Effective Mini Bulletin Boards

The number one, least expensive, most powerful, but most underutilized weapon is your business card. It's low tech, it's old fashioned -- but it's incredibly effective, when used properly.

At a cost of pennies each, business cards are mini bulletin boards to advertise your services.

A well-designed business card says whom you are, what you do and how to reach you.

If you have multiple lines of business, make sure you have a card just for your resume writing services.

Send one with the bills you pay. Leave it with your tip at the restaurants you frequent. Pin your cards (2-3 at a time) to public bulletin boards (example: library, grocery store, and university).

VistaPrint offers excellent, inexpensive business card printing.

Formula for an Effective Summary

The article, "A Resume Summary Tells Employers What They Want to Know FAST," by Linda Nathanson, Ph.D., remains one of my favorite how-to articles of all time. It appeared in the January/February 2002 issue of Resume Writers' Digest.

I want to share the "essence" of the formula with you.

A Basic Formula For Writing a Resume Summary

1. GENERIC LABEL
Have the client identify his/her primary profession or position that he/she is in or hopes to be in

Examples: accountant, insurance professional, sales rep

Avoid using company-specific job titles or ones that don't convey a profession (i.e, Vice President)

2. GENERAL DESCRIPTOR
Put an adjective in front of the label.

Examples: Skilled, Talented, Creative, Seasoned, Experienced

If the label refers to a profession or position the candidate hopes to attain, use the adjective "Prospective." it communicates an intended career direction and is ideal for recent graduates or career changers.

3. TIME/INDUSTRY
with [time] in [industry]

Examples:
… with 18 years in the data processing industry
… with extensive experience in graphic design
… with a career history in the telecommunications industry

4. JOB SOUGHT
Tell the reader where your client would fit into an organization. Avoid company-specific job titles.

Examples:
… seeking a senior-level accounting position
… seeking an entry-level or trainee position with a career path in the insurance industry

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EXAMPLE:

Seasoned accounting professional with 8+ years in the construction industry seeking a senior-level accounting position. Background includes experience managing all accounting-related functions in construction companies. Excellent management and problem-solving skills. Has a track record in implementing accounting policies and procedures. Proficient in using online accounting systems. Organized, detail-oriented and very hardworking.

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About the author: Linda Nathanson is a contributing author to A Funny Thing Happened at the Interview. (Editor's Note: We erroneously reported that a new book by Linda, Resumes that Sock It to 'Em would be released on Oct. 15. In an e-mail to me, Linda noted that the book is not currently scheduled for print, but will have to await her retirement. We hope that's soon, Linda!)

Upcoming Stuff

It's my birthday today, so I'm taking it easy ... or as easy as I can considering I have two weeks worth of work to finish this week, in anticipation of meeting up with some of you next week in Savannah.

In the meantime, I wanted to give a heads-up about some items on the publishing schedule.

• We released the second edition of Write Great Resumes Faster earlier this month, and have sold a couple dozen books so far! Considering the first edition sold more than 150 copies with limited promotion, sales are going well! As many of you know, I'm a resume writer first and foremost (Resume Writers' Digest came later, as a way to help me learn more about the industry, and share those ideas at the same time), so these are ideas that I compiled to help me when I was stuck. I wrote an article about it for the newsletter, got good feedback, and decided to put the tips into booklet form. The new, second edition is more of a "book" -- nearly 70 pages of ideas, resources, and reference material to do exactly what the book's title says: write great resumes faster. Thanks for your purchases -- they help support the newsletter and website. (You can order using the Paypal link on the right side of the page.)

• On or about Oct. 1, we will release our first Special Report -- on Subcontracting! Diana LeGere has done a fabulous job of researching and writing this report, interviewing more than a dozen resume writers to share tips and tricks for making money as a resume subcontractor. This has been a topic I get a *lot* of questions about, and the information she's providing is top-notch.

• I'll also be publishing a Special Edition of Resume Writers' Digest the first week of October. It's a preview of the Career Directors International conference but will also have a couple of articles that have been percolating on my to-do list in the past couple of weeks.

• The next "Regular" edition of Resume Writers' Digest will be published in early November. If you have an article you want to contribute, please e-mail me at RWDigest@aol.com. We don't have a budget for paying our contributors yet, but you'll reach our hundreds of subscribers, gaining valuable publicity and visibility among your peers. (Plus, you'll have my gratitude, which is priceless!)

That's it for today!

Personal Development

I find myself advising my clients to keep their skills current. I ask them about additional training, education, and skill development they can seek out to make themselves more marketable.

But do we heed our own advice? Probably not. Don’t let you or your skills become obsolete. Develop your professional skills to achieve your financial and career goals. But don’t just add new skills willy-nilly. Develop a plan. Lay out a vision of your life and then map out how you’ll achieve that picture.

Here’s some tips to help you develop your game plan for lifelong learning:

• Take an honest look at your worth. Once a year, take a good look at your competence and skills. If they don’t match what your clients need or are asking for, figure out how and where you need to improve. For example: Do you have clients asking for coaching or interview training, and you don't offer these services? Consider training and certification in this area.

• Stay on top of technical skills. Make sure you’re competent on basic applications and have a command of available technology (the Internet, Microsoft Word, and communication devices, to name a couple) to make you more efficient. Stay abreast of technological change by reading relevant publications.

• Make upgrading your skills a priority. That means accepting lifelong learning as a principle. Take classes online, go back to school or take continuing education classes applicable to your job or the job you want. Check out the teleclasses offered through several of the professional resume writing associations.

• Get a mentor. Look for someone who will help you navigate the political arena and help direct your professional development. Look for someone who also has a proven track record of advancement, skill and knowledge.

— Adapted from Black Enterprise