Clementine Crooks & Erin Wallace, Founders of Resume Restoration.
A resume is your chance to showcase in a short period of time your initiatives, your drive, your professionalism and your passion. All on top of your actual skill set for the job. It’s a lofty goal for a two page document and Clementine and Erin founded their company, Resume Restoration, to help.
They have modernized the job search arena by not only creating modern, professional templates for job seekers but also have a team of HR specialists who will help with the actual content and prepare you for the interview. It’s a unique approach, which we love, combining graphic designing with HR.
We first became connected to Erin and Clementine when we featured Erin’s sister, Heather Smelser. A pure instagram connection, we got to know them through the digital world. They are personal, relatable and spot on with their career advice always offering relevant tips and ideas for the job search arena. It is clear they have such a passion for what they do and we love being able to showcase that passion on our blog.
Read on to find out how they started Resume Restoration, what they love most about the being entrepreneurs and their advice for the next generation of business women.
(Pink Tank Group): Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started working together as owners of Resume Restoration?
(Clementine & Erin): After meeting as Moms in 2013, Clementine and Erin recognized that their individual expertise addressed an identified gap in the market when it comes to supporting job seekers maximize their chance of success and presenting their application in a professional and impactful format. With a Masters Degree in Leadership and CPHR certification, Clementine offers a 15+ year career in Human Resources, with targeted experience in organizational development, recruitment, and career transition. Following Erin’s completion of a Bachelor Degree in English (resulting in a superior proofreading ability) and a career as an educator, Erin pivoted and pursued her passion for graphic design. Clementine knew that this powerful combination of skills was not currently offered in this space and the conversation that sparked Resume Restoration began as a phone call to Erin asking her about her interest in resumes. A few short months later, Resume Restoration was founded and since our inception in March 2020 we have supported 400+ job seekers to date.
(Pink Tank Group): How important is social media to the development of your business?
(Clementine & Erin): Social media has played a major role in the development of our business. During the early days of Resume Restoration we printed flyers which we planned to distribute at coffee shops, university campuses, and other locations. As our launch coincided with the initial wave of Covid, we had to quickly shift our strategy to online marketing and business development.
Social Media has proved to be crucial in reaching and communicating with potential clients about what we offer. We love how interactive our accounts have become- connecting with people, answering questions, polling as a means of gaining insight into what people want to see from our business and knowledge base. It has also shown to be an important way to network with other professionals in similar or complimentary fields. We have connected with so many inspirational and uplifting female entrepreneurs, including specialized recruiters, career coaches, and HR professionals, who have provided so much support along the way.
(Pink Tank Group): Becoming an entrepreneur is no easy feat! What has been the best outcome of starting your own business? What has been the most challenging?
(Clementine & Erin): Becoming an entrepreneur definitely comes with some steep learning curves. But the best thing to come out of entrepreneurship is feeling that we have built something truly unique that we believe in 100% and is helping so many people on their career journeys.
Being an entrepreneur allows you to follow your own instincts and ideas and see the incredible results of your hard work and passion.
We can both agree that the most challenging part has been taking on roles that we have little experience in, such as accounting and marketing. Small business owners truly wear so many different hats and some of them fit better than others. We are fortunate to have each other to lean. We have supported one other to take on various roles within the company and develop new strengths.
(Pink Tank Group): I love how you offer tips and ideas on your Instagram (posts and stories) giving insight into areas that can help people go through the interview process or how to apply for jobs. What is one area that people can develop on during the interview process?
(Clementine & Erin): We truly pride ourselves on providing not just a superior service but also sharing tons of great and complementary resources that job seekers can utilize to help them strengthen their applications.
The world of resumes and recruitment has changed so much in the past 5-10 years, especially resulting from how the pandemic has impacted the corporate world. Jobs are posted for shorter periods of time, Applicant Tracking System use is on the rise, and networking with professional recruiters and hiring managers really is the top way qualified candidates are being recognized.
Our resources include handouts, podcasts, templates, and tips that we share via our website, Instagram, and LinkedIn profile.
Specifically when it comes to the interview process it is really important that job seekers understand that this is their time to really sell their skills, experience, and value-add. Preparation is absolutely key, and whether it’s completing an interview prep session with a member of our team or reviewing commonly asked questions independently, every single job seeker should do some form of preparation prior to an interview.
(Pink Tank Group): What is next on the horizon for Resume Restoration?
(Clementine & Erin): We are dreamers and have so many big ideas and plans for the future of Resume Restoration. But in the near future we are looking to expand our Career Transition/ Outplacement Program and are in the process of introducing a new resume writer as part of our team.
(Pink Tank Group): Do you have any advice for the next generation of business women?
(Clementine & Erin): Don't hold back. There is so much fear is putting yourself out there and launching a new idea. We have learned that there is an extensive community of support out there with people who want to listen, learn, and collaborate. You never know what could grow and become if you never try. Even within our company we have tried ideas that have had questionable results (ie. TikTok - haha).
In short, just start and you never know what one idea could evolve into! It is such a learning process but once you find your area of expertise, lean into it and share your unique strengths and skills with the world.
(Pink Tank Group): What do you think is one thing women can do more to support each other?
(Clementine & Erin): I think women continually support each other in small ways. It really does take a village. A quick message of support, a like on your social media, recommending your business, even picking up your kids from school- all of it means so much.
There are so many influential and important females in our lives who have cheered us on and shared in celebrating our successes. We would not be where we are without them!
Learn More About Resume Restoration Here:
https://www.resumerestoration.ca/