BY ELISABETH MARTIN Staff writer
Sandy Killeen knows a thing or two about how to get hired.
The 48-year-old Oak Lawn resident has worked in human resources since she was 18, giving her plenty of hiring experience over the years. So when Killeen's hours at her company were cut by 20 percent last year, she looked to her strengths to supplement her paycheck.
Thus was born resume Pros Now, a custom resume and cover letter service Killeen runs from her home. She estimates that she's helped 100 clients, many of whom come from Oak Lawn, with their resumes and cover letters since she started the company in February 2009.
"It makes me feel good that I'm helping people in the area," Killeen said.
When Killeen started the business, she figured her main market would be recent college graduates looking to land their first job. But as word of mouth traveled, she's drawn business from people in every phase of their careers.
Her clients include teachers, administrators, laborers and plant managers, many of whom have been out of work for a while. She's even polished a resume for a mortician, which she calls her most unique job to date.
"One guy said to me, 'Do you turn water into wine, too? I could have worked on my resume for months and I wouldn't have been able to do this,'" Killeen said.
Although many people are reluctant to spend money on spiffing up their resumes, Killeen said, it can pay dividends during the job hunt.
"I posted a job at the company I work at now and I've gotten 200 resumes," she said. "You need a resume that's going to stand out."
Some of Killeen's most common tweaks to her clients' resumes?