July 2018

In This Issue


Executive Greeting

By Virginia Franco, The NRWA Education Chair

Membership Perks Big and Small

I’ve loved being a member of the NRWA for years and have taken full advantage our monthly webinars and new and experienced business owner quarterly calls to learn more about writing and business building from our experts.

I’m embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until a few years ago, however, that I learned about some of the smaller (but in my view equally) valuable membership perks.

Speaking of perks, our annual conference is a membership must! In addition to content-packed sessions that have boosted my business revenues year after year, the fellowship I’ve gained from attending has been worth the price of admission alone – and helped make my work as a solopreneur feel a bit less “solo.” I have no doubt you will feel the same!

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Industry Hero Award Call for Nominations

People in the career-services industry come from all walks of life and bring diverse expertise to the work we do. Those of us who have been around for a decade or two can remember how far this industry has come and the colleagues who have been most influential in promoting positive change.

In 2015, the NRWA created the annual Industry Hero Award to recognize the greatest leading-edge contributors in the growth and advancement of the career-services profession. Now we want to know who you think deserves this recognition and why. The award will be presented in October at the NRWA conference in Seattle.

Please email your nomination, along with a brief description of why the nominee deserves the award and what impact the individual’s work has had on the industry, to Mary Jo King at president@thenrwa.com by August 24, 2018.

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Gain exposure for your business. Sponsor the 2018 NRWA Conference.

Ashley Watkins, NCRW
Sponsor/Affiliate Relations Chair

Would marketing your product or service to more than 500 of the finest career services professionals on the planet have a positive impact on your business? Consider becoming a sponsor for the 2018 National Résumé Writers' Association Conference and generate exposure for you and your business. This year's conference will be held October 4-6 in Seattle, WA. 

By becoming a sponsor, you can showcase your business to 500+ members via multiple advertising opportunities, including banner displays, conference newsletter features, or on the NRWA website.

If sponsorship isn’t a fit for your needs, try our other budget-friendly options:

Contact Sponsor/Affiliate Relations Chair, Ashley Watkins (info@WriteStepResumes.com), to learn more about generous sponsorship packages, vendor tables, and other affordable options.

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Affiliate Spotlight

Ashley Watkins, NCRW
Sponsor/Affiliate Relations Chair

If you’re looking to WOW your clients and help them gain a competitive edge in interviews with premium-quality resume prints, try Resumates as your trusted printing partner.

Resumates provides professional resume printing and delivery services across the U.S. and enables resume-writing partners to send hassle-free, premium prints to their clients in seconds. By uploading a resume to Resumates, your clients will receive 25 premium prints within 3 days for as little as $11.95.

As a member of the NRWA, you’ll receive your first order free of charge and save 20 percent off subsequent orders by entering the “NRWA20” discount code at checkout.

Resumates owner, Pat Carroll, is an affiliate of the NRWA, and can be reached for assistance at Patrick@resumates.co. Visit http://www.resumates.co/ to get started today!

For more information, visit: https://thenrwa.com/affiliatepartners

To learn more about becoming a part of the NRWA Affiliate Program, visit: https://thenrwa.com/becomeaffiliate

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Education Report

Virginia Franco, NCRW, CPRW, CEIP
NRWA Education Chair

Summer is the perfect time to squeeze in time for a bit of learning! You won’t want to miss our next month’s webinar, so please be on the lookout for registration info.

LinkedIn Marketing 101 – Tips to Market and Brand Your Business, by Career Development Strategist and owner of iRock Résumés, Nickquolette Barrett, on Thursday, August 9, from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., ET.

If you missed webinars from earlier this year, it’s not too late! Past recordings can be purchased on demand – and many (including those below) can provide you with CE credits. Here’s a sampling.


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Certification Corner

Sally McIntosh, NCRW, JCTC
Certification Chair

This monthly column provides information about the NRWA certification procedures and training programs. For more information, contact Sally McIntosh, Certification Chair, CertChair@thenrwa.com.

Writing Excellence: Instructor-Led Training. This is our premier training program.

5-week accelerated live program. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., ET, August 28–September 27. https://thenrwa.com/writingexcellenceprogram.

Writing Excellence: On Demand Virtual Training. If your life is crazy hectic and you cannot commit to a set schedule of classes, this is the program for you to strengthen the quality and content of your resumes and cover letters. Work it at your own pace. https://thenrwa.com/WRITING-EXCELLENCE-ON-DEMAND-VIRTUAL-TRAINING

Sample Submission: Have you thought about starting the certification process? Good for you! The first step is to join the NRWA. Next, read the NCRW Style Guide and understand it. It is available only to members. Most members are not ready to move on to the certification tests because of their lack of knowledge of resume-writing best practices found in the  NCRW Style Guide. https://thenrwa.com/sample-submission

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2018 Conference Brief


2018 Conference Brief

Interview with Brittney Beck, Preconference Co-Presenter

By Kate Williamson, MS, CPRW, CRS+ES, CRS+IT, CSBA

Brittney Beck, CCELW is the Associate Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer and Career Strategist for Vocamotive, Inc. She has an education in strategic communications, as well as considerable experience in writing, career development, and personal branding. Brittney is highly talented in assisting her clients achieve their professional goals and the materials she creates quickly result in interview opportunities. Her dedication to her craft and expert business writing abilities result in top-tier products.

You have diverse experience in multiple strategic communications roles. What led you to resume writing and what do you like best about this profession?

Resume and LinkedIn profile writing chose me to a certain extent. I went to school for advertising, PR, and corporate training and when I graduated, I landed a job at Vocamotive (where I’m still employed), providing job search documents, training, and employer connections to job seekers. Soon after joining the company I was lucky enough to be mentored by my now partner, Adam Zajac, and break into the resume and LinkedIn writing industry.

Although landing in the industry came down to chance, I’ve chosen to stay in the industry because it really is the perfect combination of my academic background. It allows me the chance to actively promote and market my clients as well as provide training in both one-on-one and group settings. Most importantly, I love this profession, because I get to play a part in my clients’ success in living out their dreams and achieving their goals.

You recently earned your NCRW certification (Congratulations again!). Have you observed a difference in the volume of business or client interest as a result of earning this certification or any changes in particular?

There was definitely an upswing in business soon after receiving the certification and marketing the heck out of it. Now that it’s been a few months (I earned my NCRW in December 2017) I find that a decent amount of people contact me after finding my information through the NRWA’s “Find a Nationally Certified Writer” feature, which is fantastic. For potential clients who do not know about my NCRW, I find that it is a HUGE selling point because I am able to “prove” my worth and level of expertise.

You’re all set to team teach a preconference workshop with Tom Powner that is focused on LinkedIn. What do you believe is the #1 reason that most LinkedIn profiles don’t work? What are some things that you’re hoping to have attendees take away from the course?

I believe that the #1 reason most LinkedIn profiles do not work is that people do not put the time and effort into optimizing their LinkedIn to the same level as their resumes. People underestimate the power of LinkedIn and as such, they do not realize the importance of inserting powerful keywords, beefing up their content, and leaning on their network.

Tom and I are hoping that attendees walk away understanding that LinkedIn plays just as much, or in some cases, more importance in their client's job search and as such, they need to be knowledgeable in how to market their clients on the platform. We know attendees will walk away with tips and tricks on:

Where do you hope to see yourself in your resume writing and LinkedIn career in the next 3-5 years?

My goals are pretty simple. I want to establish a strong reputation in the industry, continue to develop my skills so I am staying in front of trends, and build a profitable business founded on referrals (because referrals often equate to happy clients who got the results they were looking for).

If you could pick one of your hobbies or interests that adds to your overall work performance when working with your clients, what would it be and why?

I have always loved reading. When I was little, my mom said she would never put a limit on how many books she would buy me. As such, I have always been interested in the written language and crafting the perfect sentence, which ties in well with our industry, if I do say so myself.

What are you most proud of in your resume writing career to date?

Earning my NCRW designation. I was incredibly intimidated by the process especially seeing as I am at such an early stage in my career. Learning I passed and could call myself an NCRW solidified that I have a place in this industry and that I offer my clients valuable services.

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Member Benefit - Ask a Colleague

By Sara Timm, President, DFW Resume
Membership Chair

What do you do when you can’t figure out how to incorporate early experience into a resume you are writing? Or you’re lost on how to present a client with over 20 years’ experience and who has never had a resume? Or you’re trying a new format and can’t seem to make it look the way you want? 

You could…

Rather than struggle alone when you have a problem, Ask a Colleague!

Brought to you by the NRWA, Ask a Colleague provides industry-leading experts - each with a specific area of focus - ready to assist you in your pursuit of solutions.

Reserved for the NRWA members, Ask a Colleague is found on the Writing Resources page in the Members-Only section of the NRWA website.

Ask a Colleague - another great benefit of being a member of the NRWA.

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Experienced Business Owners Meeting

Tom Powner and Paul Freiberger
Members, Board of Directors, Experienced Business Owners

Join us on August 24, 12:30 p.m., ET for our Experienced Business Owners (EBO) quarterly call. We’ll skip the webinar. Instead, we’re going to have a discovery conversation about a topic we all care about and many fear.

Overcoming the Fear of Raising Prices

This call will be an open conversation, so we can all learn from each other’s experiences. We will not be speaking about what to charge for career services, but how, why and when to raise prices to stay profitable.

A few points about raising prices that we suggest to drive the conversation include:

Join Tom Powner and Paul Freiberger on August 24, 12:30, ET.

Please register for this call https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4727434198595542530

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Volunteer of the Month - Kathy Keshemberg

By Robert Rosales, CPRW
Marketing Chair


We are pleased to announce Kathy Keshemberg as July’s Volunteer of the Month. Kathy currently serves on the Certification Commission.

Kathy is a Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW) working with diverse clients across the U.S. and internationally, providing resume writing and job search coaching services. Kathy is the principal of A Career Advantage and has assisted job seekers and career changers successfully achieve their goals for more than three decades. 

Tell us a little bit about you and your business. What types of clients do you typically work with?

I founded A Career Advantage in June 1983. While I work with a wide range of clients, I like helping middle management candidates in sales, operations, and management. Healthcare and education professionals, a few new college grads, and blue-collar trades add variety to my business.

How did you first get involved with the NRWA?

Marty Weitzman asked me to drive down to Chicago to check out a possible venue for the first conference. From that “assignment” I was named conference co-chair and planned/executed the first two conferences with Judy Friedler. I was elected Secretary of the first national NRWA Board of Directors and played a role in writing the first set of bylaws. 

What prompted you to get involved with the Certification Commission?

I’ve always believed in the high standards established for the NCRW certification and wanted to contribute to maintaining the integrity of the NCRW. Interestingly, while I’ve been writing resumes for decades, I was surprised at how much I’ve learned by grading samples and tests – it had been many years since I read the NCRW Style Guide and discovered it is a good educational tool for both new and veteran writers.

What do you wish others knew about the benefits of getting involved with the NRWA?

When volunteering, not only do I give back to the association, I have also met and become good friends with many resume writers. Working alone can be isolating, but having friends who are in the same situation creates a network to call upon when problems arise. Plus, as a bonus, these friendships have resulted in referrals.

What might someone be surprised to know about you? Or, what do you do when you aren’t working or volunteering?

Summer (especially in Wisconsin) is my favorite time of year. I have several flower gardens that consume way too much of my time. When everything is in bloom, it’s all worthwhile. I embark on road trips in my motor home with my grandsons and Bella, my Goldendoodle, as often as possible.

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New and Renewing Members

Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of June 2018!  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.

Find colleagues in your area by searching here.

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