NRWA Elects New Board

The National Resume Writer's Association has elected its 2008 Board of Directors.

President: Robyn Feldberg
First Vice President: Bonnie Kurka
Second Vice President: Kevin Morris
Treasurer: Donna Turner
Secretary: Tessa Weeks
Certification Chair: Abby Locke
Ethics Chair: Shauna Bryce

Region 1 Representative: Kimberly Schneiderman
Region 2 Representative: Eleanor Farmer
Region 3 Representative: Claudine Vainrub
Region 4 Representative: Josh Fields
Region 5 Representative: Lori Norris
Region 6 Representative: Melissa Bermea

Mentors

The importance of a mentor in starting and growing your business cannot be underestimated.

Tonight, I said good-bye to one of mine. My Uncle Arch (Don Begley) died tonight at the age of 75. He was a friend, a client, and a mentor. When my now-husband and I decided to start our business in 1996 (when I was just 22), Uncle Arch was a great source of encouragement and ideas. He also invited me to join his Friday-morning tips group, introducing me to a network of business contacts. Although I eventually had to give the group up (Friday mornings at 7 a.m. were too much for this night owl), will never forget him taking me under his wing.

My thoughts are with his wife of fifty years (my Aunt Rosalie) and his five children (David, Steve, Chris, Barb, and Becky) and their families.

What is a Structured Interview?

Do you offer interview coaching? Are you aware of a new technique in interviewing, the structured interview?

Using a structured interview presentation, candidates clearly communicate their understanding of the job, demonstrate both their match with position requirements and their fit with the corporate culture. Hiring managers get consistent in-depth information about candidates that improves the interview process and helps hiring managers make a “best fit” hiring decision. With structured interviews, candidates perform better. The hiring manager’s selection decisions are greatly enhanced resulting in improved retention with lower turnover costs and a more competitive workforce.

Kennedy Information is hosting a 60-minute training program on Thursday, Feb. 21, "Increase 'Best Fit' Hiring Decisions with Structured Interview Techniques" presented by Eric Kramer, CIO of Innovative Career Services.

The workshop will cover:

1. The three most important interview questions that must be answered to make a “best fit” hiring decision.
2. The eight critical elements of a well structured interview presentation.
3. An interview presentation process that candidates and hiring managers can learn quickly and use easily.
4. Candidates’ and hiring managers’ real life experiences using an interview presentation tool, and more.

Eric Kramer’s experience includes working as a Career Consultant and Career Center Manager with one of the country’s largest outplacement firms. As a Senior Consultant, Eric worked with hundreds of job searchers individually and in groups teaching them job search skills and coaching them through their interviews. Eric has authored two books, What to Think What to Do- 100+ Hints for Successful Interviewing and What to Think What to Do- 100+ Hints for Successful Networking. Eric also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for Recruiting Trends, a Kennedy Information publication.

The cost is $149, and you can pre-register and receive a recording of the teleseminar, even if you're unable to attend.

Resume Writers Resource

The careers industry has professional associations. We have conferences. You even have a trade magazine (that's me!). And now resume writers have an independent company that will help facilitate success, Resume Writers Resource …

Kathy Sweeney, NCRW, CPRW, CEIC, CCM has built her company, The Write Resume into a well-recognized brand -- and now she wants to share her expertise with other resume writers. Of course, Kathy has been sharing her secrets for attracting media attention and cultivating lasting client relationships for years. Her presentation on "Enhance Your Business Visibility and Increase Your Revenue" in Scottsdale in September 2006 at the NRWA Career Conference yielded tons of ideas for me. During her time as NRWA President, she mentored countless new and "emerging" resume writers. Now she's offering her services to the industry.

"The more you put yourself out there, the more your name will become known."
-- Kathy Sweeney, 9/15/06

One of the most exciting services offered by Resume Writers Resource (from my perspective) is the Press Release Writing Service. Even if you don't want to become a household name or have your company featured on the AOL home page, you will be amazed at the amount of business a single article written about your resume writing services can offer. For about the price of 1-2 resume projects, you can attract a dozen new clients ... ones who aren't just looking for the lowest-priced provider, either.

(The next Special Report from Resume Writers' Digest will give you actionable ideas on how to generate publicity for your business. But if you want to save some time, or don't want to wait for the report, contact Kathy.)

Kathy is also bringing affordable teleseminars and webinars to the industry. Her first offering, "The Nuts and Bolts of Implementing Interview Coaching Into a Resume Writing Business" will be offered tomorrow, Thursday 2/14/08 at 3 p.m. Eastern. The cost is just $25.

Kathy's experience will be a valuable "resource" for the careers industry, so be sure to sign up for her e-mail list to be notified of upcoming events.