Disaster Planning for Resume Writers

Good golly, it's been a while since I wrote a blog post.

But having seen the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, reading the Facebook posts of resume writing colleagues evacuating Florida ahead of Hurrican Irma, and having recently faced the untimely death of my "twin" brother, Sean, I am compelled to write a quick blog post about disaster planning.

I've actually written about this topic before. You can read some of my blog posts about disaster planning here:

• Business Interruptions: Natural Disasters
• Backup Systems and Disaster Recovery
• How to Backup Your Computer Files Automatically
• Business, Interrupted

The current wildfires in the northwest and the hurricanes and resultant flooding may be bringing your attention to the need for disaster planning, but even simple personal situations can trigger a huge problem. It pays to be prepared.

So here are four important things to consider:

• Review your insurance coverage at least once a year. If you don't have a separate business policy to cover your career services work, consider it. Mine costs about $350/year and includes business interruption coverage. In the event of a major disaster (most likely a tornado or house fire in my area -- hurricanes aren't really a thing in Nebraska), it will replace some of my lost income. Ensure you also have business insurance for your equipment -- your computers, for example. Your personal policy may not cover your business laptop. 
• To speed up your claim processing in the event of a disaster, make sure you have an inventory (up to date!!) of your home and office. Your insurance agent will need a list of all your possessions -- including purchase dates and serial numbers. Could you provide that at a moment's notice? If not, take the time to AT LEAST take photos of your stuff. When you do create an inventory (even a simple one to start), email it to yourself so you'll have online access to it. (Or email it to a friend.) And then keep it updated!
• The most LIKELY disaster you'll encounter is a small one -- a loss of power while you're putting the finishing touches on a resume, or someone steals your laptop. Ugh! In both of these situations, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't have a backup. Subscribe to an online service that offers automatic backup capabilities. And do a REGULAR (monthly?) backup to physical media (thumb drive, CD/DVD, hard drive) and keep it OFFSITE. If your basement floods and your home office is down there, it won't do you any good if your thumb drive is in your desk drawer.
• Have a will. Please, if you don't have one -- get one. Sean died without a will. It took almost two months and a court order to have me designated as his personal representative. We couldn't clean out his apartment until we got that (that was specific to his specific apartment's management policy), but what a mess. Even a basic will in the meantime is better than nothing at all, so consider an online service like LegalZoom or US Legal Forms.

If you're in the path of the wildfires or hurricanes or other natural disaster, stay safe. If you're not, take a few moments to address these four issues so the next time a disaster heads your way, you're ready.

Unlock Your Potential as a Resume Writer

You are capable of doing amazing things, of achieving all of your hopes, dreams and goals and living the life you want to live. You were born with this ability. So what happened? Life happened. Along the way, you picked up a few limiting beliefs, behaviors and some negative thoughts.  It happens to everyone. The good news is, there's something you can do about it. Here are a few tips and suggestions to begin to unlock your potential.

Step One. Recognize negative thoughts. We all have negative thoughts. We think things like, "I'm bad with money," or "I'm just no good at ___" all the time. We do it automatically, without thinking. So, the first step is to begin to filter these negative thoughts. Start to recognize them. When you do recognize them, change them to be positive thoughts. For example, "I'm good with money," or "I am good at ___." 

If that feels to forced, then consider letting the negative thoughts go. For example, you can say to yourself, "I have had some trouble with money in the past, but I'm looking forward now and I am good with money now."

This strategy enables you to let go of your past mistakes — and believe me, everyone has made mistakes — and to positively focus on the future and what you're capable of.

Step Two. Assess your strengths. Have you ever noticed that if you receive 10 compliments in one day and one criticism, you focus on the criticism? It's our nature to focus on the negative and the areas where we're not so strong. However, focusing on our strengths is much more productive — and, quite honestly, your strengths are where you're going to achieve your success. So let those weaknesses go, ignore the criticism, and be proud of who you are.

Step Three. Be grateful. You may have heard this one too many times — however, gratitude really is a tremendous success tool. When you're grateful for what you have and for the mistakes and lessons you learn, then you're 100 times more powerful. Gratitude not only helps you take a positive approach to almost everything you do, it affects how people respond to you. They'll be significantly more likely to help you, to want to work with you, or to buy from you if you radiate a positive and grateful glow.

Step Four. Visualize what you want. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want and to visualize success right down to the nitty gritty details. Visualization is a powerful process used by the most successful business owners in the world, by athletes, and by spiritual leaders everywhere. Visualization helps your mind and body perform as if you've already succeeded.

Step Five. Let go. Let go of limiting beliefs, or the idea that you can't do something, that success isn't possible, or that you're just not cut out for it. When a limiting belief comes up, for example, the rich get richer, is a limiting belief if you're not already what you would consider rich, right? Explore why you have that belief, and if you really believe it to be true. If you don't, let it go, it's holding you back from achieving the success you desire.

When you're able to clear away negative thoughts and limiting beliefs and embrace your strengths and your ability to visualize and accomplish your goals, nothing can stop you. You really are capable of achieving anything you set your heart and mind to.