weekends. Each resume takes her about four to six hours. Luna: So that's roughly 12 to 18 hours of side hustle work per week. That's a serious commitment, but it's not crazy if you're motivated. Lucas: And she's built systems to make it efficient. She has a template for the consultation notes, a checklist of ATS keywords by industry, and a library of strong action verbs she reuses. She's basically productized her process. Luna: How does she find clients? Is she using her personal LinkedIn? Lucas: She does, but carefully. She doesn't want her employer to think she's recruiting for them. So she doesn't post about her side hustle from her work account. Instead, she created a separate freelance business page on LinkedIn, and she posts content there — tips about resume writing, ATS insights. She also runs a small Google Ads campaign targeting phrases like 'professional resume writer' and 'executive resume service'. Luna: And word of mouth must be strong. If you help someone land a job that pays $20,000 more, they're going to tell everyone they know. Lucas: Absolutely. She says about half her clients come from referrals. The other half come from her LinkedIn content and search ads. She also partners with a few career coaches who send clients her way — they do the coaching, she does the resume. She gives them a referral fee, 10 percent. Luna: That's smart. It's a good example of building a small ecosystem around your skill. Lucas: Yeah. And here's something interesting — she's never had a client complain about the price. Because when you frame it as an investment that could increase their salary by thousands, $500 is a no-brainer. Luna: Right. It's the same logic as paying for interview coaching or a certification course. But the key is she delivers real results. Lucas: She does. She tracks outcomes. She has a spreadsheet with client names, target roles, and whether they got an interview or job offer. She says over 80 percent of her clients land interviews within 60 days of using her resume. That's a powerful statistic to share with prospects. Luna: And that's the kind of evidence that builds trust. If I were a potential client, seeing that stat would make me hit 'book now'. Lucas: Exactly. So the question is — if you're in HR or recruiting, could you do this? Sarah's case shows that it's not about being the best writer in the world. It's about having a specific expertise and packaging it for people who need it. Luna: And you don't have to limit yourself to resumes. You could offer cover letter writing, interview prep, or even LinkedIn training for groups. There's a whole consulting angle. Lucas: Right. She's actually considering expanding into interview coaching next year. She already does a little of it informally. But she's careful not to overextend — she wants to keep her day job, and she doesn't want the side hustle to burn her out. Luna: That's a good point. Burnout is a real risk when you're working 50-plus hours a week total. But she's found a rhythm that works for her. Lucas: She has. And she's also thinking about raising her prices. She's been at $500 for two years, and she's built a strong reputation. She's planning to increase to $600 for new clients starting next quarter. Luna: That makes sense. As demand grows, you can charge more. And her existing clients will still be grandfathered in at the old rate. Lucas: Yeah. And one more thing — she told me that doing this side hustle has actually made her better at her full-time job. She's more empathetic toward candidates, she's better at giving feedback, and she's more aware of how her company's ATS filters resumes. Her boss has even noticed and given her a positive performance review. Luna: That's the ideal scenario. The side hustle doesn't just bring in money — it enhances your primary career. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the takeaway here. If you have a skill that's transferable and in demand, you can build something meaningful without quitting your job. Sarah's story is proof. Luna: And if you're listening and thinking, 'I could do that,' but you're not sure where to start — Sarah's blueprint is pretty clear. Get clear on your offer, set up a simple website or LinkedIn page, and start talking to people. Lucas: One thing she emphasized is that you don't need to be perfect out of the gate. Her first few resumes were good, but not great. She improved by asking clients for feedback and learning from each project. Over time, she got faster and better. Luna: That's reassuring. A lot of people wait until they feel 'ready', but ready is a myth. You just start. Lucas: Exactly. And on that note, if this show has helped you think through a career move or given you a concrete idea to pursue, we want to keep it ad-free and available to everyone. The best way to support that is at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to chip in and helps us keep doing episodes like this. Luna: Yeah, that's right. No pressure, just if you find value here. Every little bit helps us stay independent. Lucas: Alright, so next time you update your LinkedIn, think about the skills you have that someone else would pay for. Sarah turned her recruiting expertise into an $8,000 monthly side hustle. Maybe you can too. Luna: And maybe we'll see you back here for the next one. Until then, keep building.