New Special Report: Developing Strategic Alliances and Partnerships with Recruiters

Have you ever considered developing a formal relationship with a referral source -- a recruiter, headhunter, career coach, mental health therapist, even a Realtor® -- but didn't know where to start?

Today, I'm officially launching my latest Resume Writers' Digest special report: "Developing Strategic Alliances and Partnerships with Recruiters."

This information-packed report is designed to give you an in-depth guide to develop and structure these relationships -- from finding prospective referral partners to coming up with a compensation structure to things you should include in a Letter of Agreement or contract to ensure the relationship begins -- and ends -- the way it should.

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Here is an excerpt from the report:

Risk vs. Reward and the Role of Resources
The more risk you take on (i.e., investment in materials, free programs for the recruiting firm's clients), and the more resources you commit (developing custom forms and templates, meeting with clients at the recruiting firm's offices because that is more convenient for them), the greater the share of the project fee you should reap.

You might consider different fee-splitting percentages, depending on the arrangement:

• Seeing clients at your office vs. at the recruiter's office vs. virtually
• If you are collecting the fee vs. if they are soliciting the funds and then paying you (thus allowing them to "use" the money in the meantime).

If it's up to you to structure the agreement, write it in such a way that is favorable to you, and be prepared to negotiate the details, if necessary.

As a general guideline: The more resources you commit to the project, the greater your share of the project fee should be.

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I conducted interviews with resume writers who currently are in strategic alliances and/or partnerships with recruiters or headhunters and there are also five case studies in the report detailing their experiences. Report also includes Frequently-Asked Questions.

The "Developing Strategic Alliances and Partnerships with Recruiters" special report is just $27 and is available for immediate download.

In addition, I'm doing a special giveaway ... Suggest a topic for a future Resume Writers' Digest Special Report (using the comments section below) and I'll pick one random entry to win a free copy of another one of my special reports, "Maximizing Your Cash Flow: Subcontracting and Referral Relationships." Limit one entry per person. Comment deadline: 2/28/11. Winner will be notified via e-mail.

Media Tips for Resume Writers: Looking Good on TV

Media training is a topic I’m very passionate about — my bachelor’s degree is in public relations and I recently conducted a training session for one of my (non-resume-related) clients. I'd like to share with you some tips for looking good in a TV interview.

77% of adults say they watch local broadcast news several times a week or daily. Clearly, the media could be important in helping you reach job seekers and those in need of a resume or update.

The first thing to remember when trying to project this friendly, expert version of yourself is, “The only thing you have complete control over in an interview is you.” 

You can take control of any interview by remembering this simple point: The person interviewing you may direct the questions and topics, but you, the interviewee, have 100% control over your answers.

If you want to get your point across, it’s important to be clear exactly what your message is. But do it in a conversational style.

Two Answers

Don’t worry too much about the questions you’ll be asked in an interview. For any question, there are exactly two answers:

1)    Either you know the answer

2)    Or you don’t, and you say, “I don’t know” and steer the conversation back to something you do know.

It's All About The Visuals

In contrast with print interviews, TV is a visual medium — preparing how you look is as important as preparing what you say.

You’ve probably heard that the camera adds 10 pounds, but did you know that it can also suck the energy out of you? Someone who speaks with normal energy in a one-on-one conversation comes across as flat and monotone on TV. So it’s important to dial up your enthusiasm a notch or two for TV.

Also, smile! Smiling is a good strategy anytime you are in front of a TV camera. Most of the time, when we’re listening to someone else, we have a blank expression on our face — but on TV, a blank expression comes across as a frown. Keep a slight smile on your face — not a huge grin, just show a few teeth and raise your cheeks slightly.

By the way, the reason why it appears that the camera adds 10 pounds is that many people lean backwards in their chair, when they should be leaning forward. If you sit back and relax in your chair, your head will be further away from the camera than your stomach. Unfortunately, the camera latches on to whatever is closest...your gut!

Don’t sit up perfectly straight either – you’ll appear stiff and nervous.

Lean in

Instead, for seated interviews, sit up and lean forward about 15 degrees towards the camera. This will make you appear taller, thinner, younger, and leaner.

Also, it’s okay to move around a bit in a TV interview — if you sit too still, you’ll look stiff and unnatural.

One of the best things you can do to improve your performance is to watch a videotape of your interview and get feedback from other people as well. You will always find something to work on.

For example, in December, I was on the Channel 3 mid-day news with Sheila Brummer, promoting one of my client’s events. I thought it went really well — I had my smile going, I got my lean just right, I was expressive … I got in all of my sound bites … but the first thing my TV producer brother said to me when he saw me was, “Absolutely!”

It turned out that I had used the word “absolutely” four times in a two-minute interview. That may not seem like a lot, but trust me, in watching it back, it was a lot. So that’s something I’ll be conscious of next time.

Most often, you’ll notice a lot of uhhs and umms from jittery interview guests. You can avoid this by simply slowing down a bit.

Clothes Make the Man (or Woman)!
Probably the biggest question I get asked is what to wear — and what not to wear — on TV. In general, don’t wear shirts with busy patterns. For men, a light colored shirt with a dark jacket works well. For women, solid colored shirts in dark colors work well.

And women, don’t wear a tight-necked shirt. Usually, they’ll want to thread a wireless mike under your clothes and clip it at the top of your shirt, so a button-up shirt works well.

The best advice I can give you is to notice what the anchors are wearing next time you tune into the news.

In general, with TV interviews:

•  Ignore the camera

•  Make eye contact with your interviewer

•  Look alert and interested

Guest Blog Post: The K.E.Y. To Becoming a Successful Ebook Writer

By Jimmy D. Brown

There must be some reason why certain ebook writers are successful and others are not.

In other words, why do some authors make hundreds -- or thousands of dollars each month -- and others barely make enough to cover their credit card processing fees?

There must be some reason for the difference in level of success, right?

There is.

In fact, there are three "reasons" why that I want to share with you now. I've used the word "K.E.Y." as an acronym to reveal these three elements of successful ebook publishing.

1. K = KEEP it concise.  

One of the biggest mistakes ebook writers make is starting their project with the idea in mind that their ebook must be a certain number of pages in length.

That is, they assume the ebook should be 50 pages or 100 pages or even 200 pages in order to be desirable to consumers.

Wrong.  Ding. Thanks for playing.

Much more important than QUANTITY is QUALITY.  Almost every potential customer in your target market is considerably more interested in learning something useful than they are reading a bunch of commentary that has little or no real value to them.

The ability to concisely (yet comprehensively) share content that is practical is a must if you want to be successful in the information business.  No fluff.  No filler.  No fat.  Just the meat.

That's what readers want.  Especially today in our fast-paced, instant, I-want-it-now society.

And chances are you are much more likely to write a 30-page manual to help your clients create an online profile for job searching and get it done than you are to slave over trying to measure up to a 200-page masterpiece.

Your first key to success is "keep it concise." Share what you need to share in the least amount of pages as possible. It doesn't have to be the great American novel.  This isn't Hemingway.  

2. E = ENJOY yourself.

I simply must mention that if you enjoy your "work" then you are exponentially more likely to complete your ebooks than those who reluctantly or grudgingly write.

Seriously, don't underestimate what I'm saying here. You'll get much more done as a writer by having fun with your subject matter.

That's the beauty of information publishing.  YOU get to pick the topic.  A topic of interest -- of passion -- to you as the author.  Something you find enjoyable, even exhilarating.

To be sure, you want to choose topics that are in demand and have a ready-made audience awaiting who are willing to purchase them.  But, at the same time, you can look for those marketable topics that appeal to your interests and expertise.

(It's a natural that resume writers have lots of topics that will be of interest to job seekers.)

I don't care how "profitable" a subject may be, I'd never take it on as a project of mine unless I got some sense of satisfaction or enjoyment in writing about it.

Instead, look for those things that you are already talking about anyway.  And then write what you've been talking about.

3. Y = YIELD results.

Finally, I must exhort you to "yield results."  That is, you simply must stick to it and finish the job.

I cannot tell you how many people that I've met online who struggle with the affliction "short-of-the-finish-line-itis."

They begin running the race with gusto.  They pick their topic like it was a Nike outfit.  They outline their ebook like they just heard the starting gun fire.  They come up with ideas to include in their work like they were sprinting down the track.

And when they round the first corner, they start slowing down.  Before they know it, they're up in the stands watching others cross the finish line.

That's why I am adamant about telling you the golden rule of ebook content:
Never start something you can't finish in 30 days.

With any new ebook you are planning on writing, choose the topic and outline it in such a way that you can complete the content within one calendar month.  Anything that goes beyond that period of time is likely going to be discarded somewhere past the starting gate and before the finish line.

It's important that you set for your goal a reasonable, reachable amount of pages for your ebook ... such as 30 pages.  Then, divide that goal number of pages into your 30 days.  In this example, it would mean writing just ONE page per day (very realistic!) for 30 days and your ebook will be completed.

Victory!  The finish line!

Certainly there are a wide variety of other "keys" to being successful as an ebook writer (choosing the right topics, learning to outline well, brainstorming ideas, marketing, etc.) but these three form a solid foundation for you to build upon as you continue to learn more about information publishing.

K = KEEP it concise.
E = ENJOY yourself.
Y = YIELD results.

See you on your victory lap!

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Jimmy D. Brown is the author of, "5 Keys To A Big-Profit, S.M.A.L.L. Reports Business."  To download your free copy, visit http://www.SmallReportsFortune.com

Clipart courtesy of http://www.freeclipartnow.com

Results of Subcontracting Survey: Show Me the Money!

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from resume writers who are considering subcontracting for other firms is: How much does it pay?

The second Subcontracting Survey was completed by 33 respondents. Ninety percent of those currently work as subcontract writers, either for an individual or a firm.

Results are pretty evenly split between writers who only work for one individual/firm and those who write for multiple individuals and firms.

The average pay for a subcontract project is below rates that individual resume writers could earn on a project they marketed and managed themselves, but that’s part of the trade-off. In exchange for having someone else handle more of the client management tasks, contract writers can focus on content development.

Average pay per project:

$50 or less -- 0%

$51-$100 -- 27%

$101-$150 -- 18%

$151-$200 --  33%

$201-$250 -- 6.5%

$251-$300 -- 9%

$301-$400 -- 6.5%

$401-$500+ -- 0%

Most resume writers are paid a flat fee per completed project (82 percent of those responding), versus a percentage of the client fee. None of the writers who responded are paid by the hour, although these arrangements do exist. For those who are paid a percentage of the project, the usual portion for the resume writer is 21-35% of the project fee.

You can read the full survey results in the "Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor" Special Report, published by Resume Writers' Digest. The cost is just $20 for the 40+ page report. (It also includes qualifications required for contractors and listings for a couple dozen firms seeking subcontractors, including type of work performed/specialties, turnaround times, and -- in many cases, what they pay.)










You can also read the complete results of the 2008 Resume Writers' Digest Subcontracting Survey in our three-post series from September 2009.