Greeting
by Amanda Brandon, NCOPE – NRWA Newsletter Editor
Welcome to October! It’s my favorite month of the year. I love the crisp air, the pumpkins, and the opportunity to finish the year strong. When I was planning this issue, I thought about that—how to finish the year strong. We can do this by focusing on our marketing and our unique differentiators. And that’s what each of our columns and articles is about this month—differentiating ourselves. I just completed my National Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE) certification, and I’m already seeing the difference in educating my clients in all of the power LinkedIn has to offer them. If you haven’t gotten this certification yet, do it!
We have a couple of new faces in this issue—Rob Rosales and Eustacia Campbell. Rob isn’t exactly new—he’s our marketing chair. However, he and I decided to feature more of how our organization helps us market our businesses. So, that’s exactly what he’s doing in our Feature Article.
Eustacia is our new Perspective columnist. As part of our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), we thought we needed to bring on a columnist to cover this topic. Eustacia is well-versed in this area of focus, and she’s a delight. I’m so glad she’s on our team. You can learn about her in our Member Spotlight.
Here’s a quick snapshot of what else you can find in this issue:
- What’s Saving My Life? NRWA Member Benefits: I’m so excited about this series! I’m going to feature all of the fantastic benefits you get with your membership over the next few issues. This month—ProfilingPro.
- What Happened on Social Media for NRWA Pros: I’m revamping this column a bit, so I’ll be back at it in November.
- NCRW Corner - Two Tips to More Confident Cover Letters: Dr. Cheryl Minnick shares why “I believe” and “I think” may be setting a negative tone in our cover letters. Find out how you can boost confidence in this month’s NCRW Corner.
Thanks for reading! |
|
|
|
|
|
Pet Colleague
of the Month: Thor, the deer |
|
|
He’s not exactly a pet, but more of a companion. Dawn Rasmussen shared her friend “Thor, the Mighty Deer” with me this month. She rescued this abandoned fawn on her property in Oregon. After a summer of sleeping outside and feeding him goat’s milk every three hours, Dawn was able to help Thor become part of a nearby herd. But it’s been a wild ride—she even had to take Thor with her during wildfire evacuations. Thor still drops by to see her often, and he even has a Facebook page!
If you’d like to see your furry, slimy, or scaly friend featured, check for my Facebook post on the first Friday of the month or email newsletter@thenrwa.org with a photo, caption, pet’s name, and your name. |
|
|
|
|
What’s Saving My Life This Month? NRWA Member Benefits
by Amanda Brandon – NRWA Newsletter Editor
|
|
|
Did you know that when you join the NRWA, you’re not just getting a network of professional resume writers? You’re also getting access to some amazing business building perks. Over the next few issues, I’m going to feature these perks in this space.
This month’s benefit feature is ProfilingPro.com. This resource allows members to give their clients a DISC profile (a widely used hiring tool) that reveals their communication styles. As your client’s “ghostwriter,” you can confidently use appropriate keywords and descriptive phrases directly from this report.
|
|
|
The DISC report is also helpful for your clients to identify answers to interview questions and better describe themselves in networking conversations.
I recently added this service to my client intake process, which has improved my targeting and coaching! My clients love the visibility into their communication strengths. I’ve often used it to help clients identify new career paths after being in the same roles for 15-20 years.
Here’s how this benefit works:
- You order the DISC profile at this link and input your client’s information.
- Your client automatically gets an email with a link to the assessment.
- You also enter your email to receive the results.
- When your client completes the assessment, you receive a notification with a PDF of the profile.
- You can also download a consultation worksheet to coach your clients through their results here.
If you’re interested in learning more about this benefit or other membership benefits, head over to https://thenrwa.com/partners to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
Feature Article: How the NRWA Helps You Market Your Business
by Rob Rosales, NCOPE – NRWA Marketing Chair
Are you a new resume writer looking for ideas to market your services? Are you a more experienced writer looking to expand your business and attract new clients? As the only national nonprofit organization supporting professional resume writers, the National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) exists to help you! I am excited to share with you three ways the NRWA can help you market your business. |
|
|
Ask The Experts Blog
The NRWA has a “Virtual Ask the Experts Portal” for members of the NRWA to share their expertise and answer questions from job seekers. The selected responses are published on our website blog page in addition to social media posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. How does this help you market your business? As a contributor, some of the perks of answering questions include: - A personalized URL to use for promotion on social media. Your URL includes your name so you can enhance your brand and marketing efforts. For example, https://resumeexperts.thenrwa.org/condensing_a_long_resume#robertrosales.
- An avenue to drive traffic to your member profile, your website, and boost your SEO.
- Exposure to potential clients who may find your advice impactful.
- An opportunity to market yourself as a career expert.
- A platform to build your credibility by providing valuable career-related advice to job seekers.
- An Expert Contributor badge to display on your website, signature line, and other marketing materials.
New questions are posted at the beginning of each month. Members have until the end of the month to create and submit their responses. Follow the link here to get started now! |
|
|
|
|
Perspective: Global Diversity Awareness Month
by Eustacia A. English – NRWA DEI Columnist
Diversity, equity, and inclusion! What comes to mind when you hear these words? Involvement, belonging, equality, variety, embodiment, and cultural differences are just some thoughts I’ve heard from people. For me, diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard. Inclusion is what makes diversity work.
Why should we even care about diversity? “A diverse and inclusive workplace is the best way to increase performance and innovation. Aside from business benefits, diversity and inclusion are important to keep campaigning for in society as a whole,” as stated in Diversity in Tech based in the UK. |
|
|
Just imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same, believed in the same things, dressed the same way, or spoke the same way with no differences. Diversity fosters a different perspective because we all think differently and have had different life experiences. October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, and I can’t think of a better month to start this column. This month and this column are about celebrating and appreciating our differences. This recognition month promotes knowledge of and respect for different cultures. According to Alliant International University, “There are a lot of factors that play into diversity—some things are visible on the outside, but others are just a part of the way people were born. These distinctions are the grounds for how the four categories of diversity (internal, external, organization and worldview) were created.” One of our initiatives at the NRWA is to foster awareness and appreciation of diversity. I aim to educate and enhance awareness. Having diversity, equity, and inclusion will improve the balance of opinions and views in any setting. A well-balanced world will accept different opinions and cultures, and reduce fear surrounding our differences. This column will give you a shot of perspective and a direction to dig deeper. It’s about building spaces of belonging. Stay tuned for what’s to come.
Click here to read the full article.
|
|
|
|
|
Member Spotlight: Eustacia English, Our New DEI Columnist
by Caitlin Gonzalez, NCRW – NRWA Newsletter Staff Writer
Introducing Eustacia English
Simply put, Eustacia English does it all. She’s a business owner, resume writer, career coach, recruiter, talent acquisition leader, mom of two, and the upcoming published author of the children’s book, Kennedy Meets the President. She is also the NRWA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion columnist—check out her first featured article in this newsletter! Inspired and energized. That is how I felt after getting to know Eustacia for this month’s Member Spotlight. Read on, and you’ll quickly feel the same
A Human Resources Leader
Eustacia has accumulated 20 years of accomplishments in human resources and talent acquisition. In addition to her hands-on experience, she leverages an MBA from the University of Phoenix and certification as a Contingent Workforce Professional to serve clients across various backgrounds, professional levels, and industries. |
|
|
"I just love it—helping people find employment,” she explains. Today, she is both a recruiter for The Black in HR and a talent acquisition lead at Accolade. At The Black in HR, she partners with companies hiring with intentionality to support diversity and inclusion. At Accolade, she improves the health care process by hiring the very best clinical professionals. For both, she delivers skillful networking, relationship building, mentorship, and job placement. A Resume Writer & Career Coach
Eustacia has been writing resumes for as long as she can remember. From a young age, she wanted her family and friends to have the money they needed to do the things they loved, and this mindset has been with her throughout her whole career. In 2020, she launched Resumes On Demand to provide job seekers with a one-stop-shop for their career transition needs. Whether helping clients define their unique career requirements or navigating final salary negotiations, Eustacia delivers end-to-end support for her clients with her extensive HR background. Her favorite part of Resumes on Demand is helping people land the job offer of their dreams. “Especially working with women – they tend to lowball themselves – and I tell them, ‘We’re not doing that anymore,’” she says. “I’m so happy to be in a position to help people get the compensation they deserve by preparing them for interviews and giving them confidence with the right resume."
Click here to read the full article.
|
|
|
The NCRW Corner: Two Tips to More Confident Cover Letters
by Dr. Cheryl Minnick, NCRW, NCOPE |
|
|
Want to present more confidence in your clients’ cover letters? Follow these two tips to grab attention and boost confidence in career accomplishments.
Tip #1 Do Not Introduce Doubt
The NCRW Study Guide (SG) states a cover letter’s “main purpose is to grab the reader’s attention and entice them to continue to the resume. |
|
|
If the resume is read first, the cover letter reinforces the client’s qualifications and adds a personal touch to make the reader want to arrange an interview.” A cover letter’s style and tone should be professional and assertively sell the client, not introduce doubt about their candidacy.
Resume writers introduce subliminal doubt when we use the phrases “I think,” “I feel,” and “I believe” in cover letters. These phrases undermine the statements following them, positioning the candidate as insecure. It is better to omit these phrases to write more confidently. Rather than, “I believe my candidacy is strong,” a writer could state, “I am confident,” “I am convinced,” or “I am optimistic my candidacy is strong."
Tip #2 Grab Attention Confidently
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an exclamation point as a “mark used especially after an injection or exclamation to indicate forceful utterance or strong feeling.” The SG states that a cover letter should “exude confidence” and “give the client a competitive advantage."
|
|
|
|
|
New & Renewing Members
Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of September 2021! Click here to view the full list.
By the numbers for the month of September:
- 21 new members.
- 31 renewing members
- 3 renewing members from Texas.
- 3 new members from New Jersey.
- 1 new member from Finland.
- 2 presenters from the 2021 Annual Conference - 1 new and 1 renewing.
Feel free to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself via our members-only networking forums:
You can find colleagues in your area by searching here.
Not yet a member of the NRWA? Click here to join!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The NRWA offers live and on-demand webinars, a self-paced Resume Writing 101 course, teleseminars, and more opportunities for learning throughout the year. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2021 The National Résumé Writers' Association, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in at http://thenrwa.com/
The National Résumé Writers' Association | 443-966-3851 2331 Rock Spring Road, Forest Hill, MD, 21050 |
|
|
|
