Credibility Marketing

One of the best ways to:

• Generate leads
• Convert prospects
• Increase media coverage for your résumé writing services; and
• Make sales

is to present career-related workshops. The barrier for most resume writers is knowing what to SAY in these workshops. Well, I've got a solution for you.

It's called "Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search" and it's a complete training program for resume writers and career coaches.

Why might résumé writers want to make presentations? For exposure. For profit. Or maybe, if they’ve purchased "Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search," because it’s so darn easy. If it came in a container, this kit might easily be referred to as a "seminar-in-a-box." But since it doesn’t, it should be called a "workshop-in-a-binder."

Produced by Nancy Karvonen, CPRW, CEIP, JCTC, CCM, and adapted from Jack Chapman’s popular special report, "Twelve Biggest Mistakes Job Hunters and Career Make and How to Avoid Them," this workshop is a perfect fit for prospective résumé clients, paying clients and general audiences. The focus of the workshop is on three areas: the job search, the interview and salary negotiation. The original one-hour format offers enough information to be useful without "giving away the store." You can add additional examples, anecdotes and samples to any section to expand the workshop content (and length).

For résumé writers looking to market themselves, Karvonen has included bonuses to make the process easy, including a sample workshop marketing letter, flier mock-up, sign-in sheet (including all the information you’d need to follow up with interested prospects) and evaluation form. The content of the workshop itself is also geared towards prospecting new clients, should you choose to use it for that purpose.

For those not familiar with Chapman’s "12 Mistakes," Karvonen explains them clearly and concisely.
They are:
1. Answering All the Help Wanted Ads
2. Avoiding Answering the Help Wanted Ads
3. Mailing Unsolicited Résumés
4. Looking for Openings and Vacancies
5. Inept Networking
6. Leaving Yourself Open to Too Many Kinds of Jobs
7. Unscheduled/Unplanned Job Searches
8. Doing It Alone
9. Letting Motivation Take Care of Itself
10. Letting Others Control Your Job Search
11. Not Preparing Well Enough for Job Interviews
12. Talking About Money Too Soon — Not Knowing Your Market Value

The workshop format follows the job search of "Pat Traditional," who was laid off from her job. Pat uses many of the same techniques that the "typical" job searcher tries and makes dozens of mistakes in the process, some of them made by even the best-intentioned job searchers.

Along the way, the workshop identifies the mistakes Pat makes and offers effective alternatives that are based on the same concept, but are more likely to yield results. For example, in "Leaving Yourself Open to Too Many Kinds of Jobs" (Mistake #6), Pat ap-plies for dozens of different types of jobs, reasoning, "If 100 jobs are out there and you narrow your search down to only two of them, your chances are much less than if you’re open to every-thing, right?" Instead, the workshop offers suggestions for effectively narrowing her search.

The kit itself is well done. It contains five major sections, separated by dividers. All the pages are numbered (including the handouts), making it easy to find information and sections quickly. Originals are sheltered in individual sheet protectors, making it easy to keep them in good condition. Plus, the CD-ROM makes it easy to customize pieces or print new originals, if necessary.

The CD itself is a gem. It uses Microsoft PowerPoint and Word for-mats and can be used by either a PC or Mac user. Adobe Acrobat PDFs ensure new originals can easily be made without loss of style or format. It's just $99.95 for the complete kit. It’s definitely worth the price — and knowing that you’ll be up and running and able to present your first seminar in about one week is worth the price.

Another bonus: Don’t like making presentations, but still want the resulting publicity? Buy the kit and use it as fodder for news releases and hand-outs. Several of the overheads are appropriate for charts accompanying news or feature stories. Or use each mistake as the subject of a series of 12 news releases. Incorporate in your own client’s experiences as examples.

Order from Impact Publications.