I’m Obsessed With Accomplishments

I’m working to put together a new training focused on gathering client accomplishments.

I happened to be thumbing through (electronically, of course), a back issue of the Resume Writers’ Digest newsletter (the July/August 2001 to be exact), and I came across this “From from the Editor” column. Even now, 18 years later, it’s still timely, so I’m reprinting it here. (I typed the text in below because I didn’t think you’d be able to read the screen shot.)

It’s All About Value

What makes you worth the money people pay you?
I was recently working with a client who was developing a proposal for a promotion. She was looking to add additional responsibilities — and receive additional pay — but was struggling to put a dollar value on the work. Specifically, she was worried about asking for more money than the other people with her job title were making.

So I asked her if anyone else with her job title had the same qualifications. No, she answered. Were any of them looking to take on the kind of extra duties her promotion proposal entailed? No again. Then stop worrying, I told her. She was trying to compare apples and oranges. Her value to the company was greater than those with equal titles, but not equal responsibilities and ambition.

Here’s another way of thinking about it. Ask your clients this question: Would employers be willing to pay you more if you did more of one part of your job, or did it better?

For salespeople, the answer is easy.“If I sold more widgets than the other salespeople, my employer would be willing to pay me more.” In fact, that’s what a commission is — extra payment for extra work.

These are the achievements we try to draw out for our client’s resumes. But think about this in relation to your own business. Which resume writers make the most money? Usually, those who charge the higher rates. What enables them to charge higher rates? The value their clients pay is less than the value they receive — in other words, those that can deliver for their clients what the clients want and can’t get themselves.

Want to make more money? Ask yourself what part of what you do — if you did it better — would clients be willing to pay you more to do? Then figure out a way to do it ... and find out just how “value-able” your talents are.

Think about it.

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By the way, there is a TON of golden information in the back issues of the Resume Writers’ Digest newsletter, which was published bimonthly from July 1999 through March 2005 and intermittently since then. If you are a Bronze member of BeAResumeWriter.com, you have access to the Archive of Back Issues. It’s just ONE of the many benefits of membership for just $13/month! Join here.

Resume Writers: How to Get Better Results from Social Media Marketing

I see a lot of my resume writing colleagues doing social media marketing very well.

Like Julie Walraven, of Design Resumes, who reminds friends and followers on her personal page about the work that she does.

She’s also very transparent about challenges in her work — especially technical issues. Julie is also is quick to recognize partners, which amplifies her reach when she tags them, but also helps them feel good about working with her!

Or Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, who shares helpful hints on her personal Facebook page while also talking about the in-depth branding work she does with clients. She does an excellent job highlighting her work on her personal page without being sales-y. (And uses hashtags very effectively.) Jacqui also is quick to praise and share, tagging colleagues and other pages.

Some of her posts are just fun, and give her friends and followers an opportunity to interact. (In this case, there were several “I feel ya” and “Truth!” comments.) We’ve all been there!

Jacqui is a prolific writer and blogger too, and showcases links to her recently published work on her business page, CareerTrend. It’s a great resource for her target audience of executives.

Nickquolette Barrett, of iRock Resumes, also does social media marketing effectively. She particularly does Facebook Live and video well. Here’s a post where she shared some interviewing tips with her audience after participating in a hiring event. (Make sure you ensure the privacy settings for these posts are PUBLIC so they can be shared by your audience!)

Nickquolette also does a great job of branding the tips that she shares on her business page for iRock Resumes. (And incorporates in relevant hashtags!)

Brenda Cunningham, of Push Career Management, uses Facebook Live in her weekly “Open Phones” offering. Her branded graphic on her business page is attention-getting.

These resume writers are gaining visibility and engagement — building their “know, like, and trust” with people who already know them — people who are either in a position to use their services themselves, or refer people they know.

But social media marketing is something that can be intimidating to resume writers.

If you want to do more on social media, I have two recommendations:

• Currently, Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com get access to 30 Ready-To-Use Social Media Graphics each month. These are seasonally specific images that are pre-sized for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Each graphic includes an accompanying quote, or you can swap them out for different quotes. (You also get more than 300 inspirational quotes as part of your Bronze membership — they’re called “Positive Encouragement for Jobseekers” and can be found on the download page for the Ready-To-Use Social Media Graphics in the Paid Members section of the site.) I recommend branding them with your logo in Canva or PicMonkey before posting online.

Here’s an example:

(Original file, Facebook format)

After three minutes of work in Canva:

Easy. Then upload the graphic to either your personal Facebook page, or your Business page. (I uploaded it to my BeAResumeWriter.com Facebook page).

• Check out Angie Gensler’s Social Media Calendar. I purchased this last month and am starting to implement her ideas (and the accompanying images) into my social media marketing. She offers a free Social Media Cheatsheet you should check out.

Engaging in social media marketing takes just minutes a day, yet it can help you be the first person people think about when they need career services themselves, or know someone who needs help. Take inspiration from our colleagues who are doing it well, and give it a try!


Please note this post contains affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase. This is, of course, at no cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more information.

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Resume Writers: 7 Reasons to Feed the Media

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The media is hungry for career-related content to share with their readers, viewers, and listeners. Feed them!

The benefits of public relations can be immense. My bachelor’s degree is in public relations, and I know how powerful PR can be for you individually and for the careers industry as a whole.

Here’s seven reasons why you should feed the media:

1. Credibility

Getting a favorable mention of your business in the media holds far more value than a paid advertisement, because it has more credibility with the public.

Nielsen’s 2015 Global Trust in Advertising poll showed that “earned” media sources — including word of mouth, customer testimonials or editorial content such as newspaper editorials and articles, are more trusted than “branded/owned” vehicles such as ads.

Press releases, media appearances, and other publicity-generating PR events help fuel editorial coverage and shape public opinion.

2. Control

Providing your story to the media means you have more control over the message. Ideally, a media outlet will run your press release verbatim, but even if you can’t control a reporter’s final version of the story, you have more influence when their starting point is your press release. Choosing the right outlet for your message is important — choose media outlets that reach your target client. There are so many possible venues: newspapers, radio programs, podcasts, magazines, newsletters, blogs, etc. — pick the ones that your ideal client is paying attention to.

3. Crisis Management

A good PR plan isn’t just about generating positive news coverage involving your company. It’s also about avoiding and being prepared to handle bad publicity.

Being ready with a plan before disaster strikes can save valuable time and face in the event of a crisis.

Whether it’s a credit card breach leaking customers’ sensitive information or a scandal affecting the careers industry (bad actors in the recruiting world, resume writing firms falsely claiming “Top 10” status to the detriment of the rest of us, etc.), your public relations strategy can help position a small business for the best possible outcome in a bad situation. While rare, preparation is the best defense.

4. Exposure

People have many sources competing for their attention these days. Public relations offer another way to reach them — another channel to build awareness and create a positive image. It can be leveraged and also supplement your other marketing efforts. Again, media mentions can significantly improve your “know, like, and trust” ratio with prospects, making your website and other marketing efforts much more effective.

5. Staying Power

In the digital age, news stories no longer have a shelf life. Their visibility on search engines doesn’t decline as time passes; instead, articles continue to gain exposure over time as they are linked by other sources, whether in a newer article, a blog post, a Yelp review, or elsewhere.

There’s an article out there from the early 2000s that I’m quoted in that I still see surface occasionally. It’s almost 15 years old and it’s still getting traction!

And here’s a magazine profile of me from 2017 (see page 27) that’s still generating client prospects!

6. SEO Benefits

Making sure positive stories are told (both in earned and owned media, and across social media networks) and that your messaging is consistent, and your content timely and relevant, will keep your organization higher up in search engine rankings, bringing more customers to you and driving more growth for your resume writing business.

7. Value

Because small businesses might not have access to the financial resources and large advertising budgets that big companies do, PR offers more bang for your buck. Establishing the right public image and communicating it via the news media is a cost-effective route to raising awareness and improving the perception of your business.

Editorial coverage in particular can come at no cost to you, and it can greatly enhance and supplement the marketing you’re doing elsewhere.

Bill Gates famously said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” Gates understood the value of a good PR strategy, which is that it offers a cost-effective means to increase your long-term profit.

Want to learn more about HOW to feed the media?

Check out this special report: “Feed the Media: How to Get Free Publicity for Your Resume Business”

or check out our 4-part training on the topic: Feed the Media: Webinar Series for Resume Writers and Career Coaches

One Resume Writer’s Journey: Retiring One Day at a Time (Guest Post)

This guest post was submitted by an anonymous career industry colleague who is retiring on her own terms. It is part of a new occasional series about how resume writers can successfully transition out of their businesses. 

I started retiring three years ago when I turned 62. I decided to retire “a little at a time” because I watched the difficult transition experienced by several friends and family members who retired suddenly. However, I know others who set a retirement date and followed through happily. One friend said he knew the day he would retire on his first day of work. He despised his job for 30 years, retired early, and never looked back.

I have had jobs I felt that way about, but writing resumes and coaching clients isn’t one of them. I still love what I do. I still help my clients succeed, so I am not in a big hurry to leave. In fact, loving my work is one piece prompting this slow-motion retirement. I need time to let go.

The second piece is energy. I realize I have less than I used to. Before this year, I have rarely needed to plan activities around energy reserves. That is starting now, and that means I need to pay closer attention to priorities. My husband and I want to travel more, and I’ve worked on the road enough to know it’s not that much fun.

Another is focus. Although I have always relied on a calendar to organize my time, I find myself leaning more heavily on it to remember important information. My notes are becoming more detailed because I need more help remembering them. I don't want that change to ever affect a client’s project.

Finally, there is motivation. I am getting ready to be done with work. I feel less like taking on big projects. I feel less like doing sales calls. I still enjoy writing, but I feel like doing it less often. These are marked changes, and I need to attend to them.

I took Social Security at 62, mainly because my husband is 10 years older than I am, and we anticipate that I will receive his larger benefit upon his death, which, for the sake of planning, we assume will be earlier than mine.

Receiving Social Security allowed me to make less each month, which ironically didn’t happen until this year. I had two of my best years and then a really sparse one. It did give me was more time right away. I quit all marketing efforts except reposting articles by colleagues on LinkedIn. My rationale was that if I stopped marketing, business would gradually decline, and that was my goal.

As a result, I gained about a day a week. Instead of sliding client work into that space, I added other things to my life. I got a puppy who needs daily walking, training, and playtime. My husband and I are traveling to visit our children, grandchildren, and friends more often.

This year, I will receive Medicare, which will take much of the health insurance expenditure out of the picture. When this happens, I plan to work even less. I am not sure yet what that looks like. It may mean I no longer coach clients, so that my projects are shorter in duration. It may mean that I keep coaching but take on fewer clients. It may mean that I work the same amount of time I do now during “regular” weeks and take longer stretches of time off for travel. In any of those scenarios, it will likely mean that I refer out more prospects who aren’t an ideal fit.

In this stage, I am letting the process guide me. I am paying more attention to what I want to do or what I want to avoid. I no longer have to power through to pay the bills. But that is a new experience for me, and I don't know how I will feel about it. So, instead of following my usual path of planning the heck out of anything I need to do, I am letting it be, watching the volume and schedule of work, trying one thing and then another and seeing what happens.

I think the best approach will become clear, and if it doesn’t, I can always set that retirement date.