AUGUST 2017
Carol Camerino, The NRWA Membership Chair
Founder, Looking for the On Ramp
I am delighted to be serving in my second year as The NRWA Membership Chair! I respond to your questions about membership, speak with current and prospective members, and partner with our Directors of Industry to plan quarterly calls on the topics you care about.
My initial reason for joining The NRWA in 2011 was all about the annual conference. Having just started my business, I was interested in learning all I could! Luckily, my Internet searching brought me to The NRWA and the lineup for the upcoming conference. When I realized that the nonmember’s rate for the conference was slightly greater than the cost of membership AND the member’s conference rate…well, it was an easy decision to join.
The NRWA annual conference is a professional development investment that continues to reap rewards long after your suitcase is unpacked and you’re back to your business routine! I’ve returned home from each conference feeling recharged, armed with new writing strategies and tech tips for saving time and money, and aware of emerging trends and issues in the employment landscape. In addition, the new connections I’ve made with colleagues in our career services space have proven to be valuable beyond measure!
So, head over to the conference tab on our website (http://thenrwa.com/2017-Conference-Main-Page) and start planning your trip to Lombard, IL, a suburb of Chicago, right now!
In support of your success,
Carol
PS: Are you missing out on two cool member benefits? Joining our members-only Facebook group is another way to connect, brainstorm, and share. It’s a closed group, so your connections can see that you belong, but only members can see and respond to posts. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheNRWA/ and ask to join. We’ll verify your membership status and then add you!
We also have a Yahoo list to share ideas, pose questions, and keep in touch with colleagues. Details about The NRWA's social media platforms and policies can be found at http://thenrwa.com/Social-Media.
The NRWA 2017 Conference – Register Now!
Join us for The NRWA 2017 Annual Conference
October 4-6, 2017
Celebrating 20 Years of Résumé Writing Excellence!
The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center
in Lombard, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago
The annual conference attracts strong participation from within The NRWA membership of more than 600 writers, as well as professionals from across the career industry. It consistently provides relevant, timely sessions that address résumé trends, recruiter and hiring manager perspectives, and tips for improving services in a variety of areas.
For more information and to register, please visit our website today!
Welcome to The NRWA 2018 Board of Directors!
I am delighted to announce the spectacular team we have assembled for The NRWA 2018 Board of Directors. You’ve chosen your elected officials, and my recommendations for chair appointments were approved at the August board meeting.
Some talent is returning in the same positions they held this year, some are moving up, and some are serving for the first time. In sum, they bring a wealth of specialized experience to our leadership team.
Please join me in welcoming . . .
Our current president, Michelle Dumas will assume the role of Immediate Past President in the coming year. Thank you all for your service. I look forward to an exciting and productive 2018!
Mary Jo King, NCRW
2018 President
Member News - Military, Workforce, and Career Centers Industry
Member News - Military, Workforce, and Career Centers Industry
Here’s what some of our military, workforce and career center members have been up to lately:
Laurel Kashinn of Write Stuff Resources enjoyed a recent gig helping a client create a marketing proposal he needed to have loaded on his iPhone and iPad to negotiate a deal in Europe. The client needed to present and sell himself, as well as Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin, as the perfect partner and location to set up a broad U.S. distribution network for an innovative medical rehabilitation and fitness device that is taking Europe by storm. Laurel enjoyed using her writing and design skills to create 24 clean and colorful Keynote slides, summarizing the client's background, expertise, and proposition, as well as depositing a much bigger check than usual. And the proposal worked. Said the client, "I had a great meeting and they liked my presentation. Thank you for your help on that!"
Katrina Brittingham, MBA, MSA, CPRW, JCDC, JCTC of VentureReady, achieved the Job and Career Development Coach (JCDC) and the Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC) designations from the Career Network in April. In addition, she published two handbooks for the busy professional who wants a “straight forward” guide to résumé writing and interview prep: “Create an Interview-Winning Résumé” and “The Complete Interview Readiness Guide.” Katrina also established CareerGPS, featuring 5-minute YouTube video clips with advice on various career topics. She served as the keynote speaker at the August National Association of Professional Women – Philadelphia Chapter meeting, presenting on the topic “Building Your Business Brand.” Additionally, Katrina was selected by Continental Who’s Who as a career services industry leader in the Pennsylvania region; she will be featured in the Top Women Professionals article in the next issue of the Inner Circle Executive Magazine.
Adelle J. Dantzler, M.S. Ed., Certified Federal Job Search Trainer (CFJST) and Certified Federal Career Coach (CFCC), recently conducted a webinar on "Unlocking the Secrets of Online Applications and Applicant Tracking Systems” for the Metro DC Chapter of the Association for Talent Development. She was also selected as the Director of Professional Development for the chapter.
Debra Ann Matthews, owner of Let Me Write It For You: Job-Winning Resumes and Business Services, has joined the board of the local Clarksville Entrepreneur Center. She is devising strategic content plans for their blog and social media platforms to help business owners and business hopefuls in her military community. She also has been asked to teach kids, ages 9 to 14, creative writing skills at the Clarksville Youth Enrichment Program Center. She looks at this opportunity to help groom future résumé writers!
Your Brand Talks...But What is it Saying?
By Rebecca Metz, Web Pages That Sell and Karen Ybarra, Inspired Creative
When you think of BRANDING, you probably first associate it with a logo, right? But it goes way beyond that. Your logo just isn’t enough!
Your logo isn’t your brand. It is the foundation that your branding is built around. There are many things to factor into your brand and before you even jump into having a logo designed. You need to define some key elements.
Those elements need to be reflected into your branding, and that means your logo too. So, don’t settle for just a logo. Realize the true potential of what your brand can and will accomplish and make sure it truly reflects who you are.
Once your branding is established, is your audience able to easily interact with your website? Here are some quick tips to make your website easily accessible:
Make it Easy to Contact You
Make Your Site Easy to Navigate
Make It Easy to Get to Know You
Make It Easy for Your Visitors to Take Action
By developing your brand identity and consistently incorporating these elements throughout, you will build trust. By making it easy to do business with you, you will turn the trust factor into the sales factor!
We are looking forward to meeting you at The NRWA 2017 Conference and invite you to join our presentation “Your Brand Talks . . . But What is it Saying?”, to further dive into these concepts!
A Bit About Us
Rebecca Metz is the owner of Web Pages That Sell, a web design consultancy that specializes in working with cool, innovative and creative business owners who are passionate about their work!
With an extensive background in IT, creative problem solving, brand promotion, teaching and marketing strategies, Rebecca offers web development and design that is interactive and effective. In addition, she offers mobile sites and optimized social media sites that will help you build your list and sell your products and services.
Karen Ybarra is the owner of Inspired Creative. She believes a strong brand is key to a company’s success. Through open communication and an eye for design, Karen works with each client to uniquely capture the heart of their personal message.
She loves helping clients express their company’s core values in a consistent and engaging way. Whether you’re looking for a bold, inspiring new identity or moving up to that next level, she can transform your message to truly fit who you are and what you stand for.
By Bridget (Weide) Brooks
Image Building Communications
My apologies for not providing a July “flashback”! This is the seventh article in a series celebrating the 20th anniversary of The NRWA. In each article, we look back at key moments in The NRWA history, as well as the résumé-writing industry.
Four New Things in the Careers Field in 2004
What was new in the careers industry in 2004? According to Louise Kursmark in the September/October 2004 issue of Résumé Writers’ Digest, web portfolios! Well, they weren’t brand-new, but they were coming more into vogue. Kursmark had previously recommended them only for those in specific career fields — specifically, hands-on technology or design — but she was starting to broaden her use to more clients.
The use of personal branding in the job search was also growing in 2004. Kursmark noted that branding content in the résumé helped “create a cohesive document and distinguish the résumé.”
Shorter cover letters (the precursor of today’s e-notes) were just starting to come into vogue in 2004. Kursmark emphasized “vigorously” editing and rewriting to convey the same information in fewer words.
Kursmark also identified an interesting networking idea for clients — reach out to people (friends, family, colleagues, industry contacts) who have recently been through a career transition and ask for their advice and assistance. That’s as relevant of an idea today as it was 13 years ago!
The Crisis in the Résumé Writing Industry Circa 2005
Change is constant in the careers industry — but some changes have a bigger impact than others. In 2005, the internet was changing how people looking for a résumé writer found them. As a result, the game changed for résumé writers. No longer were they limited to finding clients in their local geographic area — but, at the same time, they were no longer competing against a handful of résumé writers. Instead, people could choose from résumé writers in their own city … or anywhere in the world.
As a result, the Résumé Writers’ Digest annual industry survey results revealed that new résumé writers were leaving the field — many new résumé writers were leaving the industry before they achieved “veteran” status. Most, although not all, were writing fewer résumés, and for less money. It was definitely a low point for professionals in the careers industry.
The Number-One Strategy Leveraged by Successful Résumé Writers’ Websites
As mentioned earlier, résumé writers were starting to adapt to finding clients outside of their local geographic areas. As a result, websites were a hot topic. In an article in the March/April 2005 issue of Résumé Writers’ Digest, a résumé writer and a website designer serving the career services industry revealed the keys to a successful, client-attracting website: “a combination of professional design and a great, benefit-oriented, engaging home page.”
That’s as true today as it was in 2005.
Next time in “Flashback Facts”: Marketing your business in the mid 2000s was — and wasn’t — different than marketing your business today. What worked back then that you can adopt now? A book published in 2008 is incredibly relevant even today — what five takeaways from “Beyond Booked Solid” can help you?
Bridget (Weide) Brooks is the editor of the Résumé Writers’ Digest newsletter and the founder of BeAResumeWriter.com. Her NRWA membership dates back to 1999, the year she attended her first industry conference. Coincidentally, Bridget’s company, Image Building Communications, also celebrated 20 years in business in 2016. She and her now-husband, Jon, founded the business after their graduation from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Back to topFall 2017 Writing Excellence Course
Announcing! The NRWA is thrilled to announce a fall session of Writing Excellence!
This live, interactive 11-week course will help take your writing from mediocre to magnificent!
This course is directed toward professional résumé writers who want to strengthen the quality and content of their résumés and cover letters. New and experienced business owners, college career center and workforce investment staff, and those who work in military transition centers will all benefit from the course. The only prerequisites are an understanding of basic résumé and cover letter fundamentals, a willingness to accept and apply critical feedback, and a desire to move one’s writing skills from mediocre to magnificent. Sessions are designed to take participants through each step of creating a résumé and cover letter, from planning the initial strategy to final editing and proofreading.
The course is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, and will be taught live via webinar every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern, through December 20, 2017.
Click here for more information about this valuable course: http://www.thenrwa.com/writingexcellenceprogram
Douglas Barnes
Doug Barnes started Résumé Success a little under two years ago. He is based in Miami Shores, FL, and works with clients from the U.S. and overseas.
After moving more than 35 times and living in a dozen different countries and four continents, Doug knows a lot about transitions. This is why he specializes in helping individuals that are moving to the U.S. from overseas, leaving U.S. government service, or working internationally. He knows first-hand the challenge of a new environment and the opportunity it offers for reinventing yourself.
When asked why he decided to pursue the NCRW certification, Doug responded, “Like Everest – because it’s there!” Of course, he was being a bit flippant, but it’s not entirely a joke. “The NCRW certification process is recognized for its rigor; earning the certification signifies that a résumé writer has achieved the highest standard in the business – like reaching the summit,” he added.
Achieving this goal also improved his brand as a professional writer. Doug plans to display the NCRW logo on his marketing material and believes this will give him more credibility with senior- and C-level clients.
In reflecting about the certification process, Doug thinks it is tough but fair and an excellent opportunity to learn. “I got some varying, and sometimes conflicting opinions in the commentary on the work I submitted as part of the exam process. However, that only underscores the subjective nature of evaluating résumé writing.”
Doug recommends taking The NRWA’s Writing Excellence course with Norine Dagliano. “It got me over the hump,” he exclaimed.
Christina Austin
Christina Austin, founder of ExecBrands, is a personal brand leader who works with rising and senior executives, C-suite executives, and high-profile influencers.
Prior to founding ExecBrands, Christina was a top marketing executive who drove successful marketing programs for Microsoft and Revlon. She is also known within the sports and entertainment industry for developing the personal brand strategies of many celebrity clients during her tenure at a top-talent agency, IMG.
Not only is Christina an NCRW, she is a CPRW and a Certified Image Consultant (CIC). She decided to pursue the NCRW certification because she wanted to show her commitment to being a strong résumé writer. “The credential carries a lot of weight and signals to prospective clients that one is on top of his or her game,” says Christina.
Based in a competitive marketplace like New York City, Christina believes the NCRW will differentiate her and enhance her marketability. To ensure she passed the exam, she spent a great deal of time preparing, including taking The NRWA’s Writing Excellence course.
Christina recommends to those who want to earn the NCRW to spend time preparing – including gaining a solid understanding of résumé-writing strategies for various scenarios. “The NCRW certification process is quite thorough in testing one’s knowledge of key concepts—grammar, layout, and strategy. Practice makes perfect. Keep writing and learning,” she added.
Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of June! Feel free to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself on our Facebook page or the elist.
Be sure to take this opportunity to network via our LinkedIn Group with other members of The NRWA and nonmembers who are career professionals.
Cathy Alfandre - Catherine A. Alfandre, LLC in Easton, Connecticut
Niya Allen - New York, New York
Michele Angello - Advance Your Career Resume in Aurora, Colorado
Nickquolette Barrett - iRock Development Solutions, LLC dba iRock Résumés in Richardson, Texas
Brittney Beck - Vocamotive in Hinsdale, Illinois
Tiffany Benitez - Placerville, California
Donald Blum, Ph.D. - Blum & Associates, LLC in Troy, Michigan
Bettye Cepeda - Career and Business Technology Consulting in Miami Gardens, Florida
Paula Christensen - Strategic Career Coaches in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Letisha Clarke - Nassau, Bahamas
Vanessa Cogdell - Fish Out of Water in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Joy Coleman - Lake City, Florida
Turkessa Coleman - Resume @ you.com, llc in Garden City, Michigan
Cheryl Cooper - Professional Best Resumes in McDonough, Georgia
Eileen Davis - University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky
Stephen Fialor - ProActive Career Services (PACS) in Bronx, New York
Carol Fisher - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Nadine Franz - APEX Career Services, LLC in Overland Park, Kansas
Patricia Garcia - Business and Office Solutions, LLC in Chesapeake, Virginia
Wendy Gelberg - JVS/CareerSolution in Boston, Massachusetts
Frank Grossman - Resumes that Shine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Donna Hancock-Price - Resumes by DHMP Consultant, L.L.C. in New Carrollton, Maryland
Cherie Heid - Competitive Edge Resume Service in Carlsbad, California
Nijaeri Henry - Professional Portfolio Development in Charlotte, North Carolina
Nakia Henry - The Smart Scribe in Baldwin, New York
Shiree Holder - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Julia Holian - Julia Holian & Associates in Pleasant Hill, California
Sandra Jackson - JobTown Resumes in Monterey, California
Cherie Johnson - Your Seat at the Table, LLC in Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Frost Krist - Datatype Inc. in Hebron, Connecticut
Wei Liu - Redmond, Washington
Erica Lucas - Go Forth Career Services in Herndon, Virginia
Kate Madden - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Joy Matlock - Little Rock, Arkansas
Kimberly Matteson - St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa
Michele McCann - CareerPro, Inc. in Newark, Delaware
Leah McMillan - Career Source Escarosa in Pensacola, Florida
Vicki Oehring - ClimbingHire in Littleton, Colorado
John Osborne - Ayer, Massachusetts
Diana Peck - Del City, Oklahoma
Ericka Poole - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Robert Prock - A Preferred Career & Resume Service in Greenville, South Carolina
Anindo Ray - Resume Factor in Nasik, India
Jared Redick - The Resume Studio in San Francisco, California
Maryann Riggs - About Jobs in North Caldwell, New Jersey
Martha Rockwell - A+ Resumes & Career Coaching in Scottsdale, Arizona
Kate Rodrigue - Improving By Design in Tigard, Oregon
Rhonda Roehrig - Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Irma Rojas - Wellington, Florida
Syril Salel - Lakewood, New Jersey
Lucy Samuels - Jersey City, New Jersey
Ellen Shulman - CareerGenerations in Atherton, California
Alison Smith - Radical Resumes in Birmingham, Alabama
Elizabeth Southers - Resume Writing Services in Miramar, Florida
Ashleyanne Spencer-Smith - Consilium Careers in Hout Bay, South Africa
Kara Varner - A Platinum Resume in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Molly Walsh - Standout Consulting in Shaker Heights, Ohio
John Wishart - APO AE, New York
Christine Wunderlin - Wunderlin Consulting in Las Vegas, Nevada
Adam Zajac - Vocamotive in Hinsdale, Illinois
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