Great JobMob Post on 4-Step Recipe to Become a Golden Job Candidate

Rosa Vargas wrote this excellent post on the JobMob website (thanks to Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter for the link on Facebook).

Rosa writes that job seekers must identify their "golden distinction," using the following formula:

a. In alignment with what is needed for the type of jobs I am targeting, I need to promote the following three personal profile qualities _______, _______, and ______ in my marketing message.

b. To perfectly match what is needed from the ideal candidate, I need to convey my unique talent in being able to achieve _______________________________________ consistently throughout my career. This is evidenced by the following examples from my career: (choose at least 3).

c. This skill (“b” above) is unique of someone with my qualifications and experiences in that I, unlike most, will go about it this way ___________________________________________________.

d. To convince employers my distinction positions me to solve their problem(s) and deliver benefits for XYZ Company, I must promise them the following ______________________ as an end result.

Read the full post at: http://jobmob.co.il/blog/golden-job-candidate-recipe/#ixzz1VUI3zsav

Are you sharing this kind of valuable information with your clients, or are you just writing their resume?

Get Ready for International Update Your Resume Month

I received the following email from Susan Geary on the Career Directors International e-mail list. Now is the perfect time to send out your news release tied to International Update Your Resume Month (September)!

It's hard to believe that Update Your Resume Month turns 10 next month! Now is the perfect time to hit up radio, TV, and newspapers to get the word out and get some free publicity for your business. I have found that the best day to book appearances (especially if it's your first time) is on the Sunday before Labor Day. Producers are hungry for guests because it's one of the slowest weekends of the entire year for TV news outlets. It seems everyone is on vacation and good guests are hard to find. For us, it's the start of our busy season again! So find 5 new trends or changes you can talk about, send an email to the producers and editors, and follow up. Make sure to tell them something they don't know about if you want to pique their interest. (what occupations are currently trending, or how long is it taking for the average job seeker to land work, or how to use LinkedIn in a job search w/o tipping off a current employer.) Remember, this isn't a sales pitch for your business. It's a reminder to everyone, how a bad resume hinders an effective job search. Best to you, Susan Geary 1st Rate Resumes

Career Directors International provides resources to members to help them promote this event and get exposure for their business!

When Is the Omaha Conference?

Last weekend, I wrote about the NRWA Conference preview teleseminar I attended. I would be remiss if I didn't also point out that Career Directors International is having their 2011 conference in October. 

For several years now, I've been thinking that I need to organize a resume writer's conference in Omaha (where I live). We're located right in the middle of the country, we've got a fabulous airport, inexpensive hotels (the one I have in mind has a complimentary airport shuttle, 185 guest rooms, conference space for up to 150 people, and rates of around $79-$104/night), and we're the headquarters of the Gallup Organization (and five Fortune 500 companies), so I'm confident I could get some great guest speakers!

If I don't put together my own conference, I'd love to attend a conference in Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, or Denver (all are within driving distance...). That would require convincing one of the national resume writing organizations to schedule in one of these cities.

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):
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

Career Directors International:
2011 - Savannah, Georgia
2010 - San Diego, California
2009 - Orlando, Florida
2008 - Seattle, Washington
2007 - San Antonio, Texas
2006 - Orlando, Florida (PRWRA)
2005 - Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWRA)
2004 - Indianapolis, Indiana (PRWRA)
2003 - New Orleans (PRWRA)
2002 - Atlanta, Georgia (when the organization was still PRWRA)

I haven't yet attended a CDI conference (although I've heard they are fabulous!). In my defense, Laura DeCarlo keeps scheduling them in October, which is during the UNO Hockey season (and Jon and I have never, ever missed a UNO home hockey game).

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
(discontinued conferences in 2004?)
2004 - St. Pete Beach, Florida
2003 - Las Vegas, Nevada
2002 - Dallas, Texas
2001 - Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida
2000 - Toronto, Canada
1999 - Colorado Springs, Colorado

What do you think? Where would you be interested in attending a conference?

NRWA Conference Preview

Yesterday, I was on a free teleseminar call sponsored by the National Resume Writers' Association (NRWA), previewing their upcoming conference in September in Portland, Maine. While I'm unable to attend due to family commitments, I was interested in hearing what was planned -- and I'd like to share a couple of the highlights with you.

(You can listen to the call recording here).

The call was facilitated by Kathy Sweeney and featured several of the conference speakers, including Barbara Safani, Kimberly Schneiderman, and Norine Dagliano.

On Friday, Sept. 23, Barbara will present on "Social Media in Job Search: No Longer Optional."

• "A resume isn't enough anymore," she says.
• Social media profiles allow candidates to better compete.
• Resume writers have a great opportunity to educate clients on what else is out there (in terms of social media profiles and tools) besides LinkedIn.
• This session is important because "resume writers need to keep up with the times."

On Thursday, Sept. 22, in one of the concurrent breakout sessions, Kimberly Schneiderman will present "Boiling It Down: Marketing Your Most Accomplished Client Through a One-Page Document."

• These one-page documents won't replace the resume, but are an additional tool.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, Norine Dagliano will talk about "Same Client - Different Story: Tools and Strategies for Crafting Career-Change Resumes."

• She's had numerous clients coming to her with the challenge that "what they had done, they may not be able to do anymore."
• Traditional resume formats don't work for career changers.

Finally, Kathy Sweeney talked about the presentation she'll give on Friday, Sept. 23 on "Trademarks and Copyrights 101: How to Protect Your Business Name, Logo, and Intellectual Property." On the preview call, Kathy talked about how she's had her website content copied, her articles stolen, and her business name used by other people. She also talked about how she had unintentionally used the name of another business (despite conducting a trademark search). After she had invested time and money in creating a website, blog, and radio show, she received a cease-and-desist letter from another careers industry professional who, she soon discovered, owned that brand. She immediately changed the consortium name, but had to re-record 12 radio shows with the new name.

Sweeney said her talk will help resume writers:

• Protect your business
• Protect your reputation
• Protect your intellectual property
• Make sure you're not infringing on someone else (even accidentally).

For more information about the NRWA Conference, or to register, visit the NRWA website.

A two-pay conference registration option is available for one more week.

Career Management Alliance Is No More

Kennedy Information (publishers of the "Directory of Executive Recruiters") has chosen to discontinue the Career Management Alliance (CMA) association (formerly Career Masters Institute), originally founded by Wendy Enelow in 1999. Wendy has now regained ownership of the two certification credentials that originated out of the organization -- the Master Resume Writer (MRW) and Credentialed Career Master (CCM) designations. If you have questions about these credentials -- or are interested in pursuing these certifications, contact Wendy.

The Role of Workforce Development Going Forward

I live in Nebraska and our neighboring state, Iowa, is caught up in a controversy about a plan to close 36 Workforce Development offices in the state.

The fundamental question about how to serve job seekers is one that resume writers have been contemplating for several years. The Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey throughout the years demonstrated the shift from office-based resume writers to more and more resume writers working from home. (In the 2010 survey, 76 percent of writers who responded work from a home office only, while 12 percent have both a home and business office.)

The governor's decision to close the offices in favor of creating "access points" -- special software installed on workstations at sites across the state, combined with online chat and a toll-free number -- is drawing criticism as reducing access to services.

But in reality, how many individuals visit Workforce Development offices in person -- unless they have to? Certainly the white collar, professional, and executive unemployed would be bothered less than blue collar workers, seniors, and the technologically challenged. But adding access points in public libraries, for example, would allow for hands-on support (and potentially some additional usage and funds for the libraries in exchange for hosting the access point).

Fundamentally, it's important to look at the nature of how Workforce Development can support the job search. Is their role to help clients find jobs, or to provide them with computer services? Already, many Workforce Development offices are moving more of their resources online -- hosting job boards on their sites, giving jobseekers access to resume building software, and providing support to employers through online portals.

The future of the support system needs to be re-evaluated in light of how the job search has changed through the years. Prospective employees -- even those in blue collar jobs -- are expected to be able to have basic technological proficiency. Effective job search strategies require company research and networking -- but existing Workforce Development services have focused on online job postings (probably in response to earlier rounds of job reductions and funding cuts within the Workforce Development system). It may require a re-imagination of the entire support system to meet the needs of jobseekers, employers, and those funding the services.

Closing offices may be the impetus that spurs on this revitalization of the existing system.

What are your thoughts?

Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers: Part 5

This is the fifth and final post in a series of posts on "Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers." Previous posts in the series addressed the What and Why of SEO, Keyword Research, SEO Basics, and Setting Up Google Places. These posts are excerpted from the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook."

This post is all about "Google Places Best Practices."

Since you now have your business claimed and verified on Google Places, we can look at some techniques to make sure you use your listing properly. First off, Google Places isn’t really a service you “use” per se. It isn’t like Facebook Places in that regards. When I say “use,” I really mean how you should set it up to get the most advantage from the search engines. Essentially these best practices are steps to take to ensure your listing shows up above other businesses.

Google Places ranking depends on a number of items, including (but not limited to):

1.        Claiming Your Business — I will assume you did this in the last step, but if you didn’t, here is a good incentive to do it. Claiming your business is one way to raise it in the Google rankings. Generally speaking, claimed businesses show up before unclaimed ones.

2.        Choose City Center Locations — If your resume writing business has multiple locations (for example, a home office and a business office), list the one that is closest to the heart of the city. While it might be impossible for you to control, Google does lend weight to a businesses proximity to the city center.

3.        Categorize Properly — You can choose a number of categories for your business, and I suggest using as many categories as possible. The catch is they have to be legitimate categories. Don’t reach too far for categories, because if they aren’t related to your business, Google could penalize you by ranking your site lower in Places.

4.        Fill Out Your Profile — Fill out as much info in the profile as you can. Include payment types, hours, and other information — like parking, for example. Google definitely prefers profiles to be more filled out, because it means more value for their users.

5.        Add Images — Google gives you 10 spots for images, and I suggest using every spot. This will not only make your business listing look better, it will contribute to the “fullness” of your profile. You should have your business logo and your photo, at a minimum. You might also have a photo of the outside of your office (if you work from a commercial location). You can also include logos for professional organization affiliations (PARW, NRWA, CMA, CDI logos, for example) as well as for résumé certifications (ACRW, CPRW, NCRW, CRW, etc.).

6.        Reviews — People can review your business right on Google Places, so encourage some of your favorite customers to write you a review. It will look great on your profile, and help your listing show up at the top. Google Places also looks at review sites on the web. If applicable, make sure your business is reviewed on sites like Yelp.

Google Places is only gaining in popularity. Tapping into it today and optimizing your listing with the tips above will ensure your business has a prominent place on it.

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You can download the entire five-part series as a special report excerpt. It's just one small part of the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook." Purchase the 42-page special report for just $14 and receive two bonus special reports for free: "How to Add a Facebook 'Like' Box on Any Page" and "How to Use Facebook Ads In Your Resume Writing Business."

Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers: Part 4

This is the fourth in a series of five posts on "Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers." 

The first post in the series addressed the What and Why of SEO. The second was about Keyword Research. Yesterday's post covered SEO Basics. The fifth and final part is tomorrow's post on Google Places Best Practices. These posts are excerpted from the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook."

Today's post is about Setting Up Google Places.

Another step towards dominating Google locally is making sure you are represented on Google Places and have claimed your business.

Google Places is NOT Facebook Places — it isn’t the same thing at all. Have you ever done a search on Google and a map pops up with businesses plotted on it? This is Google Places in action. Many people don’t realize that you can claim your business and control the information Google shares in this manner.

 In this step we will look at how to sign up and add/claim your business.

First you have to visit Google Places.

1.      Sign in with your Google Account — If you don’t have a Google account, sign up for one now. Google has a number of free tools that are must-haves for individuals who want to market their businesses online. Google Places is just one of these.

2.      Check Out Some Information — Once you have entered your Google ID, you will be taken to a new page. On the left hand side is an “Add a Business” button — but before you click that, you can learn a little more about Google Places from some of the links and videos on the right side of page. When you feel comfortable moving on...

3.      Click Add a New Business — You will be taken to a page where it will ask for your country and business’s main phone number. This is to find out if a listing already exists. If it does, you will be taken to a page where you can click “edit” and you can fill out more information. If it doesn’t, you will be taken to a form to fill out to add your business. Fill out as much info as possible in either scenario and click “Submit.”

4.       Verify — Once you click submit, you will have to verify your Google Places listing. You can do this three different ways: via a phone call to your listed business number, a text to your listed cell phone number, or a postcard to your listed business address. The phone call and text will be instant, but you will have to wait 2-3 weeks for the postcard. Sometimes the phone verification won’t work with some phone systems, so you will be forced to go with text or postcard. Either way you do it, you will receive a code, and once you enter that, your listing will be live.

Now, you have either claimed or created your business profile on Google Places. You have taken another step towards building a great online presence. 

Tomorrow's blog post is about Google Places Best Practices.

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This blog post is just one small part of the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook." Purchase the 42-page special report for just $14 and receive two bonus special reports for free: "How to Add a Facebook 'Like' Box on Any Page" and "How to Use Facebook Ads In Your Resume Writing Business."