Using PR Techniques to Get Your Clients Interviews and Get Hired

Jessica and Meryl

When I saw this article on "Using PR Techniques Can Get You Hired, Promoted" in the Atlanta Business News, it immediately caught my attention.

I've often said that there is no "degree" in resume writing -- careers industry professionals come from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds. My personal background is in journalism/public relations, and I've often used these techniques in helping my clients with their resumes ... and to get interviews.

A couple of specific techniques from PR are important:

• The message is the most important. When providing interview training, I remind clients that it's up to you to communicate your message. The interviewer may have his or her own agenda for the interview -- and it may not align with the message you want to communicate. If you can pick 2-3 key messaging topics for yourself, you'll be able to stay on track in the interview.
• Use the "inverted pyramid" style of writing in the resume and cover letter. When writing a news article, you start with the most important information at the top, with the least important successively as you go down the page. In newspaper copyediting, this helps the editor trim from the bottom up, when space is an issue. The same is true with the resume.
• Have a theme or story. The use of storytelling principles continues to grow in the resume writing field -- because it's important to stand out. The same is true with newspaper writing. Personal interest profiles are written very differently than straight news stories. You'll see this reflected in resumes too -- and it can be the difference between an "obituary" resume versus an interview-winning resume.

If you are interested in this subject, check out "Be Your Own Best Publicist" (Career Press, January 2011) by PR pros Jessica Kleiman and Meryl Weinsaft Cooper.

Business Card Resumes

Over the past 15 years, there have been many attempts to makes resumes "portable" -- from JIST Cards to Social Media Trading Cards to the "Business Card Resume."

Martin Yate's article this week on the topic, "The Business Card Resume" caught my attention.

While his article covers the basics, I thought the visual example he gave was lackluster:

If you're going to provide these cards to your clients, you need to make sure they have the same branding and identity (and look and feel) as the resume. And by all means, the "Performance Profile" has to be as distinctive as a branding statement on the resume. I don't know why Yate chose to abbreviate "Senior" in this example (did he really need to save the extra three letters?) or why his performance profile doesn't quantify ($$, %%, or ##) the real value the client can deliver to an employer.  (Shouldn't all senior A/R specialists be focused on the "identification, prevention and solution of recurring accounts receivable problems"? What sets this client apart? A 44% recovery rate of receivables past due more than 120 days? Expertise in reducing average time-to-collect by 23 days?

More "trendy" -- but not necessarily appropriate for all job search uses, are social media trading cards (thanks to Wendy Terwelp for pointing out her hometown's company, Meet-Meme).

These cards are certainly attention-getting! Another neat feature of the company's services is that QR codes on the cards direct to a personal online brand site, which can contain the full resume and portfolio.

No matter what format you recommend (or provide) for your clients, make sure that it's consistent with their personal brand and identity. Provide as much value as possible in the small space, but don't cram it with information. Consider adding a QR Code (like the ones on Meet-Meme's social media cards) to lead to the client's LinkedIn profile, or a personal website.

CDI Announces 2011 Career Innovator Award Nominees

Career Directors International has announced its 2011 Career Innovator Award nominees. This is the fourth year this award will be presented. The winner will be honored at the 2011 Global Career Empowerment Summit in Savannah, Georgia, in October.

Nominees include:

• Jennifer Rolles, IntRvue, Inc. The website allows job seekers to create multipage multimedia storyboards, enabling them to use storytelling techniques in the job search.
• Mary Elizabeth Bradford, The Job Search Success System.  A 10-step job search system for job seekers with 18 audio modules covering such key topics as internet job searching, "how to ace your interviews," networking without asking for a job, and finding and working with recruiters.
• Camille Roberts, "Create an Effective Federal Resume with the USAJOBS.gov Online Resume Builder." This 21-page free e-book, from Job-Hunt's Federal Job Search Expert, provides step-by-step guidance for clients looking to develop and upload their federal resume to the USAJobs website.
• Barbara Adams, CareerPro Global Inc. Barbara has introduced the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) principles to the resume writing and career services industry.
• Janine Moon, "Career Ownership: Creating 'Job Security' in Any Economy." Janine's 120-page book, available for purchase on Amazon.com, offers a roadmap for job seekers to take ownership of their career path and chart their course to success.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Women for Hire Looking for Career Industry Pros for Fall Sessions

Women for Hire is looking for resume writers and career coaches to provide resume critiquing and mini-career coaching sessions at their Fall 2011 Career Expos.

There are six Expos scheduled:

Tuesday, Oct. 4 -- Cobb Galleria, Atlanta

Thursday, Oct. 6 -- Navy Pier, Chicago

Tuesday, Oct. 18 -- Four Points Sheraton at LAX, Los Angeles

Thursday, Nov. 3 -- Hilton New York, New York

Wednesday, Nov. 9 -- The Almas Temple at the Hamilton Crowne Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, Nov. 15 -- Doubletree Hotel by Hilton, Dallas

They are looking for veteran expo participants -- or first-timers! While admission to the expos is free for job seekers, they must bring a resume for admission. For resume critiquing you must commit to arrive by 9:30 a.m. and stay until 2 p.m. (the event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).

The expo includes:
*Power Seminars: Top tips and tricks on acing a challenging job search
*Mentor Match: Candid advice from another professional in the trenches
*Perfect Pitch: Nail your quick intro to wow everyone you meet
*Resume Reviews: Instant feedback on this all-important document
*The Interview: Experts will evaluate job seeker’s interview skills
*Engaging Employers: Access to the people who’ll get you in the door
*Exceptional Connections: Phenomenal talent to trade ideas and leads

When critiquing resumes, you will spend five to seven minutes with each jobseeker. The goal is to provide some general observations about a resume and make a few constructive suggestions. All resume critiquers are, of course, free to mention their services and provide contact information. But we like everyone to leave with specific tips and feedback. 

Lunch and beverages are provided.

We have found that giving candidates a one-page list of standard resume tips cuts down on repetition. This document is also a great place to provide information about your services, including a contact number or email address. Many participants receive referral business this way.

Note: If you would like to receive the Resume Writers' Digest Resume Critique Form (customizable!), send an email to editor(at)rwdigest.com (subject: Critique Form).

Genevieve Geany is your contact at Women for Hire to sign up. Genevieve says, "In all of our extensive marketing efforts, we promote free resume reviewing as a key component to our events. Since we know your time is valuable, we include your name and contact information in the directory that is distributed to all attendees. This packet includes a list of participating employers as well as any additional offerings from last season. Last year, some resume critiquers also spent some time evaluating job seekers' interview skills with a new feature called The Interview. They also chose to partake in Perfect Pitch to help jobseekers perfect their 30-second elevator pitch. Please let me know if this interests you."

Contact Genevieve at Genevieve(at)womenforhire.com or call her at (212) 290-2600.