What's New, What's Next

For the past two months, I've been working on a new project for Resume Writers' Digest -- a membership site. Because Resume Writers' Digest has been around for more than 10 years now (I started it in 1999), I have a lot of content (in various formats) that I think can be useful for my fellow career industry professionals.

I've got more than 40 back issues of the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter. I've got recordings of teleseminars I've done. I've got about a dozen special reports -- some that I sell and some that I give away. I've got articles, blog posts, and pages and pages of handwritten notes and ideas. All looking for readers/listeners/viewers. But I didn't have a good way to package the information ... until now. (Some of these are incorporated into the site; others will be added over time.)

I'm not starting an "association" -- there are already plenty of those in the industry! This is a portal to help you gain access to information that will make you a more effective resume writer and better businessperson. It ties in with the mission that I've had for Resume Writers' Digest since the beginning -- when I identify something I'd like to know more about as a resume writer, I seek out the information and share it with you.

There are currently two levels of membership:

• Free. Get access to the current issue of Resume Writers' Digest, selected free special reports, the general discussion forum, and a free listing in the public directory of resume writers. (Register for a free membership; applications are manually approved to keep out spammers.)

• Bronze. For $10/month, you also get access to the entire archive of Resume Writers' Digest issues, additional member-only discussion forums, access to an enhanced Membership Directory (for networking!), several special reports (currently: Write Great Resumes Faster -- which normally sells for $14; Best of the Conferences -- which normally sells for $8; and Getting Started on Google+), business templates and forms (currently: Resume Critique Form, Company Profile Sheet, My Websites, and Backup Resources) and the first of the Pass-Along Materials (PAMs) content packs.*

* What are PAMs? Pass-Along Materials are content packs that you can re-brand, re-write, and/or re-package for use with your clients. The first PAM package is a guide that your client can use to ask questions in an interview. One new PAM content pack will be released each month for Bronze members. The previous month's content pack will be removed from the site when the new one is added.

The more members we get, the more resources that will be made available!

The membership site will be launched on Sept. 30 -- but I'm doing pre-launch testing this week (and a special Charter member offer next week). If you are interested in being a beta tester, email me at editor(at)rwdigest.com.

Don't Take Too Many Social Media Shortcuts

As this Hubze blog post points out, sometimes the tools you use to manage your social media presence can backfire. Although Hootsuite is one of the timesaving tools I mentioned in the Spring 2011 issue of Resume Writers' Digest to help you manage your social media presence in 30 minutes a day or less, over-relying on Hootsuite -- especially for Facebook -- can penalize you in two ways.

The first is by reducing your Edgerank score (Edgerank is the algorithm Facebook uses to determine which of your posts are seen by your page's fans). The second is that Facebook sometimes "bunches" posts from Hootsuite together. (We've all seen the "See more posts from Hootsuite" link in our Facebook news feed ... and raise your hand if you've skipped over clicking to see more of those posts. Yep.) The same is true for some other services, such as Twitterfeed.

See this example:

While it's perfectly fine to use Hootsuite to help you manage your social media presence, there's no substitute for manual posting, especially on Facebook. So mix it up a bit -- throw in a manual posting at least every other day, in order to maximize fan engagement. (For most resume writers, you should be posting on your fan page no more than twice a day and no fewer than twice a week.)

Great JobMob Post on 4-Step Recipe to Become a Golden Job Candidate

Rosa Vargas wrote this excellent post on the JobMob website (thanks to Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter for the link on Facebook).

Rosa writes that job seekers must identify their "golden distinction," using the following formula:

a. In alignment with what is needed for the type of jobs I am targeting, I need to promote the following three personal profile qualities _______, _______, and ______ in my marketing message.

b. To perfectly match what is needed from the ideal candidate, I need to convey my unique talent in being able to achieve _______________________________________ consistently throughout my career. This is evidenced by the following examples from my career: (choose at least 3).

c. This skill (“b” above) is unique of someone with my qualifications and experiences in that I, unlike most, will go about it this way ___________________________________________________.

d. To convince employers my distinction positions me to solve their problem(s) and deliver benefits for XYZ Company, I must promise them the following ______________________ as an end result.

Read the full post at: http://jobmob.co.il/blog/golden-job-candidate-recipe/#ixzz1VUI3zsav

Are you sharing this kind of valuable information with your clients, or are you just writing their resume?

Get Ready for International Update Your Resume Month

I received the following email from Susan Geary on the Career Directors International e-mail list. Now is the perfect time to send out your news release tied to International Update Your Resume Month (September)!

It's hard to believe that Update Your Resume Month turns 10 next month! Now is the perfect time to hit up radio, TV, and newspapers to get the word out and get some free publicity for your business. I have found that the best day to book appearances (especially if it's your first time) is on the Sunday before Labor Day. Producers are hungry for guests because it's one of the slowest weekends of the entire year for TV news outlets. It seems everyone is on vacation and good guests are hard to find. For us, it's the start of our busy season again! So find 5 new trends or changes you can talk about, send an email to the producers and editors, and follow up. Make sure to tell them something they don't know about if you want to pique their interest. (what occupations are currently trending, or how long is it taking for the average job seeker to land work, or how to use LinkedIn in a job search w/o tipping off a current employer.) Remember, this isn't a sales pitch for your business. It's a reminder to everyone, how a bad resume hinders an effective job search. Best to you, Susan Geary 1st Rate Resumes

Career Directors International provides resources to members to help them promote this event and get exposure for their business!