2014 NRWA Conference Preview Call: Louise Kursmark

Thinking about attending the NRWA Conference in Denver this September? I attended the NRWA Conference Preview call on Friday, May 9, and here are some of the takeaways!

Louise Kursmark, MRW, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP, CCM

Opening Keynote Speaker – Wednesday, Sept. 17 (2:30 to 3:45 p.m.)

"The Future of Resumes"

This will be the sixth NRWA Conference Louise has attended. She is going to "break down what it means to write a resume." Louise identified four trends she will examine:

• Less is more. "Lean, clean, tight writing" that can be "skimmed and scanned." Kursmark says the first glance at a resume might get six seconds of the reader's attention.
• More is more. "Write leaner resumes with rich detail, but allow people with more interest to learn more" by linking to LinkedIn, media appearances, or a portfolio.
• Why resumes don't matter. Kursmark says the "resume is the second point of determination" nowadays with more people searching on LinkedIn for candidates.
• Why resumes are vitally important. The "resume is the foundation, the work, the story" she notes. The information comes from the work to develop the resume and flows through to the rest of the career communication documents, such as LinkedIn profiles. It requires clear differentiation of the candidate, and a strong message.

Kursmark said there's a quote that she particularly likes: It's something like, "It's dangerous not to keep moving forward, because if things keep changing -- but we don't -- we are falling behind."

Find out more about the NRWA Conference here.

2014 NRWA Conference Preview Call: Brenda Bernstein

Thinking about attending the NRWA Conference in Denver this September? I attended the NRWA Conference Preview call on Friday, May 9, and here are some of the takeaways!

Brenda Bernstein

Breakout Session Speaker – Wednesday, Sept. 17 (4:00 to 5:00 p.m.)

"Make Them Laugh, Make Them Cry: The Standout College Application Essay"

Brenda is the author of "How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile…And 18 Mistakes to Avoid." She is also the founder and senior editor at The Essay Expert. Brenda will be talking about how to create better applications in her presentation.

She says the two most important parts of the essay are the introduction and the last paragraph. Brenda says to never start an essay by talking about the weather.

Brenda's presentation will include practical exercises for attendees to work on.

"Everyone has a unique story to tell," Brenda says, and resume writers have to be willing to get "really personal" with their clients to uncover those stories.

Find out more about the NRWA Conference here.

Checklist for Marketing Your Resume Writing Business

This month's special report for BeAResumeWriter.com focuses on "Attracting Your Ideal Resume Client." Once you've identified who that target client is, you should conduct a marketing campaign to help you reach your ideal services. To help you plan the campaign, answer the following questions about your resume writing business and the services you provide:

• Have you analyzed the market for your service? Do you know which features of your service will appeal to different market segments? 
• In forming your marketing message, have you described how your service will benefit your clients? 
• Have you prepared a pricing schedule? What kinds of discounts will you offer (if any), and to whom will you offer them? 
• Have you prepared a sales forecast? (In other words, how many clients will you serve times how much you’ll charge per client = your annual sales revenue, or sales forecast) 
• Have you planned any sales promotions? 
• Have you planned a publicity campaign? 
• Do your marketing materials mention any added services that clients might want to purchase? 
• Is your brand likely to appeal to your target market? 

Overwhelmed? Try Keeping a Stress Diary

We all feel stress sometimes. You've got a resume you've been working on for days, and you just can't seem to find the right words to describe your client. Or a client has turned into a PITA. 

Stress is the natural response of our body to help us deal with difficult situations. Without it, we would be unable to survive. The problem is that nowadays, most people have too much of it. This can not only be detrimental to your health, it can also hurt your resume writing business. That's why it's a good idea to figure out what stressors are causing you problems and address them so you can be more productive and effective.

If you are having trouble losing weight, doctors will often recommend you keep a food diary. If you are having stomach issues, they will have you record food and digestive symptoms. Pain problems? Again, record your pain and anything that might trigger it.

If you're having trouble with stress, why not keep a stress diary? This can help you figure out not only what is causing you stress, but also what the most effective way to deal with it is.

You can use a blank notebook, or you can create your own form. Or, you can find stress journal forms online.

What you want to record each day is:

• What stressor you have faced
• How stressed you are.  Itís usually recommended to use a number scale instead of descriptive words.  This way you can easily compare different stressors and their effectiveness. 
• Physical symptoms of stress.
• What you did to ease your stress.
• How well it worked. 

Once you've kept your stress diary for a while, you can then start analyzing it by looking at your stress and looking for patterns. It might help you figure out what stresses you out the most or what coping technique works best for you. You may also find things you didn't think you would -- for example, that you are less stressed in the evenings or around meal time.

The key in using a stress diary is actually doing something with the information you learn. If you're lucky, you will find a simple solution, like using a coping method to stressors that seems to work better than others. Then you can simply use this method and reduce your work stress.

While it may seem to be a bit complicated, stress diaries are fairly simple once you get the hang of them. This will not only help you work more effectively, it can also improve your health and even save your life.

If you are having trouble finding patterns and useful information in your stress diary, you might try taking it to a doctor or psychologist. They can not only help see issues, they can also help recommend more effective coping techniques for dealing with your stressors.

Once you figure out what causes you stress and how to best deal with it, you'll find yourself working and feeling better.