Don't Use a "Spork" When You Really Need a Spoon

I love LinkedIn. I use it personally, recommend my clients use it, and I've written numerous Pass-Along Materials content packages to help other resume writers and career services professionals help their clients use it more effectively. (Among them: "Getting Started With LinkedIn In Your Job Search" [2013 update] and "How to Give — and Get — LinkedIn Recommendations".)

So when I see an article posted about LinkedIn, I tend to read it! This was the case with an article posted a few weeks ago on Career Rocketeer, called "7 LinkedIn Tools Job Seekers Should Be Using."

(For those who are unaware of the Career Rocketeer blog, it's a heavily trafficked career blog that "invites" career service professionals to increase their visibility by paying to post on the site. Packages range from $99 to $299 and include the opportunity to contribute between 2-8 "sponsored posts" [emphasis mine] a month.)

I was prompted to write this blog post because I saw a well-meaning fellow resume writer share the original article this morning, without sharing any commentary or personal insight. Many times, however, you'll come across an article and agree with most of it, but as resume writers, it's also our duty to point out when advice in an article contradicts advice we'd personally give clients. Otherwise, it looks like we're endorsing the information (not simply sharing it).

The article in question is a simple "roundup" format — it lists seven LinkedIn-offered or related apps, and provides a quick snippet of their functionality as it relates to jobseekers. The author, however, does not appear to be a career services professional. ("Rob Hilborn is from www.broadbandgenie.co.uk, the consumer advice website for UK-based broadband Internet providers.") A quick Google and Twitter search reveals this appears to be the only job search-related article Mr. Hilborn has written.

Now to the central point of my blog post: "Don't use a spork when you really need a spoon."
You know what a "spork" is, don't you? It's that unwieldy combination of spoon-and-fork — not quite one, not quite the other.

Because the author's background is in marketing for a technology firm, it's not surprising that his focus for using LinkedIn is on the tools, not on the functionality of the tools.

In the article, he recommends jobseekers use LinkedIn's Resume Builder App to turn their LinkedIn profile into a PDF or a Word document. That's a terrible idea! The Resume Builder App is an awful substitute for a resume. As resume writers, we counsel jobseekers all the time not to simply copy-and-paste their resume into LinkedIn.

I would never suggest a client use the Resume Builder app. It's like someone asking you for a spoon and you handing them a spork. Yes, it may work ... but when you need a spoon, use a spoon!!

The point of this post isn't to debate the merits of the 7 tools Mr. Hilborn recommends for jobseekers (I would also never recommend the "Apply with LinkedIn" function or the LinkedIn hResume Wordpress plugin — wow, that's 3 of the 7 tools I can't support him recommending to jobseekers), but to remind the readers of this blog — career services professionals — of the need to vet and "qualify" the resources that we recommend. If 90% of an article or blog post is great advice — fabulous, but make sure you point out that 10% you don't recommend. There is so much career-related advice out there ... if we share it without examining it, we're contributing to the clutter, not improving the quality of the content and elevating it to a dialogue.

And, above all, work to identify the "spoons" and "forks" that will be truly useful utensils to our jobseeking clients, not one-size-fits-all "sporks" that may work, but really get the job done.

To Get Certified, or Not to Get Certified ... That Is the Question

Ahh... to get certified or not, that is the question!

Today, I responded to a LinkedIn Group question from Jessica Smith of Resume Butterfly, who was wondering if she should pursue certification. A quick check of my blog posts revealed I haven't addressed this specific issues on here (although I've tackled the question of fake certifications and which organizations offer certifications). And I've certainly answered this question many times in direct emails.

But it's time to write about resume writing certifications on here.

I have known great writers who are not certified, but I've also known SOME certified writers who aren't great writers.

A couple generalities:

• I don't know anyone who hasn't earned one of the mid-level or higher certifications (NCRW, ACRW, MRW), that ISN'T a great writer. Some certifications are relatively "easy" to obtain (the CPRW, for example, isn't tremendously rigorous), and competency certainly doesn't mean "mastery.
• If you ask certified resume writers whether the certification is "worth" it, the answer is generally "Yes," although their answer WHY varies. (See below.)
• Not all certifications are "equal" -- obviously. Figure out WHY you want the certification, and there will be one that is a fit for those reasons. (Prestige, exposure, validation, expert status ... these are just some reasons.)

Here's my guide to certifications (however, it's from 2007 -- guess it's time to update that!!)
http://www.rwdigest.com/certifications.pdf

Certification by itself is a minimum benchmark, but more importantly, it's a confidence builder and marketing tool. It also can help you land certain kinds of projects — for example, some contracting firms only work with certified writers (and some specify the type of certification required — for example, NCRW or ACRW). And some book authors require certification for submitting samples to include in their compiled works.

Entry-level certifications (CPRW and CARW) are the easiest and least expensive to obtain. They require self-study, preparation by reviewing the specific requirements (certification resumes aren't necessarily the way you'd write an actual client resume, but you must meed the certification standards in order to pass), and a writing project, which is reviewed by peer graders.

Advanced certifications require that, and much more -- often a portfolio (multiple documents meeting certification standards), and often more preparation (an initial grammar test or other assessment). They are also more expensive, harder to obtain, and require recertification.

I received my CPRW more than 10 years ago, and the only requirement from PARW is to keep your membership current. (I dispute whether my CPRW requires this, however, because that requirement wasn't in effect when I earned the credential.) However, many of the other certifications do require continuing education and recertification (portfolio submission, for example).

Honestly, I hear some of the same comments about joining professional associations. In many cases, the value is in the eye of the beholder (the resume writer), NOT necessarily the client.

If you asked clients, most of them have no idea that certification is available for resume writers, and they certainly couldn't tell you the difference between a CPRW and an ACRW (although there is a huge difference!).

But I have successfully used certification as a way to win clients, and sometimes that can be what makes it worthwhile for you to pursue it. Listing that you're a certified resume writer can help sway a prospective client who is considering several resume writers (if all else appears equal — which we obviously know it's not, but ... — they will focus on the one thing that is different).

And, as I mentioned, it can also be a confidence booster, especially for new writers. Entry-level certifications are NOT really a training tool, but they do provide guidance on certain standards and expectations. Advanced credentials (NCRW, ACRW in particular), do have more of a "training" component, and that can boost your confidence and your writing skills. With the NCRW, for example, the first-time pass rate is abysmal. But practice makes perfect! And the confidence you get by earning one of the more difficult-to-earn credentials is priceless.

Leave me a comment below: What are YOUR thoughts about certification? Which certification(s) do you have? Which do you find to be most valuable? How has being certified helped you? If you're not certified, why not?

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Do I Need to Issue My Subcontractors a 1099?

"Do I need to issue my subcontract resume writers a 1099 form?"

If you use subcontractors in your resume writing business (or you've paid referral fees to any one resume writer in excess of $600), the answer is probably yes. And you'll have to act fast, because you must issue 1099 forms by Jan. 31.

Working with other resume writers can be a double-edged sword. On the one had, you can work with more clients than you can by yourself. But on the other hand, you have to deal with the extra tracking and bookkeeping. And come tax time, that means staying in the good graces of the Internal Revenue Service.

I'm going to use the general term "subcontractors" throughout the rest of this article, but the same principle applies to any resume writer who you pay more than $600 a year for services.

How the IRS Defines Subcontractors
Since your subcontractors aren't employees, you are not expected to withhold taxes from their payments. You simply pay the agreed-upon amount, and he or she is responsible for his or her own tax reporting.

But there is a catch.

Not only does the IRS want to know from the subcontract resume writer how much he or she earned, but they also want to know from the vendor (that's you) how much he or she paid to each subcontract resume writer. That's where form 1099 comes into play — but only if your subcontract writer meets certain criteria.

When is a 1099 Required?
On the surface, it's pretty easy to determine when to issue a 1099-MISC. If you pay a subcontractor (or other resume writer) more than $600 in a single calendar year, a 1099-MISC is required. The only exceptions to that rule are if you and/or your subcontract writer do not live in the United States, or if your writer's business is a corporation. Sole proprietors, LLCs, and partnerships are all subject to the 1099-MISC rule, provided the $600 earnings threshold is met.

The PayPal Gray Zone
If you pay your subcontract writers via PayPal payment, and you've made more than 200 payments (totaling in excess of $20,000), PayPal will ALSO be issuing a 1099-MISC to the IRS for your transactions. What that means for your subcontract writer is that they are potentially being reported twice — once by you, on a standard form 1099-MISC, and once by PayPal, on the new 1099K. You can see how this could cause some confusion, not only for you, but for the IRS as well.

To 1099 or Not?
If your subcontractor lives in the United States and earned more than $600 in payment from you during the year, he or she needs a 1099 form. As with all things involving taxes, however, it's probably best if you seek the advice of a qualified tax professional, rather than risk getting into hot water over missing or incorrectly filed forms. But do it today … since the deadline is tomorrow.