The National Resume Writer's Association experimented with changing to a secure bulletin board format for facilitating member-to-member communication, but announced a change to a traditional E-List format (hosted by YahooGroups) last week.
Although bulletin boards can be a very effective way to encourage interaction, they require that a member seek out the forum ... while e-mail lists deliver the messages to your e-mailbox immediately.
The Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, Career Directors International, and the Career Management Alliance all use e-lists for member-t0-member communication.
Ideas, information, and resources for professional resume writers.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Resume Writer's Action Plan - Part 4
Here's the fourth installment in our series. For part 3, click here.
16. Talk to real estate agents. Agents are often the first to greet someone new to town -- and they are delighted to recommend a qualified resume writer to help a "trailing spouse" find a job.
17. Send a letter to your friends and family members. Put your word-of-mouth marketing network of relatives to work for you. A supply of brochures and business cards may be all you need if you send a stack to chatty Aunt Cathy.
18. Celebrate the holidays. In addition to Christmas/New Years, consider recognizing other "traditional" holidays -- such as Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween. Or, celebrate an offbeat holiday, such as Groundhog Day, or Earth Day.
19. Make contacts for outplaced employees. When you read about a local firm that will be laying off employees, call the company. You might be able to line up a seminar on job skills -- or a company-paid subsidy for resume writing. At worst, ask if you can send along brochures and business cards.
20. Target specific markets and contact them directly. For example, if you have a background in nursing, your specialized knowledge of medical terminology and nursing functions makes you a great choice as a resume writer if I am a nurse. For professions that are licensed -- like nursing -- you can often rent a list from the state. Or, write an article or place an ad in industry newsletters or trade journals.
16. Talk to real estate agents. Agents are often the first to greet someone new to town -- and they are delighted to recommend a qualified resume writer to help a "trailing spouse" find a job.
17. Send a letter to your friends and family members. Put your word-of-mouth marketing network of relatives to work for you. A supply of brochures and business cards may be all you need if you send a stack to chatty Aunt Cathy.
18. Celebrate the holidays. In addition to Christmas/New Years, consider recognizing other "traditional" holidays -- such as Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween. Or, celebrate an offbeat holiday, such as Groundhog Day, or Earth Day.
19. Make contacts for outplaced employees. When you read about a local firm that will be laying off employees, call the company. You might be able to line up a seminar on job skills -- or a company-paid subsidy for resume writing. At worst, ask if you can send along brochures and business cards.
20. Target specific markets and contact them directly. For example, if you have a background in nursing, your specialized knowledge of medical terminology and nursing functions makes you a great choice as a resume writer if I am a nurse. For professions that are licensed -- like nursing -- you can often rent a list from the state. Or, write an article or place an ad in industry newsletters or trade journals.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Are You a Superhero in Training?
I'm delighted that some of my ideas were selected to help shape the theme of the 2008 Career Directors International Conference in Seattle.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Job Search Portfolios
I'm reading a book on business-to-business sales called "Why Leave $100,000 On the Table?" by Mark Bonkiewicz. The author lives in Omaha (where I live), and I came across the book a few weeks back on my bookshelf and decided to read it.
He outlines an interesting strategy for sales professionals to transform themselves from "Peddler to Consultant" and outlines a sales funnel not unlike CJ Hayden's Get Clients Now model. As part of the Demonstration Phase, Bonkiewicz talks about the "Demonstration Book":
"This valuable sales tool allows a consultant to deliver a complete company story to any prospect at any time. Photographs will paint the picture clearly. Testimonial letters will prove that customers from a multiplicity of industries were satisfied with my abilities and the performance of my teammates. Performance evaluations on specific projects will display customer answers on all types of criteria."
It brought me back to a presentation by Phyllis Shabad in October 1999 at the NRWA Conference on the subject of career portfolios. This was one of the earliest -- and I still think, the best -- workshops on this topic I've heard.
Phyllis asserted that you can "control 50% of questions in an interview with a portfolio," adding that it "opens the chemistry of the interviews." She called it the client's "secret marketing tool."
She recommended including no more than 25-30 pages of documentation, beginning with the resume and comprised of five sections, linked thematically. It can include things like "Accomplishments," "Projects" "Relationships" "Credentials" and "Media."
She has clients collect items they feel good about, and put them in a storage box. Then, she and the client brainstorm to come up with categories to organize the materials.
It's amazing to me that this was an idea I first learned more about more than eight years ago -- and I still don't think clients (or resume writers) use these to their full advantage. And it's too bad, because I'm guessing we're leaving more than $100,000 on the table.
He outlines an interesting strategy for sales professionals to transform themselves from "Peddler to Consultant" and outlines a sales funnel not unlike CJ Hayden's Get Clients Now model. As part of the Demonstration Phase, Bonkiewicz talks about the "Demonstration Book":
"This valuable sales tool allows a consultant to deliver a complete company story to any prospect at any time. Photographs will paint the picture clearly. Testimonial letters will prove that customers from a multiplicity of industries were satisfied with my abilities and the performance of my teammates. Performance evaluations on specific projects will display customer answers on all types of criteria."
It brought me back to a presentation by Phyllis Shabad in October 1999 at the NRWA Conference on the subject of career portfolios. This was one of the earliest -- and I still think, the best -- workshops on this topic I've heard.
Phyllis asserted that you can "control 50% of questions in an interview with a portfolio," adding that it "opens the chemistry of the interviews." She called it the client's "secret marketing tool."
She recommended including no more than 25-30 pages of documentation, beginning with the resume and comprised of five sections, linked thematically. It can include things like "Accomplishments," "Projects" "Relationships" "Credentials" and "Media."
She has clients collect items they feel good about, and put them in a storage box. Then, she and the client brainstorm to come up with categories to organize the materials.
It's amazing to me that this was an idea I first learned more about more than eight years ago -- and I still don't think clients (or resume writers) use these to their full advantage. And it's too bad, because I'm guessing we're leaving more than $100,000 on the table.
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