TORI Awards Nominations Extended

The deadline for entering the "Toast of the Resume Industry" (TORI) awards has been extended by Career Directors International to Sunday, May 18.

2008 List of TORI categories include:

Best International Resume - encompasses resumes written for a non-US market.

Best Technical Resume - encompasses scientists, engineers, technicians, mechanics, etc.

Best Creative Resume - encompasses creative-style resumes in full-color, unusual layouts, artistic writing styles, etc. Very open to interpretation.

Best Executive Resume - encompasses any executive-level position in any industry.

Best Cover Letter - encompasses any discipline, industry, or career level.

Best Retiree/Second Career Resume - encompasses any discipline, industry, or career level as long as the focus is on a career change for a mature adult.

Best Sales & Marketing Resume - encompasses any level of sales and marketing professional who focuses on business development.

Best New Graduate Resume - encompasses any discipline, industry, or career level as long as the focus is on leveraging a recent degree as the career target.

Best Military Resume - encompasses any discipline or career level as long as the focus is on a military job seeker transitioning to the civilian sector.

Don't wait! The deadline to enter the TORIs is May 18, 2008!

The first entry in each category is free and each additional category is only $15 each.

Entry is extremely easy, requiring that you fictionalize your entries, gain approval from clients for their use, name resumes as directed in CDI instructions, and upload using our online PDF converter. As Gayle Howard says in the testimonial on the left, "It is little work for great rewards."

When you enter, the TORI Award Committee Director will ensure all submissions appear anonymous to the committee so that fair and equitable judging can take place.

The distinguished awards committee will select up to five (5) TORI nominations in each category. The CDI Leadership Team will then select the best of the best from the nominations in each category for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Nominees are typically announced in late August and winners are recognized and awarded at our Annual Conference Banquet and Award Ceremony, which will take place in Downtown Seattle, Washington on Saturday, October 18, 2008. Attendance is not necessary to win.

Nominees will receive a special logo for print / web marketing as well as a certificate of recognition. Winners will receive a logo, certificate of recognition, and award medal (gold, silver, or bronze for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place).

Entry is open to CDI members only.

Microsoft Word Webinar on Thursday

Would you like to learn tips and tricks geared specifically to resume writers to make your client resumes stand out from the pack? Would you like to learn how to make professional-looking forms for you and your clients? Would you like to finally learn how to unlock the mystery of "track changes?"

Resume Writers' Resource is offering a webinar, "Microsoft Magic I - Resume Writer Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most Out of Microsoft Word," conducted by Patricia Duckers. Patricia is an expert in MS Word and I promise you will be thrilled with the presentation she conducts for us!

The course includes not only the examples of these techniques in the webinar, but also a 36-page manual with screen shots and examples.

A complete description of the areas to be covered is below. The webinar will be held this Thursday, May 15, 2008, at 3 p.m. ET.

The cost for the webinar is $39 per person. Check the system requirements for your computer on the Resume Writers Resource website. (If you are a Mac user, like I am, you'll want to attend the webinar "live," as you must have Windows Media Player 9 to view the recorded webinar.) If you're a PC user and can't make the webinar, you can access the video and handouts afterwards.

Ethics: Trashing Other Resume Writers

Since when has it become popular to trash the work of other "professional" resume writers in order to advance your own business?

It seems like I'm coming across more and more examples of this -- particularly on the websites of resume writers. In particular, I'm noticing that many of them are trashing the Professional Association of Resume Writers.

In addition to Marilyn Maslin's assertion that you can "buy" the Certified Professional Resume Writer credential, here's another example:

Another fairly recent development has been the rise of resume writing certification from the Professional Association of Resume Writers and other groups. I believe this was something started by a guy in Florida with a keen entrepreneurial mind, and I imagine he's earned some good money with his idea. I'm sure many PARW members are excellent resume writers, but I've seen no evidence to suggest that as a group they are particularly skilled or any better than non-members.

While he makes some good points in the subsequent copy, he also makes some idiotic observations. To wit:

• Don't expect a top-notch resume from a service that works from a form or questionnaire. That's fine for an initial outline, but the resume writing process needs to be much more interactive -- either through a face-to-face meeting or a telephone discussion. Typists work from forms, not resume writers.
• You probably underestimate the time it will take to complete your resume. Even if you have the most straightforward work experience and have an old resume to work from, you should still expect it to take at least an hour to write your resume. Two or three hours is average -- and sometimes even longer for senior managers or people whose work is fairly complex.
• But then again ... I'm very skeptical of services that say they take at least three hours for ANY resume. They're either spending a lot of time on low-value activities, or they're not very experienced. Some say that up to six hours is average for them -- I really question what they're doing with their time ... and your money.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Will isn't selling resume writing services. He's selling a book. I've noticed a trend about authors-who-aren't-resume-writers trying to convince people to spend the $10-$20 on their book instead of $100-$400+ on a professional. It's a bit like trying to read a book to do your own taxes. Fine for some; probably not a great idea for most.

But I don't understand the need to trash professional resume writers as a whole. Mr. Will ... your rebuttal is welcome...

Working Virtually

Ever since the summer of 2004, I've worked virtually with my clients. With the exception of a few friends that I've written resumes for, no resume client has met with me in person since 2004. But every once in a while, I wonder about my decision.

The "pros" are obvious -- I work in my cow slippers most of the time, I occasionally have my pajamas on at noon (although that usually means I came down to my home office around 8 a.m. and just haven't made it back upstairs again), and if I need to finish writing a resume at midnight, I don't have to worry about making that long, scary walk to the car that I used to do when we had a "real" office.

The downside: In working with some older clients -- particularly a recent executive -- they prefer to work "face to face." It's old school. It's comforting to some to see the face that they're sharing all their personal data with. Seeing clients in person can also be a selling tool. A recent client asked me what the difference was between me and a national firm. If I saw clients in person anymore, I could say, "You can see your writer!"

In fact, I recently wrote a resume for a new grad seeking an entry-level position in the mental health field after getting her master's degree. Coincidentally, she joined a mental health association that I've managed since 1996, and we had a networking event last week ... where I met her in person for the first time...several weeks after finishing her resume. I don't think I would have ahcnaged a thing on the resume if I had met her before writing it.

Which is a good thing. I think I've done pretty well at overcoming the obstacles of not seeing clients -- trying to pick up on "body language" cues over the phone. Developing rapport with someone I probably won't ever meet. And, most difficult for me -- getting the project wrapped up without a second face-to-face appointment scheduled. That used to be the big thing for me -- I would schedule the "pickup" appointment after meeting with the client for the first time and gathering information. Knowing the client was going to show up in my office that day put the pressure on me to have the draft ready. That pressure isn't necessarily the same nowadays.

But I wouldn't change the virtual experience for the real world again. Especially since the rent I used to pay on my small office pays the mortgage now.