Sunday, December 1, 2019

Social Media for Resume Writers -- Simplified

https://www.pexels.com/@energepic-com-27411

Last month, in this blog post, I showcased how some resume writing colleagues are using social media effectively to increase their visibility and influence. If you’re frustrated by your efforts to get engagement on social media, I totally get it! I want to tell you about a tool I’ve been using to get the most out of social media without a ton of effort.

Social Media Challenges
You're busy running your resume writing business. You've got resumes to write, emails to answer, prospects to follow up with … all of these are competing for your time and energy.

Social media often ends up low on your priority list. (Which, many times, means it just doesn't get done.) Coming up with ideas for what to post each day is overwhelming. You're not sure what to post on social media, let alone come up with new content to post every single day.

Social Media Solutions
Over the past month, I've been using Angie Gensler’s Social Media Content Calendar as a guideline for my social media posts.


I like having a plan. One thing that I really like about the SMCC is that it gives me a content idea for every day of the year — but even more than that, I also bought the Image Templates, so I have ready-to-go images to go with them. (I also incorporate in the Ready-To-Use Social Media Graphics I provide to Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com — but you can never have too much content!)

I pre-schedule a lot of my posts using the Facebook page scheduler tool (when you're logged into your business page, click “Publisher Tools” at the top of the page). I also use Hootsuite (the free version allows you to manage up to three linked social media accounts.)

The neat thing about the SMCC is that it’s all mapped out for you, month by month.


For example, here’s two weeks’ worth of the calendar:



As you can see, you won't be posting exactly the same things that everyone else is. These are content prompts. (And, like I said, you can incorporate in the BARW Ready-To-Use Social Media Graphics — for example, on Saturday the 11th, for “Uplifting,” I go into my RTU folder for the month and choose a graphic with an inspiring quote.)

If you work with a virtual assistant, you could give him or her the Social Media Content Calendar and they can handle all the content creation and posting for you.

I also purchased the upgrade to the Social Media Images pack. Like I’ve said before, you can never have too much ready-to-go social media content!



Results
I’ve seen my engagement and visibility on Facebook increase with the increase in content I’ve been posting. While I’m spending a little more time posting things, it’s paying off.


Want To Learn More?
Wondering what is included with the Social Media Content Calendar?

Here’s what you get:

  • Daily post ideas planned out for you in a proven-to-work system for social media marketing.
  • 52 questions and 52 quotes — done for you! (You also have the option to purchase 155 more done-for-you image templates that can be customized with your branding.)
  • Three completely editable versions to work from — Google Sheet (this is the one I use), Microsoft Excel, and Google Excel
  • Complete list of holidays for the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom
  • Access to comprehensive lists of weird and special national holidays and observances.
  • Ongoing support, resources, and tutorials to help you master social media marketing.
Check out this video:



Another neat thing is that 5% of the proceeds from the purchase of the Social Media Content Calendar are donated to charity. Read about Outreach International here.

The SMCC is designed to be used with Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The calendar is 100% editable and customizable, so it can be used by resume writers anywhere. (Not in the U.S.? US holidays can easily be removed, and Angie has provided supplemental lists of holidays for Australia, Canada, and the UK.)

If you were inspired by my blog post last month about how other resume writers are using social media effectively, and you want to be an example I draw on in the future, I highly recommend the Social Media Content Calendar. As you can see, it’s an easy way to get more engaged with social media.


Please note this post contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase. This is, of course, at no cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more information



Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Have You Ever Been to a Resume Writing Conference?

As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about 2020 careers industry conferences!

I keep referencing this post from August 2011, “When Is the Omaha Conference?”, because it’s where I started tracking my conference attendance.

But since it’s 2019, it’s time to update the conference locations and my attendance!

Here’s the breakdown of where the national resume writing organizations have had their conferences in recent years. (I’ve bolded the ones I attended.)

The National Resume Writers' Association (NRWA):
2022 - New Orleans, LA (scheduled for Sept. 18-20, 2022 at the Royal Sonesta, 300 Bourbon St.)
2021 – NRWA Virtual Conference
2020 – NRWA Virtual Conference
2019 - NRWA Conference at Sea (Cruise to the Bahamas)
2018 - Seattle, Washington
2017 - Chicago, Illinois
2016 - Annapolis, Maryland
2015 - Charlotte, North Carolina
2014 - Denver, Colorado
2013 - Chicago, Illinois
2012 - Charleston, South Carolina
2011 - Portland, Maine
2010 - Fort Worth, Texas
2009 - Annapolis, Maryland
2008 - San Diego, California
2007 - Savannah, Georgia
2006 - Phoenix, Arizona
2005 - Stamford, Connecticut
2004 - Nashville, Tennessee
2003 - Seattle, Washington
2002 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2001 - San Antonio, Texas
2000 - Las Vegas, Nevada
1999 - New Orleans, Louisiana
1998 - Chicago

The NRWA is planning its 2020 conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, which I’m excited about, since the NRWA conference in New Orleans was my first industry conference 20 years ago! It’s scheduled for Sept. 13-15, 2020. Details here.

Career Directors International:
2016 - Present: N/A
2015 - Entrepreneurial Success Secrets Live for Career Professionals: Orlando, Florida
2014 - Global Career Empowerment Summit: SOAR — Orlando, Florida
2013 - Global Career Empowerment Summit: Your Big Breakthrough — Orlando, Florida
2012 - Global Career Empowerment Summit: Blaze Your Trail — San Diego, California
2011 - Global Career Empowerment Summit: Jump On Board the Success Express — Savannah, Georgia
2010 - Global Career Empowerment Summit: You Selected & We Delivered: The Most Outrageously Power-Packed Career Conference Yet — San Diego, California
2009 - Global Career Empowerment Summit: Take Your Career to New Heights — Orlando, Florida
2008 - Annual Conference: Get Super with CDI — Seattle, Washington
2007 - Annual Conference: The Future is You! — San Antonio, Texas
2006 - Annual Conference: Live the Dream — Orlando, Florida (PRWRA)
2005 - Annual Conference: Play to Win — Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWRA)
2004 - Indianapolis, Indiana (PRWRA)
2003 - New Orleans (PRWRA)
2002 - Atlanta, Georgia (when the organization was still PRWRA)

(Thank you to Laura DeCarlo for help assembling the conference titles and locations!) I was never able to make a CDI conference (they were often in October and conflicted with my UNO Hockey obsession).

Career Management Alliance (no longer in business as of August 2011):
2011 - Las Vegas, Nevada
2010 - New Orleans, Louisiana
2009 - San Antonio, Texas
2008 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
2007 - Louisville, Kentucky
2006 - ??
2005 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (when it was still Career Masters Institute)
2004 - Atlanta, Georgia (CMI)
2003 - Kansas City, Missouri (CMI)
2002 - San Diego, California (CMI)

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
2019 - St. Pete Beach, Florida
2005-2018: N/A
2004 - St. Pete Beach, Florida
2003 - Las Vegas, Nevada
2002 - Dallas, Texas
2001 - Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida
2000 - Toronto, Canada
1999 - Colorado Springs, Colorado

PARW/CC held conferences from 1999-2004 but then discontinued conferences in 2004. The organization held a conference from April 28-May 1, 2019 in St. Pete Beach but it’s unclear as to whether there will be a 2020 conference.


Want to read articles from previous career industry conferences? Join BeAResumeWriter.com. 

 



Wednesday, November 20, 2019

I’m Obsessed With Accomplishments

I’m working to put together a new training focused on gathering client accomplishments.

I happened to be thumbing through (electronically, of course), a back issue of the Resume Writers’ Digest newsletter (the July/August 2001 to be exact), and I came across this “From from the Editor” column. Even now, 18 years later, it’s still timely, so I’m reprinting it here. (I typed the text in below because I didn’t think you’d be able to read the screen shot.)



It’s All About Value
What makes you worth the money people pay you?
I was recently working with a client who was developing a proposal for a promotion. She was looking to add additional responsibilities — and receive additional pay — but was struggling to put a dollar value on the work. Specifically, she was worried about asking for more money than the other people with her job title were making.

So I asked her if anyone else with her job title had the same qualifications. No, she answered. Were any of them looking to take on the kind of extra duties her promotion proposal entailed? No again. Then stop worrying, I told her. She was trying to compare apples and oranges. Her value to the company was greater than those with equal titles, but not equal responsibilities and ambition.

Here’s another way of thinking about it. Ask your clients this question: Would employers be willing to pay you more if you did more of one part of your job, or did it better?

For salespeople, the answer is easy.“If I sold more widgets than the other salespeople, my employer would be willing to pay me more.” In fact, that’s what a commission is — extra payment for extra work.

These are the achievements we try to draw out for our client’s resumes. But think about this in relation to your own business. Which resume writers make the most money? Usually, those who charge the higher rates. What enables them to charge higher rates? The value their clients pay is less than the value they receive — in other words, those that can deliver for their clients what the clients want and can’t get themselves.

Want to make more money? Ask yourself what part of what you do — if you did it better — would clients be willing to pay you more to do? Then figure out a way to do it ... and find out just how “value-able” your talents are.

Think about it.

___________________________

By the way, there is a TON of golden information in the back issues of the Resume Writers’ Digest newsletter, which was published bimonthly from July 1999 through March 2005 and intermittently since then. If you are a Bronze member of BeAResumeWriter.com, you have access to the Archive of Back Issues. It’s just ONE of the many benefits of membership for just $13/month! Join here.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Resume Writers: How to Get Better Results from Social Media Marketing

I see a lot of my resume writing colleagues doing social media marketing very well.

Like Julie Walraven, of Design Resumes, who reminds friends and followers on her personal page about the work that she does.



She’s also very transparent about challenges in her work — especially technical issues. Julie is also is quick to recognize partners, which amplifies her reach when she tags them, but also helps them feel good about working with her!


Or Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, who shares helpful hints on her personal Facebook page while also talking about the in-depth branding work she does with clients. She does an excellent job highlighting her work on her personal page without being sales-y. (And uses hashtags very effectively.) Jacqui also is quick to praise and share, tagging colleagues and other pages.


Some of her posts are just fun, and give her friends and followers an opportunity to interact. (In this case, there were several “I feel ya” and “Truth!” comments.) We’ve all been there!


Jacqui is a prolific writer and blogger too, and showcases links to her recently published work on her business page, CareerTrend. It’s a great resource for her target audience of executives.


Nickquolette Barrett, of iRock Resumes, also does social media marketing effectively. She particularly does Facebook Live and video well. Here’s a post where she shared some interviewing tips with her audience after participating in a hiring event. (Make sure you ensure the privacy settings for these posts are PUBLIC so they can be shared by your audience!)



Nickquolette also does a great job of branding the tips that she shares on her business page for iRock Resumes. (And incorporates in relevant hashtags!)



Brenda Cunningham, of Push Career Management, uses Facebook Live in her weekly “Open Phones” offering. Her branded graphic on her business page is attention-getting.


These resume writers are gaining visibility and engagement — building their “know, like, and trust” with people who already know them — people who are either in a position to use their services themselves, or refer people they know.

But social media marketing is something that can be intimidating to resume writers.

If you want to do more on social media, I have two recommendations:

  • Currently, Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com get access to 30 Ready-To-Use Social Media Graphics each month. These are seasonally specific images that are pre-sized for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Each graphic includes an accompanying quote, or you can swap them out for different quotes. (You also get more than 300 inspirational quotes as part of your Bronze membership — they’re called “Positive Encouragement for Jobseekers” and can be found on the download page for the Ready-To-Use Social Media Graphics in the Paid Members section of the site.) I recommend branding them with your logo in Canva or PicMonkey before posting online.

Here’s an example:

(Original file, Facebook format)

After three minutes of work in Canva:


Easy. Then upload the graphic to either your personal Facebook page, or your Business page. (I uploaded it to my BeAResumeWriter.com Facebook page).




Engaging in social media marketing takes just minutes a day, yet it can help you be the first person people think about when they need career services themselves, or know someone who needs help. Take inspiration from our colleagues who are doing it well, and give it a try!


Please note this post contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase. This is, of course, at no cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more information.