GoKawiilKey Takeaways Clinchy reviewed thousands of resumes from highly qualified candidates at the White House.
People encouraged her to start a resume-related side hustle, which she launched on Fiverr in 2020.
Now, Clinchy’s business continues to grow — and even helped her become a homeowner.
This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Seattle, Washington attorney and entrepreneur Jennifer Clinchy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) only enforcement attorney in the Pacific Northwest, Clinchy runs Clinchy Career Consulting, offering resume consulting, cover letter writing and LinkedIn optimization services, as a side hustle. She launched the consulting side hustle on Fiverr in 2020 and hit $250,000 in total earnings on the platform last year. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Clinchy
When I was working at the White House from 2010 to 2017, I served as a hiring manager and as legal counsel there. As part of that role, I reviewed thousands of resumes from some of the most talented candidates in the country. It really showed me both how highly qualified people can have incredibly compelling resumes, as well as some surprisingly weak ones that don’t do justice to all of the skills and experience that they bring.
Leaving the White House and starting a side hustle
When I left the White House in September 2017 to accept a position with the Washington State government as director of policy and planning at Puget Sound Partnership (a state government agency), I took a 30% pay cut. During the transition, I considered starting a side hustle — and realized that many friends, colleagues, former mentees and junior employees had come to me over the years asking for advice on resumes.
Resume writing is something that I’ve always just personally enjoyed for my own resume. It’s always a work in progress, so I was constantly reading up on different trends and best practices, and one of my friends said, “You know, you’re actually pretty good at this resume writing thing. Have you ever thought about trying to do this professionally?” I hadn’t, but I realized the skillset would transfer well.
I moved back into a higher-paying federal position 18 months later when my current job became available at NOAA and had been in my current job for a year when I started freelancing as a career consultant in mid-2020. Government salaries all around aren’t quite high enough to easily afford becoming a homeowner in a high-priced housing market like Seattle’s, so starting a side hustle has helped me achieve that goal.
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