Resume Writers Digest Receives CMA Mentorship Award!

I found out on Thursday that I received a Career Management Alliance Mentorship Award!


Thanks to Kathy Hansen for nominating me for this award. I'm truly honored. Here is the criteria for the award:
The Career Management Alliance honors those individuals who have guided others in tradecraft, entrepreneurship, and community-building. Through teaching and example these mentors have inspired their colleagues and generously shared their wisdom.


Kathy's nomination (which she so kindly sent to me), was centered around my efforts to educate and inform resume writers through the work of Resume Writers' Digest -- including this blog. So thanks to all of my readers and subscribers too!

Best of Today: 9/15/10

Via Quintessential Resumes & Cover Letters Tips Blog: Surprisingly Few Surveyed Employers Use Keyword-Searchable Resume Databases

"PR in Your Pajamas: How to Write a 3-Paragraph Media Pitch"

Are You Prepared for Blogging’s Dark Side?

- For resume writers that are building their brand online -- you might not think you're a minor local celebrity (or minor global celebrity), but you should be prepared!

"You Already Know Everyone You Need to Know"

-       Great interview with Bob Beaudine (I just read his book, and it’s fabulous!)

New Book: Designing a Cover Letter to "Wow" Hiring Personnel

Ahh... cover letters. If you're a resume writer, you've probably been asked a million times (I know I have!): "Do I need a cover letter?"

Does salt need pepper?

Does ketchup need mustard?

Does Bert need Ernie?

You get the idea. 

Of course job seekers need a cover letter. They probably need a couple of cover letters, actually. One for applying for advertised jobs. One for sending for unadvertised opportunities. A networking cover letter. A cover letter for recruiters.

Some of my best work as a resume writer, in my humble opinion, has been on cover letters. I love how they let your creativity shine through.

Purchase the book online!

So when I saw that Teena Rose had a new ebook out, "Designing a Cover Letter to 'Wow' Hiring Personnel," I was thrilled!

Katharine Hansen calls it "Fresh, innovative, and comprehensive." 

To order your copy (just $17.77), click here.

Resume Writers Recession Survey Results

Last month, I was invited by the Career Management Alliance and National Resume Writers' Association to participate in a joint effort to survey resume writers about how their businesses were faring in the current recession. (Thanks to Don Goodman, of About Jobs, for suggesting the survey idea and initial questions.)

We finalized the questions and put the survey out there. We received 191 responses between Aug. 3-16. Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., Research Master for the Career Management Alliance, compiled the results and prepared a report, which was released today. (If you have signed up for a free subscription to Resume Writers' Digest and confirmed your subscription to the double-opt-in list, you received an e-mail from me this morning with the 8-page report.)

Here are some highlights:

• Compared to a year ago, more respondents (48.4 percent) are doing better now than are faring worse (39 percent).
• Twelve percent of respondents say they are doing the same as last year.
• Six percent of those surveyed said their revenues were up 61 percent or more over last year; 3.2 percent said their revenues were down 60 percent or more. Twenty-eight percent said their revenues were up 1-20%. Twenty percent said their revenues were down up to 20 percent.
• The top source of business is referrals (47.5 percent), followed by their personal website (25.6 percent), Yellow Pages ads (14.9 percent), and subcontracting (14.4 percent).
  

Speaking of subcontracting, it can be an excellent source of business (especially during slow times). Resume Writers' Digest offers a special report for resume writers looking to affiliate with firms that hire subcontract writers.

If you would like to receive a copy of the results, sign up for your free subscription to Resume Writers' Digest and then e-mail me at editor(at)RWDigest.com with the subject line "Recession Survey Results" and I'll send it to you.