The résumé service that runs like a machine.
People happily pay $100–$400 for a résumé that actually lands interviews — and with AI you can deliver one in about an hour. The trick that turns that into income isn't the writing; it's productizing it: fixed packages, a repeatable process, and a differentiator (ATS + quantified achievements) so you're not competing with a $15 Fiverr gig. Here's the whole machine.
01 Package it — don't sell "résumé help"
Vague "I'll fix your résumé" is a race to the bottom. Sell tiered packages with clear outcomes, so the client self-selects and you stop quoting from scratch every time:
| Package | What's in it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Résumé refresh | ATS-optimized rewrite + tailored to one target role | $120–$180 |
| Résumé + LinkedIn | The above plus a rewritten LinkedIn profile (headline, About, experience) | $220–$350 |
| Job-search kit | Both, plus a cover-letter template and 5 tailored applications | $400–$600 |
Three tiers do real work: the middle one looks like the obvious value (most people pick it), and the top one makes the middle feel reasonable. You're not pricing your hour — you're pricing the interview it gets them.
02 The repeatable process
Same five steps, every client — that's what makes it a service and not a favor:
- Intake — a short form: target role, current résumé, 3 proudest wins. (AI can even generate the intake questions.)
- Rewrite — feed the role + their material to AI with the achievement formula (next section) and the target job description for keywords.
- Human polish — cut the fluff, fix the voice, kill any invented claim. This is the 20% they're paying for.
- ATS check — match against the job description's keywords so it clears the applicant-tracking filter.
- Deliver — clean PDF + editable doc, plus one revision. Done.
03 The one upgrade that justifies the price
Anyone can run "rewrite my résumé." What you sell is the achievement formula: every bullet becomes action verb + what you did + quantified result. "Responsible for sales" becomes "Grew regional sales 32% in 11 months by rebuilding the outbound process." Build one:
Start: "Responsible for managing the company's social media." Add the missing pieces:
04 Who you're best for & what to charge them
You can serve everyone, but your packaging and price should flex by who's in front of you. Pick the client you'd start with:
A client says "$150 is a lot for a résumé." Best response?
05 Where the clients are
Job seekers cluster in predictable places, and they're actively spending: LinkedIn (post résumé tips, DM people who just posted "open to work"), Reddit (r/resumes, r/jobs — offer a free teardown, convert to paid), Fiverr/Upwork for inbound volume, and your own network (everyone knows someone job-hunting). Lead with a free 3-fix teardown; it shows competence and earns the sale.
Your move this week
Build your three-tier package page (Canva or a Google Doc is fine), then offer three free teardowns — friends, a Reddit post, or LinkedIn comments. Turn one into a paid before/after you can show. That sample is what sells the next ten.
What you can do now
- Sell tiered packages with outcomes, not hourly "résumé help"
- Run the same five-step process every time (intake → rewrite → polish → ATS → deliver)
- Apply the achievement formula: action verb + what you did + a real number
- Never let AI invent metrics — pull real ones in intake
- Price against the interview it earns, and lead with a free teardown to win clients