Using a VA In Your Resume Writing Business

Last month, Christine Edick of A Virtual Connection, delivered an excellent teleseminar on BeAResumeWriter.com on "Be More Organized, Efficient, Productive & Profitable (Using a Virtual Assistant)."

In talking with resume writers, I find more and more of them are using virtual assistants (VAs) or outsourcing key tasks.

Christine offered some great tips for getting started with virtual assistants, which include:

• Start with a small project or trial period. Identify one thing to turn over or outsource initially. (See below for the top five things to have a VA do for you.)
• Make sure you're a good match. Many VAs specialize in certain areas, so make sure what you need aligns with what the VA offers (or specializes in). 
• Have a contract — or some agreement — outlining the scope of work and rates.
• Give as much guidance as you can about the project and the work you do — if your VA understands your clients, services, and perspective, he/she will be more effective.
• Check-in regularly, especially in the early stages of a project. This will ensure your VA is on the "right track" with your expectations.
• Be flexible. If you give them one project, and it's not working out, don't be afraid to put an end to that project, and try delegating something else. Make sure you are working to your VA's strengths. What are they good at?

There are five main areas that a virtual assistant can do for you as a resume writer:

1. Website work. That can include updating information, adding plug-ins to a WordPress site, or keeping your calendar updated.
2. Social media. Virtual assistants can both write and schedule content for your social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
3. Database management. A VA can set up your customer relationship management (CRM) system, add in your autoresponder messages, and more.
4. Communications/outreach. Whether that's sending email newsletters oor managing speaking engagements, a VA can work as your virtual representative.
5. Appointment scheduling. This is one that many resume writers would love to do — but are probably wary — allowing your VA to schedule appointments for you and send out pre-meeting information (such as questionnaires) and follow up with prospects to set appointments.

Christine also outlined four key success factors for working with a VA:

• A strong desire to do it (a clear and compelling reason)
• Identify core actions your VA can do to produce results for your career services business
• Count the costs (is the time, energy, and risk worth it)
• Finally, ACT! Act on your commitments, not your feelings.

Take the time to listen to Christine's 60-minute call. Free Level members of BeAResumeWriter.com can find it on the Free Level Resources page (you must be logged in to the site to access it) for the next few weeks. Bronze Members have access to the MP3 and transcript in the Expert Interviews Series section (must be logged in as a Bronze member).

You can also purchase the MP3 recording and fully edited transcript (plus Christine's slides and two bonuses — a Resources and Tools guide, and a 23-page guide, "How to Systematize and Automate") for just $5. Find out more information here.

Find a VA here:

International Virtual Assistants Association

Outsource specific tasks:

• Elance

• Guru

• Odesk

• Fiverr.com

Helping Clients With How to Write LinkedIn Recommendations

LinkedIn is increasingly important in our clients' job searches -- and the role of Recommendations is growing too. September's Pass-Along Materials content on BeAResumeWriter.com focuses on how to give -- and get -- LinkedIn Recommendations.

You must either be connected to the individual you wish to Recommend or know his or her email address. Also, the individual must have a valid LinkedIn account. You may find it easiest to use the "select from your connections list" in the "Make a Recommendation" section.

You can also make a Recommendation from the individual's profile page directly:

(Note: In the Pass-Along Materials, the screen shots are of a fictionalized profile. You can also replace the screen shots with your own profile, like I did above with my own LinkedIn profile)

Some things to consider before writing a Recommendation are:

• What are they good at?
• What did they do better than anyone else?
• What impact did they have on me? (How did they make my life better/easier?)
• What surprised you about the individual?

Within the Recommendation, you want to include four things (this is an excerpt of the full "Formula for a LinkedIn Profile"):

• How you know the person
• Why you recommend them
• A story that backs up your Recommendation (providing "social proof")
• A call to action

Your finished Recommendation might look like this (this is an example of the type of notification email you'll receive when someone Recommends you):

Resume writers -- learn more about the "How to Give -- and Get -- LinkedIn Recommendations" Pass-Along Materials package. It's brandable content you can use in your own resume writing business.

Here's what you can do with this content (you can edit the report or use it "as is"):

• Use it as a free giveaway to build your prospect mailing list or sell it.
• Tweet excerpts or post updates to Facebook and/or LinkedIn using the tips in the content.
• Break it into sections and use it as a series of blog posts or articles on your website. 
• Turn it into a video and use it to drive traffic to your website.
• Use it as a a script or an outline for a webinar.
• Make it a handout for a LinkedIn training class.
• Add it as a bonus for a LinkedIn membership program or training.

Because it's provided in Microsoft Word format, you can change out the screen shots to feature your own profile, and you can add to -- or edit -- any of the content.

If you are a Bronze member of BeAResumeWriter.com (just $10/month), you can access this content in the Paid Member Resources section from now until Oct. 9, 2012. Or, you can purchase the package at this link: How to Give -- and Get -- LinkedIn Recommendations.

Secrets of Getting Free Coverage in Your Local Area

Buying a full-page ad in your local newspaper would cost more than most resume writing businesses could afford. However, if you got your local newspaper to cover you for free, that's exactly what you might get: an entire page (or at least a portion of a page!) dedicated to you.

Here's how to leverage the power of the press to get massive free publicity in your local area.

Pay Attention to Subsections
People often make the mistake of only trying to make "The Big News" (i.e., the front page of the paper or the front page of the Careers section). When you're trying to get attention locally, often it's better to focus on smaller sections.

For example, instead of trying to get an article in the Careers section, you might try to get a story in the "Money" or "Business" section. (Plus, you'd be attracting the attention of readers who aren't necessarily looking for a new job right at the moment.) Or how about trying to get a story in the "Living" section about a client who made a career transition in order to spend more time with his kids?

Each newspaper uses a different name for their various sections. Look through the various local papers and pick the sections you want to try to get stories in.

Don't Just Target Newspapers -- Think Magazines

Large cities often have magazines as well as newspapers. For example, San Francisco has the "7x7" magazine, dedicated just to San Francisco. New York, Chicago, Boston and many big cities also have similar circulations. My hometown -- Omaha, Nebraska -- has a couple of different city-oriented magazines, including Omaha magazine. The same company also publishes magazines called "Omaha Home" and "B2B Omaha."

Do a Google search of your city + magazine and see if you can find publications that are city-oriented in your area.

Reaching Out to Journalists
Remember that newspaper editors need to fill pages. Find the editor or journalist who's responsible for the specific section you're targeting. Try to pick people who've written about similar stories in the past. Then, send them an email pitching your story. Wait about 24 hours, then contact them by phone to follow up. Add them to your news release distribution list.

You might not land the story your very first try. Keep coming up with interesting angles and soon enough you'll get your first mention in the newspapers. Publicity begets publicity -- the more you're quoted, the more you'll be asked to be a part of future stories.

For more information on how to get free coverage for your careers industry business -- including sample news releases, dozens of story ideas to pitch, and more -- check out the Feed the Media Special Report (available to Bronze Level members during the month of September on BeAResumeWriter.com).

How to Grow Your Resume Business Through Crowdsourcing

With the death of my Dad earlier this month, I found myself facing a double-edged sword of having a crushing amount of responsibilities related to planning his funeral ... and a concurrent case of writer's block. It wasn't resumes that I was having trouble writing -- I had backed off of those in July when it was apparent his health was declining -- it was the August Pass-Along Materials package for BeAResumeWriter.com.

I had already decided in July what the topic for the content would be, and had outlined and written several sections of the report by the time he died. But every time I sat down to finish it, I was just stuck. I sent out an email to Bronze members to let them know what was going on -- and received wonderful, thoughtful, amazing responses from so many colleagues. The message was pretty consistent: Don't worry about the work. But I got my work ethic from my Dad ... so not worrying about finishing it was eating at me. The second consistent theme of the emails was: Let me know if I can do anything.

And that's what sparked an idea ... what if I crowdsourced ideas for the report content? Instead of relying on my own initiative and strengths -- which were sorely lacking at that point -- I would ask for help, in the form of crowdsourcing content for the report, which became the "Jobseeker's Guide to Leaving Your Job."

© FotolEdhar - Fotolia.com

What Is Crowdsourcing?
As defined by Wired Magazine, "Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to an undefined large group of people or community through an open call." In this case, I sent out a follow-up email with a link to a QuestionPro survey. Immediately after sending it out, I began to receive survey responses (and emails from folks letting me know they had taken the survey).

You'll also see this principle at work with resume writers. I wrote a blog post this month about whether you should "Like" another resume writer's Facebook business page. Asking colleagues to "Like" your page is an example of crowdsourcing. You'll often get people who immediately comply with your request. You're asking the masses to help you grow your resume writing business.

So How Do You Grow Your Resume Writing Business with Crowdsourcing?
First, think about the various ways you can grow your business. These include:

• Marketing
• Content
• Product development
• Website traffic
• Branding

Second, you'll want to think about your crowdsourcing resources. As you can see from the earlier examples, social networking and list-building are often the keys to success. The key part of "crowdsourcing" is crowd -- the more people you can reach, the easier it will be to pick up momentum quickly for your initiative. (You've seen on Facebook how word can spread across the country in a matter of minutes.)

Do you have a large network of friends and followers? Are you currently active on social networking sites? It doesn;t have to be Facebook. Social sites like Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube are very powerful too.

Third, consider your goals. What do you want to accomplish first? For example, do you need a lot of content for your website? Ask for submissions or guest blog posts from your friends and followers. Make it a contest and ask readers to vote on the best blog posts.

If you want to use the power of the crowd to develop your first information product, ask for input. Ask your jobseeking clients for their top 3 challenges in finding a great job.

The power of the crowd is immense. You can use it to grow your resume writing business in a number of ways. Instead of paying a product development team or hiring a focus group, you can now go directly to the source and ask your prospects to contribute. And it doesn't cost a thing. Consider your goals and your resources, then take action.

For me, I am immensely grateful to my colleagues who contributed their ideas and inspiration to complete the "Jobseeker's Guide to Leaving Your Job" Pass-Along Materials content.

Summer Savings on Training from The Academies

The Academies is offering $200 savings off of three of their upcoming training programs.

But you must register by Tuesday, July 31 to take advantage of the special pricing.

Social Networking Career Strategist program (focuses on Facebook) 

Starts Wednesday, August 15; from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. ET

What you can expect to learn:

• How to reverse client perception that Facebook is “just for kids” or only valuable for personal networking.
• Tips for creating better profiles, fan pages, and company pages.
• How to build engagement and dialog and create community.
• How to leverage the social nuances of Facebook to build your clients’ online presence.
• Strategies for keeping client information safe on Facebook.
• Recommendations for managing time and messaging on Facebook.
• How to add a new revenue stream to your business by offering Facebook profile development, maintenance, and consulting services.

Register before July 31 & save $200!  Use coupon code SUMMER2012

Certified Tough Transitions Career Coach program (two 6-week classes) —

Life-to-Work class starts Tuesday, August 21, 2012; from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET

Work-to-Work class starts Monday, October 15; from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  ET

The Certified Tough Transitions Career Coach Program will give you a proven process and targeted techniques to help clients from unemployment, under-employment, or un-happy employment. You will be equipped and inspired to help even those making tough transitions to choose and market themselves wisely as they transition their careers or get back to work. Your new confidence and expertise will allow you to respond to clients at all levels, and build your business by coaching the growing number of people making tough career transitions!

* Register for Life-to-Work or Work-to-Work before July 31 & save $200 or register for both to save even more! Use coupon code SUMMER2012

Certified Career Management Coach program (longest running Academies program!) —

Starts Tuesday, September 18; from 10 a.m to 12 p.m.  ET

OR Wednesday, September 19; from 3-5pm ET

The CCMC course will give you the know-how to qualify for the certification of Certified Career Management Coach and be able to use…

• powerful coaching techniques to jumpstart and motivate clients,
• insider secrets for career management in this changing economy, and
• for entrepreneurs, proven practice-building strategies to attract your “choice” client … for career center professionals, techniques to help your clients understand the value of the services you offer so that they will “buy-in” with greater commitment and involvement.

* Register for the Tuesday or Wednesday class before July 31 & save $400 Use coupon code SUMMER2012 … PLUS – if you pay in FULL, receive enrollment in the Social Networking Career Strategist program for FREE! (No coupon necessary … when your full payment order comes through, a staff member will contact you regarding your free class!)

Find out more information -- or register -- here:
Summer Savings 2012


Want to find more training opportunities for professional resume writers? 
Visit the BeAResumeWriter.com Events page.

Teleseminar Basics for Resume Writers

As I mentioned in this month's call, "Teleseminars on Teleseminars: How Resume Writers Can Use Teleseminars for Promotion and Profit" these types of calls are a great way to build trust with an audience, make sales, and facilitate two-way communication.

Before launching your first teleseminar, you need to make sure you're prepared from both a presentation perspective and a technical perspective. Here's a brief checklist to help you do that.

Make Sure Your Line Can Handle the Volume

If you have over 100 guests, make sure you check your teleseminar provider to see if your line can handle the volume. The kinds of providers you need for a teleseminar with 100 people, 1,000 people and 10,000 people are very different services with different technical requirements.

Prepare the First 60 Seconds
The first 60 seconds of the teleseminar is the most important! This is when people will decide either to leave the teleseminar or to stay on. In the first 60 seconds, clearly spell out what's going to be covered and what they'll get by listening to the call. Practice your first 60 seconds several times before the call.

Invitation & Follow-Up Schedule
At a bare minimum, every teleseminar should have one invitation and one follow-up email before the actual call. You will want to carefully plan out your sales process around the call and you use several emails to "sell" prospective attendees on coming onto the teleseminar.

Make sure to plan out the whole process before you start promoting the teleseminar.

Get Familiar with the Technology
Whether you are doing a teleseminar or webinar, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the technology before you do a live call. This is especially important with webinar software, because it can be tricky. Try running a test seminar with just yourself and a test computer beforehand. Learn how to switch between screencasts and presentation tools. Learn how to mute and unmute visitors and how to take questions. You don't want to be trying to figure these things out while on a live call.

Test Your Recording Devices
If you want your call recorded, make sure you test that as well. Most teleseminar services offer recording as part of the service, but I also recommend a second recording as a backup. I use Audio Acrobat to record my teleseminars, because it allows me to provide the recording in numerous formats, including downloadable MP3s as well as streaming audio on my website.

Prep for Most Common Questions
Before the teleseminar begins, try to predict what kind of questions people will ask you. You can do this by going through past emails prospective or current clients have sent you or by browsing related forums on the Internet.

By having an idea of what to expect before going into the seminar, you'll be able to answer questions in a more informative, authoritative way. You'll also be able to research any questions that you might have trouble with.

These are some of the most important things to cover before you launch a teleseminar. Make sure your line can handle the volume, check your recording equipment, test the software, prepare your first 60 seconds, have a solid invitation and follow-up system, and prep your Q&A beforehand.

For more information on using teleseminars to get more clients for your career services business, purchase the "Teleseminar on Teleseminars: How Resume Writers Can Use Teleseminars for Promotion and Profit" -- just $5 for the MP3 and transcript.

Quick Ideas for Resume Writers to Maximize Your Online Profile

I'm a bit of a social media "junkie," and wanted to give you some ideas for maximizing your online presence.

First off, your personal Facebook profile is where you're likely to get most of your initial business. After all, these are your friends and family, and maybe former colleagues, neighbors, etc. (depending on your personal policy about accepting friend requests andyour privacy settings). But sharing job search-related tips on your personal profile (as well as talking about projects you're working on for clients) can be a good way to spark some referrals. (I average a couple referrals a month from my Facebook friends...from my personal profile!)

The next step is to set up your Facebook Business Page for your resume writing business. It can be tricky to get your business page Profile picture and Timeline cover graphic to look just right, but you can find someone to help you on a site like Fiverr.com (and it's just $5). You'll find that it takes time to build your "Likes" to your Business Page (most resume writers average around 75 "likes" for their page -- but there are many with as few as 5 "Likes" and a few with 100+). While "quantity" is your eventual goal, quality is a great way to start. Share tips and ideas, link to interesting articles (don't just post the link -- comment on it!), and share your client success stories (not by NAME specifically unless your client says it's ok -- more like: "Just got a call from Ann K. who received three calls for interviews within 2 days of sending out her new resume. Nice!"

On the subject of getting the most out of your social media presence, there's Twitter. As I remarked to a colleague today: You either love Twitter, or you don't understand it. A lot of people set up Twitter profiles and don't do anything with it. The key with Twitter is: The more you do on Twitter, the more you'll get out of it. I admit, it has kind of a steep learning curve to begin with. There's the whole follower thing (i.e., you can Tweet at anyone with an unprotected Twitter account, but you can only get Direct Messages from someone you're also following) ... there's "Twitter-etiquette" -- like acknowledging retweets (RTs) and mentions (MTs), the phenomenon of #FollowFriday (and the whole explanation of hashtags #) and how/when to use them ... and, of course, how to manage the Twitter stream (as it relates to time management).

The easiest thing to do with Twitter is to set up your Twitter account to interface with your Facebook Business Page (it's quite easy, actually) and have everything you post to your Facebook Business Page automatically post to Twitter. Also, check in for 10-15 minutes a week on Twitter to respond to Tweets and DMs, follow people who are following you, etc. You can also set it so that Twitter automatically posts to your LinkedIn account.

You can learn more about how to use social media for client acquisition in my "Introduction to Social Media for Your Resume Writing Business" special report, available to Bronze members on BeAResumeWriter.com this month (June 2012).

Who I Am

I was inspired to write this post by an "introduce yourself" thread on the National Resume Writer's Association (NRWA) LinkedIn group. What I wrote ended up being too long for that forum, so I've printed it here.

My name is Bridget (Weide) Brooks. (The "Weide" part is my maiden name ... pronounced "Why-Dee.") I live in Omaha, Nebraska with my husband and business partner, Jon.

I've been writing resumes since the age of 12, when I wrote one for my dad, who was unemployed at the time. He got a job with the federal government, and I had found my new career! (Well, not really. Yet. And actually, I refer out clients wanting federal resumes nowadays. Hmm. Hadn't thought of that connection before.) Anyway, I revived my interest in resumes when competing at Nebraska's State Leadership Conference for the Future Business Leaders of America. In the "Job Interview" competition, high school seniors would prepare a resume and cover letter for a fictional company ("Merit") and then participate in mock interviews with real business leaders from the Omaha area. I was a pioneer in the tactic of actually targeting my resume and cover letter to Merit's needs. (Most people just wrote generic resumes and cover letters, because they didn't know what Merit did. I gave Merit an industry, market niche, and backstory and made that clear in the cover letter, so the interviewer could "play along" -- making my interview much more effective than my peers.) I ended up being "Runner-up Ms. Future Business Leader of Nebraska" that year (1991).

More important, I came back to my high school for the next seven years and taught resume writing and job interviewing to each successive year's class of seniors competing at the State Leadership Conference. One highlight was when my younger sister won "Ms. Future Business Leader of Nebraska" and placed fourth in the national "Ms. Future Business Leader" event. (I also helped prepare approximately 120 graduating seniors for their future job searches!)

I began dating my now-husband, Jon, when we were seniors in high school. We dated all throughout college, and when it came time to graduate (both of us received a bachelor's degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1996), we decided to start our own business. We decided to focus on the emerging "SOHO" (Small Office, Home Office) market, helping other self-employed folks with their marketing and promotion. I also wrote resumes (a natural tie-in to the business, since it was helping individuals "market and promote" themselves). While we eventually changed the focus of the business from SOHO professionals to somewhat "larger" small businesses, I have continued to write resumes throughout all 16 years of our business. During that time, I also subcontracted as a resume writer for another resume writer and also for CareerPerfect (a national contracting firm).

In 1999, I started a trade newsletter (in print format) for resume writers -- Resume Writers' Digest -- because I had questions about the industry that I wanted answered, but the information I wanted wasn't available from the professional associations serving the market. I wanted concrete data about pricing, revenues, busy times of the year, services being provided, etc. -- so I initiated the Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey. I interviewed resume writers on topics as varied as operating a resume service from home (at a time when most resume writers -- including me -- had business offices), working as a subcontractor, and numerous marketing and promotion topics. One of our most popular features of the print edition was "conference coverage" -- working with a team of freelance writers, we'd give you a sense of the key takeaways in brief write-ups of the major sessions from professional association conferences.

Although we had several hundred subscribers, I discontinued the print publication in the Spring of 2005. I brought it back as an online-only newsletter in the Fall of 2007, publishing 2-4 issues annually. I've been blogging about topics of interest to resume writers since June 2007 (wow--coming up on five years now!). And, in September 2011, I launched a membership site for resume writers -- BeAResumeWriter.com -- offering access to all the back issues of Resume Writers' Digest, monthly teleseminars, and forms and templates for resume writers to use in their business. Plus, each month subscribers get a Special Report (like "Write Great Resumes Faster" and "Website Traffic Secrets for Resume Writers") and Pass-Along Materials, which is content you can put your name on and 'pass along' to your own resume clients and prospects. (These have been very popular -- previous topics have included Jobseeker's Guide to Salary Negotiation, Getting Started With LinkedIn In Your Job Search, and Jobseeker's Guide to Online Reputation Management). There is also a "Free" level option -- you get access to streaming audio recordings of previous teleseminars, special reports, and the current issue of Resume Writers' Digest.

I'm still writing interview-winning resumes -- although mostly for past clients these days. I'm also going to be speaking at the National Resume Writer's Association conference in Charleston in September on the topic of "How to Create Passive Income and Recurring Revenue for Your Career Services Business."

That's "Who I Am"!

Connect with me online:
Facebook: Resume Writers' Digest and BeAResumeWriter
Twitter: @RWDigest
LinkedIn: Bridget (Weide) Brooks
Website: Resume Writers' Digest, BeAResumeWriter.com, Image Building Communications

Here's What You're Missing...

If you’re not a member of BeAResumeWriter.com, here’s what you’re missing right now… (for only $10/month you get EVERYTHING on this page)…

Latest and Greatest Learning Opportunities
First, there is a monthly training webinar that you’ll get the recordings for -- AND transcripts -- as part of our "Expert Interview Series." Here's the recordings currently available on the site:

• "Building Affiliate Relationships to Grow Your Resume Business"
• "The Employment Game: How Are You Preparing Your Clients" with Janine Moon
• "Feed the Media: How to Get Publicity For Your Resume Writing Business"
• "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients"
• "Five Keys to Generating New Business With Online Marketing" with Mark McLaren

Click here to get access to the recordings of all the teleseminars above -- PLUS, keep reading to see what else you'll get!

AND...

Each month you'll get a new Special Report, helping you be more effective in your resume writing business:

• Write Great Resumes Faster (sells for $14)
• Resume Writer's Online Marketing Guidebook: 21-Step Guide to Taking Your Resume Business Offline to Online (sells for $14)
• Maximizing Your Cash Flow: Subcontracting and Referral Relationships (sells for $10)
• Making Money Writing E-Books
• Referral-Based Marketing Strategies: How to Generate New Clients For Your Resume Writing Business
• Website Traffic Secrets for Resume Writers
• Time Management and Productivity Strategies for Resume Writers
• Emotional Marketing: Connecting With Resume Clients

(The previous month's report is removed when the next month's Special Report is added. You can purchase some of the previous reports separately -- see the links above.)

Plus additional BONUS special reports each month (these are changed out monthly). Currently, the bonus special reports available are:

• "Using Google Checkout In Your Resume Writing Business"
• "101 Productivity Principles For Getting Things Done"
• "Advanced Features of Microsoft Word: Document Review"
• "Twitter Tracking & Analytics"
• "Practical and Creative Online Business Branding"
• "Membership Sites and Partnerships"
• "Offline Advertising and Promotion"
• "Marketing Ideas for Business"

Click here to get access to this month's special report -- "Emotional Marketing: Connecting With Resume Clients" and the bonus special reports listed.

AND...

You'll also get access to Pass-Along Materials -- brandable, ready-to-go content you can use with your resume writing clients. These are articles, checklists, and special reports provided in Microsoft Word format that you can simply stick your name on and use "as is," or edit and/or rewrite into new content. These resources will help your clients be more effective in their job search, but you don't have to take hours and hours to write them. Each month, you have access to a unique PAM content package.

Here are the topics addressed:

• "Do You Have Any Questions for Me? The Question Every Candidate Should Be Prepared to Answer In An Interview" (October 2011)
• "Getting Started With LinkedIn In Your Job Search" (November 2011)
• "Jobseeker's Guide to References" (December 2011)
• "Job Search Advice: 365+ Ready-To-Go Tweets and Facebook Posts" (January 2012)
• "Jobseeker's Guide to Salary Negotiation" (February 2012)
• "Jobseeker's Guide to Online Reputation Management" (March 2012)
• "Getting Started With Facebook In Your Job Search" (April 2012)
• "What To Do Next With Your Resume" (May 2012)

(Previous Pass-Along Materials packages are removed when the next month's PAM content is added. You can purchase some of the previous PAMs -- see the links above.)

Click Here to Join BeAResumeWriter.com and Get Access to the "What To Do Next With Your Resume" Pass-Along Materials Report. I've Nicknamed it, "You've Got Your Resume: Now What?"

You'll also get access to the ENTIRE BACK ISSUE ARCHIVE of the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter. This is literally hundreds of pages of great articles and information dating back to 1999, including recaps of conference sessions on resume writing, marketing, and business management.

On BeAResumeWriter.com, you also get access to "Business Forms & Templates" you can use. Here's a quick list of what's available (new forms are added regularly!):

• Resume Critique Form
• Instruction Sheet for Final Files
• Company Profile Sheet
• Backup Resources
• Resume Writing Business Checklist
• Subcontractor Tracking Form
• Business Expense Budget
• Monthly Trending Report
• Promotional Calendar Template
• Conference Budget Form
• Conference Quick List

You'll also have access to an Enhanced Membership Directory -- and your listing on BeAResumeWriter.com is searchable by prospective clients looking for a resume writer. (You'll find a link to the BeAResumeWriter.com Directory of Professional Resume Writers on Google.)

Have you heard that blogging can build your business? Check out our 10-video series on "Building a Better Business Blog" -- currently available for Bronze members. Previously, we had a 10-video series on "Web Marketing Intensives." These resources are changed out periodically.

Speaking of "resources" -- check out our Public Relations Resources. Building on the information offered in the "Feed the Media" teleseminar (available for download or streaming audio on the site), you'll have access to:

• 12 Timely News Release Topics
• 25 Reasons to Send a News Release
• News Release Ideas from A to Z
• Sample News Releases

All that ... for $10/month. Seriously -- is there a better value for your dollar?

JOIN TODAY.

Securing Referrals From Other Resume Writers

Purchase This Report 

I've written lots of blog posts -- and even a special report -- on developing referral business. But in talking with a resume writer colleague yesterday, I thought of a couple of issues that make matching up a referral among resume writers a little bit easier.

Many resume writers ask for colleagues who are interested in a referral on the professional association E-Lists. The usual response is a series of email responses along the lines of "I'll take the client." 

Having been on the "asking" end of soliciting a referral writer, I can tell you that doesn't make it easy to choose a writer to send to prospective clients. That's why you'll sometimes see resume writers ask for prospective writers to contact them off-list, or they'll say something like, "The first three writers to respond will be forwarded to the prospect."

But there's a better way to handle referrals. Here are a couple of ground rules:

• Only respond to referral requests that you are qualified to serve. In some cases, resume writers are overbooked and can't accept a client due to time constraints. But in most cases, referrals are made when a client needs a specialist. If you're not a specialist, don't use this opportunity to pick up a new client. This is not your chance to get some practice with an unfamiliar field. You're not serving your new client -- and you're not helping your colleague. You might be a great resume writer, but the referring resume writer wants to look good too. 

• Distinguish yourself. The resume writer I spoke to was surprised when his request for referrals was answered with resume writers who either didn't establish their credentials for being qualified to write the client's resume -- or, worse, they sent samples, but they weren't for the type of project being referred. (If you want a referral for a Bioscience project, send a science-related sample!)

• Establish your expertise and secure referrals without competition. If you're a specialist in a particular field -- information technology, federal resumes, military transition, engineering ... whatever -- you can cultivate referrals by establishing your expertise. Instead of responding to general requests, you can elicit direct referrals by participating on E-Lists as a subject matter expert, and the next time someone is looking to refer a client within your specialty, they will likely contact you directly.

• Prepare yourself for referrals. If one of your client acquisition strategies is to solicit referrals from colleagues, prepare for for the referral request. Create a one-page sheet demonstrating your credentials. This should include your specialty area, credentials (especially any industry-specific certifications or training), scope of work you perform (resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, etc.), related books you've been published in, and any testimonials received from clients in this field/industry.

• Outline your referral rate. Many resume writers are happy to make a referral to a qualified colleague simply to serve a client -- but offering a referral fee can help make it worth the referring resume writer's effort to find a writer for the prospect. The "standard" fee for referrals is 15%, although it can range from nothing to 30% or more. By outlining the referral fee in your response to the requesting resume writer, you might get the nod over another writer who doesn't offer a referral fee.

If you're on the asking -- or receiving -- end of referrals (or want to be!), check out the "Maximizing Your Cash Flow: Subcontracting and Referral Relationships" special report.

Free Teleseminar on Wednesday, April 11 - "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients"

Free Teleseminar: "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients" --

How You Can Use Article Writing, Blogging, Special Reports, and Other Types of Content to Establish Yourself as an Expert, Build Your Mailing List, and Convert Prospects Into Clients for Your Resume Writing and Career Services

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 • 3:30 p.m. Eastern time

with Bridget (Weide) Brooks, editor of Resume Writers' Digest and founder of BeAResumeWriter.com.

Creating content -- shared through articles, blog posts, information products, teleseminars, webinars, and/or live speaking opportunities -- is a great way to establish yourself as a career services expert. It can also be vital to increasing your online presence (content ranks very highly in online search results), which drives traffic to your website. Content can also be used as a revenue stream, providing passive income (through special reports, ebooks, membership programs, or hardcopy books). It can also help you grow your mailing list, allowing you to increase your prospect conversion rates and generate referrals.

This teleseminar is designed to help you in several ways:

• How can you come up with content? You're busy. What content do you already have? What content can you access for free or a very low cost?
• How can you repurpose content so you don't have to constantly create new content? How can you leverage content across multiple platforms to get the maximum impact? 
• Some topics are widely covered in the careers industry. How can you make your content unique to you? How can you enhance your brand profile through content?

About Bridget:
Bridget (Weide) Brooks has published the Resume Writers' Digest trade newsletter for resume writers for more than 10 years, and founded BeAResumeWriter.com in 2011 to provide careers industry professionals with information and tools to help them be more successful in their work with clients and in their business. She has been a featured speaker for numerous professional associations, including the National Resume Writers' Association, CertifiedResumeWriters.com, and Career Directors International.

To register, or for more information:
Using Content to Capture New Career Clients Teleseminar

Free Teleseminar: The Employment Game

As resume writers, we are often the first stop for someone in the job search. But today's employment market is so very different -- how relevant is the value we provide? Are we arming our clients for battle in the short-term... or for the permanently changed employment market?

Join Janine Moon, author of "Career Ownership: Creating 'Job Security' in Any Economy" for a free one-hour teleseminar on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Eastern time to learn strategies you can share with your clients to help them win "The Employment Game."

With both unemployment and underemployment in double digits, and with millions of jobs in the U.S. alone going begging because workers don't have the right skills, you have the opportunity to help educate your clients to the underlying structural changes that they will meet in their work lifetimes.

Consider this: One piece of the mortgage crisis is that many home buyers were not prepared to be home owners ... in a sense, the market experienced a mismatch between what's required and how an individual prepares to move from "renting" to "owning." We could say that there's an underlying structural problem in the home ownership process -- i.e., the lenders and buyers don't have the same expectations.

The same is true in today's employment market: While everyone wants that "permanent, secure" position (and they want it to be theirs), few are prepared for what that means in today's global marketplace. "Structural unemployment" may define that best: What employers need and what workers have don't match.

"Career Ownership" is the preparation necessary for that elusive "security" that so many want. Just like home ownership, however, the skills and mindset needed for career ownership are different from those needed for having a job -- or, put another way, for "renting work."

On Oct. 12, Janine will present "The Employment Game: How Are You Preparing Your Clients." In this teleseminar, she will review the employee skills and mindsets needed for any security in today's workplace. You'll receive a Career Ownership quiz that you can use with your clients to provide clear direction on what today's organizations must have from workers for both parties (employer and employee) to succeed. You'll also understand how the Career Ownership model differs from traditional job search and career-pathing models, and the value of a holistic approach to your clients' career assets. While it's a model that places the responsibility for security squarely on the shoulders of workers, Career Ownership maximizes worker value to employers and creates a core of security in the midst of workplace upheaval.

Janine is a Master Certified Career Coach and author of "Career Ownership: Creating Job Security in Any Economy." The teleseminar is sponsored by BeAResumeWriter.com and Resume Writers' Digest. 

To register, visit: bitly.com/JanineMoonRWD.

(When you register, you'll receive a confirmation email with the call-in details.)

The program will be presented live on Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 7-8 p.m. Eastern time via teleseminar. The teleseminar will be recorded; if you are unable to attend live, you will be able to access the recording in the "Free Level Resources" section of the BeAResumeWriter.com website.

What's New, What's Next

For the past two months, I've been working on a new project for Resume Writers' Digest -- a membership site. Because Resume Writers' Digest has been around for more than 10 years now (I started it in 1999), I have a lot of content (in various formats) that I think can be useful for my fellow career industry professionals.

I've got more than 40 back issues of the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter. I've got recordings of teleseminars I've done. I've got about a dozen special reports -- some that I sell and some that I give away. I've got articles, blog posts, and pages and pages of handwritten notes and ideas. All looking for readers/listeners/viewers. But I didn't have a good way to package the information ... until now. (Some of these are incorporated into the site; others will be added over time.)

I'm not starting an "association" -- there are already plenty of those in the industry! This is a portal to help you gain access to information that will make you a more effective resume writer and better businessperson. It ties in with the mission that I've had for Resume Writers' Digest since the beginning -- when I identify something I'd like to know more about as a resume writer, I seek out the information and share it with you.

There are currently two levels of membership:

• Free. Get access to the current issue of Resume Writers' Digest, selected free special reports, the general discussion forum, and a free listing in the public directory of resume writers. (Register for a free membership; applications are manually approved to keep out spammers.)

• Bronze. For $10/month, you also get access to the entire archive of Resume Writers' Digest issues, additional member-only discussion forums, access to an enhanced Membership Directory (for networking!), several special reports (currently: Write Great Resumes Faster -- which normally sells for $14; Best of the Conferences -- which normally sells for $8; and Getting Started on Google+), business templates and forms (currently: Resume Critique Form, Company Profile Sheet, My Websites, and Backup Resources) and the first of the Pass-Along Materials (PAMs) content packs.*

* What are PAMs? Pass-Along Materials are content packs that you can re-brand, re-write, and/or re-package for use with your clients. The first PAM package is a guide that your client can use to ask questions in an interview. One new PAM content pack will be released each month for Bronze members. The previous month's content pack will be removed from the site when the new one is added.

The more members we get, the more resources that will be made available!

The membership site will be launched on Sept. 30 -- but I'm doing pre-launch testing this week (and a special Charter member offer next week). If you are interested in being a beta tester, email me at editor(at)rwdigest.com.