NRWA Website Hacked

Clients or resume writers trying to find the NRWA website on Friday, Nov. 9 were greeted by a strange message, purportedly from a group with links to Al-Queda. As late as Saturday evening, even Google was displaying the hacked version of the site in its cached files.

According to NRWA President Kathy Sweeney, the message was religious in nature, claiming that "God would hate (the U.S.)" and asked God to "curse (the United States)."

The hacking, which was not limited only to the sites hosted by the same company that hosts the NRWA's site, may have been part of a "Cyber-Jihad" plan. A military website warned of mass denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, originally believed to launch on Nov. 11.

Using Regular Writing Resources In Your Resume Writing

I don't know how well it compares to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles or the Occupational Outlook Handbook, but I came across an interesting resource the other day that might prove useful:

Careers for Your Characters by Raymond Obstfeld and Franz Neumann.

"Create well-developed characters using the descriptions of almost a hundred professions. Each entry consists of a description and details including educational requirements, salary, jargon, hazards, rewards, and more. Packed with sidebars and call-outs."

Published in 2002, the book is 336 pages and can be ordered from Amazon.com for just $13.29 plus shipping.

Get Organized!

If you're like most resume writers, you've got a ton of paperwork to organize!

You'll find plenty of articles, tips, and advice on how to get better organized at:
http://www.getorganizednow.com

You can also sign up for a free weekly e-mail newsletter!

Push Hard to Achieve Your Goals

The year is drawing to a close. Are you on track to achieve your personal and professional goals? When the year began, if you're like most of us, you established some revenue, marketing, and professional development goals. Have you done the things needed to hit the mark in achieving these goals?

If you're on track or ahead of schedule, congratulations -- that's excellent, and 2007 will go down as a great year for you! However, if you're not on track, it's not too late to take action!

Here are some tips:

• First, reach out for help. All of the major professional associations have feedback tools -- e-lists or message boards -- where you can solicit ideas for ways to jumpstart your sales.

• Second, get focused. This industry changes rapidly. Keeping on top of key changes is critical. Don't try to be all things to all people. Select a niche market and then serve that market well. (It can be a geographic area, a specific industry, or even selected populations, i.e., women, or executives).

• Third, look at your business and determine what you're most passionate about. Talk to your best clients and ask them for help by providing referrals. If you've provided value to them, they probably know someone who could benefit from the work you do in helping other people achieve their dreams.

The careers industry is about developing relationships, so don't expect a quick fix. However, the tactics you employ today might result in some additional business later this year or early in 2008.