July 2020

Greeting & Newsletter Update 
Norine Dagliano, NCRW, NCOPE - NRWA Director of Written Communications

Dear NRWA Community:

Notice anything different about this month’s NRWA Connection newsletter? The changes go much deeper than simply a new layout.

A Little Background:
We surveyed members last December to learn what people like and don’t like about our monthly newsletter and gathered some excellent feedback and suggestions. 

In June, I met with President Lorraine Beaman, President-Elect Kathi Fuller, and Marketing Chair Rob Rosales. We made our first sweeping change—we agreed to transfer production of the newsletter from the marketing umbrella to written communications. This is where I come in.

After ensuring I could count on Michelle Swanson, the current NRWA Connection editor, to stay involved, I reached out to current Written Communications Committee members (Donna Tucker and Anne Anderson) and recruited two more NRWA members (Amber Fernandez and Paul Bennett) to form our first-ever newsletter production team. What you see here is the beginning of the newsletter transformation.

Current Changes:
Besides a new layout–thanks to the talents of Robbie Heacock–we have added all new columns. No more recycling of content already distributed through email messages and the Midweek Memo. Check out Donna’s summary of NRWA committee updates to learn what the board has been up to. Read Michelle’s column spotlighting one of our members, Nickquolette Barrett. Check out a few of the valuable resources that Paul is bringing to your attention. These are the types of things we hope to share each month. We will still remind you of upcoming events and share important announcements, but this is only the beginning!

Looking Ahead:
As we continue to reflect on the survey results and look at additional ways to add value to the newsletter, following are a few column ideas we’re considering for regular or occasional inclusion:

  • Cool and Useful Technology
  • Grammar Tips and Challenges
  • LinkedIn Updates & User Tips
  • Book/Website Reviews
  • Guest Contributor Articles
  • Career Services Industry Humor

If you’d like to write a guest article for inclusion, contribute to a column, join the newsletter production team, or simply give us feedback on what we’re doing well and where we can continue to improve, please email me at norine@ekminspirations.com.

Committee Reports 
Donna Tucker, NCOPE - NRWA Secretary

The many NRWA committees continue to work diligently behind the scenes to bring value to members. Should you wish to volunteer, any one of the committees can use your help. Simply send a message to President Lorraine Beaman (lorraine@interview2work.com) or President-Elect Kathi Fuller (linkedinlifesaver@gmail.com) to let either know of your interest.

The Ethics Committee, chaired by Kathi Fuller, has been working diligently on a Diversity & Inclusion initiative for the organization.

The E-book Committee, a subgroup of the Public Image Committee, is finalizing the Ask the Experts e-book and developing the marketing and distribution plan.

The Certification Committee, chaired by Sally McIntosh, updated the NCRW Study Guide. The current NCRW Study Guide, dated June 2020, is available to members and can be downloaded from the NRWA website. Other news from the committee is the start of the summer Writing Excellence Certification Preparation Program on June 18 with 12 participants, once again exceeding the projected target of 10 participants.

Education Chair Jean Austin remains busy organizing monthly webinars. Eighty-five people registered for the June webinar, “Creating High Impact Headlines and Powerful Summaries” presented by Bridget Weide Brooks. If you missed this presentation it is now available on demand. Next up is “Make Bonus Bucks by Offering Bio Services” presented by Ruth Pankratz.

The Marketing Committee, chaired by Rob Rosales, continues to coordinate the broad scope of that department, from the NRWA social media forums and website to newsletter and promotional graphics.

The Membership Committee, chaired by Sara Timm, introduced new and more informative membership packets, created a new-member orientation PowerPoint presentation, and established an NRWA “swag store,” an ecommerce site for purchasing NRWA-branded merchandise. Through the volunteer directors of member support, the team continues to reach out to new and experienced business owners, as well as NRWA members working in military, workforce, and college career centers.

The Conference Planning Committee, chaired by Nancy Grant, didn’t miss a beat when the NRWA annual conference plans changed from the original New Orleans in-person event to a virtual conference. There are so many details to address, from scheduling logistics across time zones to virtual networking events.

Certification Programs 

LEARN MORE

Member Spotlight: Nickquolette Barrett 
Michelle Swanson, NCRW, NCOPE - NRWA Volunteer

As part of our efforts to improve the NRWA Connection newsletter, we are launching a new column: Member Spotlight! To kick off the new column, we’re excited to feature Nickquolette Barrett who, since launching iRock Resumes just six years ago, has authored or co-authored five books, earned multiple certifications (including the NRWA’s NCOPE), landed an outplacement contract, and won a CDI Career Innovator Honorable Mention. Nickquolette is also a sought-after speaker who has given media interviews and presented seminars and workshops on career topics.

Congratulations, Nickquolette! You are a true reflection of the NRWA’s mission to raise the visibility of our industry and promote excellence.

Tell us a bit about yourself, your business, and the type of clients you typically work with.
I am a four-time certified Career Development Strategist and the CEO & Founder of iRock Development Solutions, LLC dba iRock Résumés. I am also known as “The ‘Get Hired’ Strategist” and run a weekly livestream show called “Job Search and Career Management Made Easy Show.” I love doing livestreams as people get a chance to see and hear me as a person. I am known as an unconventional career coach, as I tell it like it is. I do so because I have a dual career–I work in corporate America as a full-time manager at a Fortune 36 insurance company and run my business full time as well. I’ve been with the company for 26 years with 19 years in management.

In my business, I primarily work with career professionals at the director level and above, and most of my clients are in tech, insurance, and finance. I consider myself a resume “generalist,” as I do not specialize in any particular field. I offer resume writing, job search, LinkedIn branding, interview prep, and career coaching services. My motto is that I help my clients land the job of their dreams and create a career that rocks. My mission is to take the client from being a job applicant to a job candidate using the services I listed above.

Why did you join the NRWA, and what benefits do you value the most?
I joined the NRWA to enhance my skills, meet likeminded professionals, get involved in the industry, and add credibility to my craft.

What do you love most about the resume writing industry?
I get to use my God-given gifts of writing and counseling to help clients make an emotional decision to leave their jobs, make a career change, or overcome a job loss by creating a career-branded document that will land them an interview so they have a chance to land their dream job.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment(s) to date?
Wow…although I am elated to land my first outplacement contract with the potential for HR consulting once the company revamps their HR department—and even more elated to receive the CDI Career Innovator Honorable Mention—I am so proud of turning my hobby of writing resumes into a full-time career development and management company while also working full time.

Who inspires you?
This is a tough question! There are so many people who inspire me, but I must say that my daughter, Nadia, is my biggest inspiration. She is a 20-year-old (soon to be 21) young woman, and I am inspired to continue building this business for her as she is a great writer too.

How do you define success?
I feel successful because I’m able to sleep at night knowing I have helped one more client articulate their worth on paper and in person, in hopes that they are equipped to land their dream job.

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that others may be surprised to know? Or when you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
I want to be a comedian. I want to try my hand at stand-up comedy as I have a funny and timely sense of humor. As of now, my biggest fan is my daughter, Nadia, as she laughs at all my jokes. My husband…not so much, lol!

New & Renewing Members 

Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of June 2020! Click here to view the full list.

By the numbers for the month of June:

  • More than 25 new members
  • One new member from the United Kingdom
  • Five new members from California
  • More than 30 member renewals

Feel free to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself via our members-only networking forums: the Member Forum on our website, Facebook group, and LinkedIn group. You can find colleagues in your area by searching here.

Not yet a member of the NRWA? Click here to join!

Online Resource Spotlight for Career Professionals 
Paul Bennett, NCOPE - NRWA Conference Committee & Marketing Committee Member

Greetings, NRWA colleagues!

One of the things I love about the web is its treasure trove of resources for just about any endeavor. Whatever tickles your fancy, there's something online to help you out.

In this little corner of the newsletter I'll be sharing a few of those resources — ones that will help you with your business whether you're a resume specialist, career coach, employment counselor, branding consultant, something else, or a little bit of everything!

This month's gem is The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University. Initially designed to serve Purdue students only, the OWL has grown over the past 25 years into a mindboggling repository of well-organized information pertaining to all kinds of writing.

The site is chock-full of instructions, examples, and exercises. It also links to all three major style guides (MLA, APA, and Chicago) and includes an in-house Google-powered search engine.

You can access the OWL on the Purdue University website. You can also visit the university’s site map for in-depth articles about resumes (including video resumes), CVs, cover letters, academic applications, personal statements, and much more.

Education 

The NRWA offers live and on-demand webinars, a self-paced Resume Writing 101 course, teleseminars, and more opportunities for learning throughout the year.

LEARN MORE

Conference

Our 2020 conference is going virtual! Registration is open now and more details will be shared on our website and in our August newsletter!

LEARN MORE

Resume Experts

Visit our public-facing companion site to access our directory of resume experts, learn more about how we help job seekers, and read our Ask the Experts blog.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR EXPERT ANSWERS

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