This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Richard Lambert, owner of Lambert Resume. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I started writing résumés on Fiverr in 2014. Since then, I’ve profited more than $7 million on the platform. Last year, I made six figures most months writing résumés on Fiverr and via my own company.
But early this year, I began to notice changes to my business. My income declined slowly but steadily. This summer, my average monthly income is about $70,000. That’s roughly a 30% reduction.
I still make plenty of money — I could get by on less — but it’s clear that AI is impacting my work. I’m hearing from more clients that AI is their first stop when they need help with a résumé.
I’m learning from mechanics at a local marina
I have no idea what the world will look like in five years or how AI will change my work. I’m still making a great income writing résumés. The profits I’ve made have paid off my home and lake home. If something happened to me or the business tomorrow, my wife and daughter would be fine. I’ve always been good with money and lived within my means.
Yet, I’m thinking about career pivots. I’m confident that I’ll still be making money from résumés in three years. But beyond that, who knows? I don’t think anyone does.
Because of that, I’m trying to expand my skill set. This summer, I’m doing a sort of unpaid internship at the marina near my lake house. For about nine hours a week, I work in the mechanic shop. I get greasy and gross. I’ve learned how to trailer boats and pull their engines apart. It’s a skill set so different from being the Harvard-educated guy who sits behind a computer.
I now have a better work-life balance
Over the past year, I’ve become even more efficient in my work. Last year, I felt I had no work/life balance, but now I have a better grasp on that. I don’t just fill my days with work. Part of that might be the lower volume of work, but I’ve also become better at managing my time.
That’s given me space to explore interests — like at the marina. I’ve also become more active on Reddit, where I share advice about job applications or résumés. I do that for about an hour a day, helping people who seem really frustrated. It feels like a type of volunteering.
AI has a place in résumé writing
I don’t think it’s all bad to use AI to help you write a résumé. Yet, there are tells: certain quirks of punctuation, grammar, and syntax that make it clear when a résumé is AI-generated. When you apply for a job, you want your personality and individuality to shine through — not AI. That’s where I can still help.
I recently had a client who applied for jobs last year using an AI-assisted résumé. It was a good résumé, so I asked her about the process. She told me she put a lot of time into creating a personalized résumé with AI assistance.
I think I’m still the best option for writing résumés, especially if you don’t have much time. I’m also finding that people are paying me to write three to four different résumés for them to target different positions. In this competitive job market, that means they can apply quickly.
Some people think the AI hype might be overblown. I’m in the other camp: I think it will change the world, but I don’t know exactly how. The best thing we can do is be open to new things — like me learning how to pull a boat motor apart.
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