Finally, Success!

Well, it finally happened. One of my more "needier" clients landed his dream job today. It was a long time coming. I first started working with him last summer, developing the resume in anticipation of a December graduation. The resume itself was stellar. (I can say this with some confidence because it was reviewed favorably by the volunteers working the NRWA Certification session at the National Resume Writer's Association conference in Savannah in September.)

But the client was picky ... and somewhat resistant to my suggestions. The resume would land interviews, but the interviews were ... shall we say, weird. You know how it is -- the client is giving you feedback, and you're not sure if it matched the reality of the situation or not. For example, he'd have a first and second interview ... things would be moving along ... and all of a sudden, they decided he didn't have enough experience. That seemed strange to me, but what could I do? I couldn't send in a hidden camera to see what really happened. (The brief interview coaching I did with him didn't identify any red flags -- other than the typical "new graduate" attitude that expects to be making $50K with a bachelor's degree and a couple summers worth of job experience.)

I used ALL of my skills with this client. Creative ways to follow-up for the 45th time (without looking like a stalker). My best Nick Corcodilas "do the job before you get the job advice" (for one job in marketing for a mall-based retail store chain, I suggested he conduct an analysis of customer demographics by sitting outside the store at the food court and collecting data. Despite calling me every other day to tell me how "bored" he was by not working, I STILL could not convince him that this was a worthwhile use of his time.)

But it all paid off when I got the e-mail from him telling me he'd accepted an offer for his new job. That's what makes it all so worthwhile, right? (Well, that and the couple hundred dollars paid by his mom for my services as a graduation present...)

Now let's hope he KEEPS that job for a very long time...like until he's ready to retire. I can dream, right?

Search Firm for Search Professionals

I ran across this search firm that specializes in Search Marketing Jobs (SEM, SEO, Social Media, Web Developers). Onward Search specializes in contract positions with benefits.

They are also looking for bloggers and copywriters (for those resume writers who provide business-to-business services).

Survey Shows Tuesdays are "Most Productive"

Want to get something done? Wait until Tuesday.

According to an Accountemps survey, more than half (57 percent) of executives polled said employees are generally most productive on Tuesday, up 9 points from a similar survey conducted five years ago.

Monday was the second most popular answer, although only 12 percent ranked it as their top day in terms of productivity.

The national poll included responses from 150 senior executives from the nation's 1,000 largest companies.

"In addition to serving as a 'catch-up' day after the weekend, Monday is when many regularly scheduled meetings occur, which can decrease the time available to complete tasks," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career for Dummies. "Many view Tuesday as an opportunity to focus their efforts and establish momentum for the rest of the week."

Dude, Where's My Newsletter?

If you're wondering where the January/February issue of Resume Writers' Digest is... you're not the only one! Due to a number of factors (including the death of my beloved uncle)...it's still a work in progress. My goal is to get it sent out at the end of the week.

If you have a submission, please send it to me ASAP! My e-mail is RWDigest(at)aol.com. And for those of you who have been e-mailing to ask about joining the mentoring group, I'm working on adding you to the YahooGroup!