Resume Partnerships: All-Day Coverage

I'm working on a new special report (tentatively titled: "Developing Subcontracting and Referral Relationships") and was reminded of a cool concept I first heard about a few years ago:

A few years ago, I was at a resume writing conference with a pair of resume writers who lived on opposite ends of the U.S. They operated a joint website and shared projects so they could answer the phones from 7 a.m. Eastern time to 7 p.m. Pacific time (which was really 10 p.m. Eastern). The one on the East Coast worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time and the one on the West Coast worked from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific.


These two writers would have been competitors if they lived in the same town, but by working together, they served more clients and offered more responsive service than a solopreneur could.


I think that's a neat idea.

What's even cooler would be using a service like Grasshopper with it -- so you could seamlessly transfer calls to whichever resume writer was on duty. (Grasshopper was recommended to me by a client and I signed up as an affiliate because I think it's a great way for resume writers to manage incoming calls and information.)

Best of Today: 9/24/10

Doug McIsaac Blog Post on “Finding Your Writing Voice”

Includes a link to Paul Meyer’s article “How to Communicate Authentically in Print or How to Find Your Voice” – worth a read!

On Twitter? Follow the NRWA Conference

Catch the sessions from today’s International Freelancers Day

– free training!

Interesting: “Don’t Fold Your Resume” site by Southworth 

Quote of the Day:

Via Doug McIsaac: “No matter how fast we click from place to place, it will never replace face to face.” –– Joel Bauer

Best of Today: 9/22/10

Sorry. I took yesterday off from blogging. It was my birthday.

Jim’s Marketing Blog, Via Julie Walraven – “5 Ways to Get More From What You Already Have”

  --  Read the comments for even more great ideas

@DawnBugni is quoted in this USA Today article. “Job Seekers Find Success With Social Media”

Personal Branding 101 Blog “The Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking”

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez on the Career Rocketeer Blog: “Are You Making a Tough Job Market Worse?”

– Quantity does NOT equal quality.

From Tim’s Strategy: “5 Career Networking Types: Which Are You?”

- Tim is quickly becoming one of my favorite career bloggers.

Quote of the Day

Via @InterviewAngel: “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never scoring.” – Bill Copeland

An Argument in Favor of Client Interviews (over Questionnaires)

Industry giant Wendy Enelow wrote a fabulous article in the Summer 2009 issue of Resume Writers' Digest in response to the 2008 Resume Writers' Digest Industry Survey. She was particularly disappointed that the survey found that questionnaires are increasing in popularity as a way to collect information from resume clients.

This was her response to this subject:

For those of you who know me or have read some of my other articles, you know that I am a staunch supporter of doing client interviews to collect the information you need. Although questionnaires can give you some basic factual data, they can never replace the one-on-one interview (done in person, on the phone, or via e-mail).

The interactivity of the interview is what makes it so special and so valuable. A client's answer to question #1 impacts what I ask as question #2, his answer to question #2 impacts how I formulate question #3, and so the process goes on. I learn so much more about my clients through interviews -- things that I remember that are reflected in the tone, style, and presentation of the client's resume.

Clients always ask me, "How did you know that?" My answer is straightforward...I listen hard and I listen well (and I write it all down)!

In turn, I believe that the quality and richness of each resume I write is stronger and more powerful than if I had worked from a questionnaire only. Note that a combination of questionnaire plus interview is great, if that works best for you.

Wendy goes on to say that prospective clients find the interview method to be easier than filling out a lengthy questionnaire, and the easier it is for them to work with you, the more likely they will become clients.