By Amanda Brandon – NRWA Newsletter Editor
I had the pleasure of meeting Meg in a Facebook discussion about my new favorite tool—Trello. She uses it to project manage her resume business. She said “it was saving her life” because it helped her focus her energy on delivering service to her clients while not getting lost in the details.
Better known as “HRMeg,” Meg has recently expanded her HR consulting services into writing resumes. It began with her helping friends’ college-age children get started in the middle of the worst economic climate ever for college grads—the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My labor of love is helping recent grads in the 20-25 age range gain confidence and look good in their first major job search. I help people at all levels of experience, from recent graduates to experienced professionals, but I take a particular interest in assisting recent grads embark on their first real job search," Meg says.
She’s been HRMeg for almost 30 years in the Washington, D.C. market and has read hundreds of resumes throughout her career. She’s recently dived into the NRWA as a way to network and connect with other “people who do this for a living.”
In her day job, Meg manages HR for a small private investment firm, but her passion is writing. She told me that her love for writing began with a liberal arts degree in sociology. Throughout her professional career, she’s been writing reports, policies, job descriptions, handbooks, and more.
“I know what makes a resume good or bad, so I started a side business,” Meg says. “I love writing, and I love being able to take a list of responsibilities or a job description and define the impact and accomplishments for a client.”
Back to Trello for a moment…since we are focusing on ways to boost business and skills this month…here’s a screenshot of Meg’s Trello board:
In case you’re not familiar with the tool, Trello is a project management system with lots of integrations such as time tracking, calendar connections, and connections to tools like Google Drive and Slack. The professional version (which is currently $10/month) allows you all these “connections” called Power-Ups.
I loved Meg’s “process” for defining a client order—she starts with “expressed interest” and moves them through a series of cards based on what they need. She can see exactly what’s required in one glance of the Trello dashboard.
Another HRMeg feature I loved is her website. It’s very well designed and clear that she offers her clients value and is invested in their success. The best feature of her website is her professional, educational content. She writes a blog post each week related to job search, resume writing, and other professional branding topics. She posts these to her social media channels and sends out a newsletter.
Additionally, Meg’s ordering process is seamless—she spells out every package based on experience and encourages clients to “add-on” cover letters and LinkedIn services.
If you’re looking for a tech-savvy writer friend, Meg is my recommendation. She’s collaborative and has a wealth of knowledge on HR topics and marketing strategies. When she’s not writing or onboarding new employees, you can find her plotting her retirement dream of traveling extensively. She lives in Gaithersburg, MD with her family. Find her online at HRMeg.com or LinkedIn.com/in/megmccormick. She’s also very active in the NRWA Facebook group.
