Ex-White House Resume Screener Fixes CVs For $1,900 — This Side Hustle Has Made $400K

Jennifer Clinchy spent years at the White House sorting through thousands of resumes for some of the most sought-after jobs in America. Now she charges $1,900 (£1,500) to rewrite other people's resumes, and the side hustle has pulled in more than $400,000 (£316,000) in total revenue over six years.

Clinchy, a Seattle-based attorney, served as a hiring manager and legal counsel at the White House from 2010 to 2017. She reviewed thousands of applications during that stretch. In mid-2020, she launched Clinchy Career Consulting on freelancing platform Fiverr and has since worked with more than 300 clients across 25 countries, Entrepreneur reported.

Her day job is at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she is the agency's sole enforcement attorney in the Pacific Northwest. That role pays roughly $186,000 (£147,000) a year, Business Insider wrote in January. The consulting work runs alongside it, mostly on weeknights and weekends.

Resume Consulting Side Hustle Crosses $250,000 on Fiverr

Clinchy's cumulative Fiverr earnings crossed $250,000 (£198,000) in 2025. By January 2026, the figure had climbed above $260,000 (£205,000), according to Business Insider. Across Fiverr and direct client engagements combined, the consulting work has averaged roughly $70,000 (£55,000) a year.

She told Entrepreneur she started with low prices to accumulate reviews, then raised them as her track record grew. Fiverr suited her better than Upwork because its model lets freelancers set fixed rates and wait for clients to come to them. Most of her business now arrives through word-of-mouth referrals rather than the platform itself.

Resume packages start at $1,900 (£1,500) for two-page documents, according to Clinchy Career Consulting's website. Business Insider reported in January that she was charging $2,000 (£1,580) for a resume and cover letter together.

The work proved critical during a recent federal government shutdown. Clinchy was furloughed and brought in roughly $18,000 (£14,200) from resume writing over six weeks, Business Insider reported.

Biggest Resume Mistake Job Seekers Make

The most common problem Clinchy encounters is applicants describing their job duties instead of demonstrating what they actually achieved. Candidates paste their job descriptions into their resumes, she told Entrepreneur, leaving hiring managers unable to distinguish someone who excelled from someone barely getting by.

'Your resume should make you sound like a superstar because often people are really skilled at their jobs and have accomplished a lot, but they may not articulate that,' she said.

She flagged a parallel weakness in cover letters. Applicants tend to open with their own career narrative rather than addressing the employer's requirements. Framing the letter around how specific skills match the company's stated needs is more effective, she argued.

Demand for career consulting has risen as artificial intelligence reshapes hiring across industries. AI-driven layoffs, forced career pivots and a more competitive job market are pushing professionals to seek outside help with applications, Clinchy told Entrepreneur. Workers also switch roles and industries far more frequently than previous generations, broadening the market for tailored resume services.

Clinchy used the consulting income to buy a century-old house in Seattle, a purchase she said would not have been possible on a government salary alone. Nearly all of the side hustle revenue has gone into renovations, including new flooring, a new roof and an earthquake-resistant system, Business Insider reported. Her federal salary covers the mortgage and day-to-day costs.

Before the White House, Clinchy earned degrees in neurobiology and international studies from the University of Washington and a law degree from Georgetown University. She is a registered patent attorney with the US Patent and Trademark Office and a member of the US Supreme Court Bar, according to her consultancy's website. Clinchy Career Consulting is a woman- and minority-owned small business incorporated in Washington state.