Why Don’t I Just Assume Their Project and Take Their Money? It’s A Matter of SLEEP!

If I had a nickel for every project I turn down, well, I would have a lot of nickels. Several times a day, I get phone calls from prospective clients who want me to write a cover letter or a LinkedIn profile for them, or provide them with interview preparation or career coaching services.

Unfortunately, these folks never become more than “prospective” clients. Why? Well, in plain English, their résumés are not good enough for me to take the time and effort to write them a compelling cover letter and / or LinkedIn profile. And since their résumés and cover letters are not good enough to generate worthwhile interviews, I see no sense in taking the time and effort to provide them with interview preparation and / or career coaching services. Likewise, why labor over a LinkedIn profile when the résumé doesn’t compliment it?

Am I being a lousy businesswoman by turning down their projects? Probably I am. In fact, I would bet (if I were a betting woman) that there are many résumé writers / career coaches who would assume their project and take their money, regardless of the obvious pitfalls of their résumé. But, I’ve been running my business like this (I call it, “ethically”) since I founded A Word’s Worth in 1989. My rationale? I sleep well at night, knowing that I have not done a disservice to an unsuspecting client.

In my defense, the résumés and cover letters of yesterday are not the documents of today. So, when people send me outdated résumés and they don’t want me to “dust them off” to make them competitive in today’s economy, I feel compelled to thank them kindly for the call and for emailing me their résumé for my perusal, then to explain my reasoning for turning down their project. Believe me, it’s nothing personal. In fact, it’s professional.

So, if you are one of those phone callers who I have turned down, I deeply apologize. Please do not take offense. Instead, realize that I am doing what is best for you, and in the long run, what is best for me. You see, at bedtime, my conscience is clear and I sleep like a champ!

Focusing Your Resume and Personalizing Cover Letter is Key to Your Success

Before I meet with prospective clients, I give them homework. I ask them to please email me one to three postings of positions that appeal to them, regardless of timing, compensation, or location. Once they email me this vital information, I ask them to do one more task. “Now,” I say, “please select the one position for which you want me to brand you within the resume and cover letter I will be writing for you.”

Although during the course of our time together I empower my clients to brand themselves for other positions of interest to them, I make it crystal clear that each and every resume has to be focused toward a particular position and each and every cover letter should be personalized to the particular hiring manager.

In the case of the resume, this means that you will need more than one version. However, it is not nearly as complicated as it sounds. Simply name and save each version of your resume to your hard drive so that you can easily change the target to focus on each position of interest to you.

Today’s economic conditions absolutely demand that employers learn from the resume and cover letter what potential value you bring to the workplace, not what you seek from them. (Hence, resume etiquette has for years stipulated that objectives are “out” and professional profiles and buzzwords are “in.”) This means that prospective employers want to learn from your documents know how you fare against the competition in meeting the demands of the particular position you are seeking. By branding you for the particular position, there is essentially no better way to communicate this.

With easy access to personalized information through social media and sites like LinkedIn, cover-letter customization is usually a click away. Do your due diligence: research who the proper person for the salutation of the letter is. Having a name on the cover letter shows that you really want the job, you took the extra time to personalize the letter, and you are committed to getting the job done. In today’s quick-apply society, taking the time and effort to respond personally to job openings and doing a bit of research will help you stand out from the crowd of prospective candidates.

Speaking of standing out from the crowd of prospective candidates, call me today @ (609) 758-7799 or drop me an email @ nina@awordsworth.com to get the process started!

Veterans Have A Hiring Edge

Good news for United States military veterans: a majority of employers would rather hire military veterans than equally-qualified civilian candidates. The reason for this hiring decision among many employees is rather logical. Veterans are viewed as offering the “total package.” They have proved themselves capable of of working within high-pressure environments, have completed intense training programs, and have a well-earned reputation for high job performance.

Veterans, generally, have proven skills in one or more of the following arenas:  information technology, customer relationship management, engineering, business management, training and development,  manufacturing . . . the list goes on.

There is something holding veterans back, however, from reaching their potential in the civilian workforce. Namely, that “something” is veterans’ unwillingness to market themselves or to seek the help of a professional who can successfully market them.

Of course, as always, A Word’s Worth Resume Writing and Career Coaching Service, a Military Reward Partner since 2007, is here to help. With the ability to translate those military accomplishments and skills-sets into winning civilian resumes and cover letters, A Word’s Worth has a proven track record in helping veterans get jobs. And, at a discounted fee!

Veterans, it is my honor to help you open doors to interviews. Please give me, Nina Ebert, a call @ (609) 758-7799 so we can get the process started. And, thank you ever so much for your terrific service to our country!

Ho, Ho, Hum!

Ho, Ho, Hum!.

Ho, Ho, Hum!

I’ve been a good girl, haven’t been naughty all year, and I’ve been rewarded with lots of new and loyal repeat clientele. So what am I complaining about?

Yelp.com is what I’m complaining about.

A Word’s Worth has 17 positive unsolicited Yelp reviews from clients I have serviced throughout my 25 years of being in the business. Pretty good, considering Yelp hasn’t been around for nearly as long as has A Word’s Worth Resume Writing and Career Coaching Service. But, here’s the clincher.

Yelp.com has opted to filter all 17 positive unsolicited reviews from clients I have serviced and showcases THE ONLY NEGATIVE REVIEW I HAVE EVER RECEIVED (July 2011). This review happens to be WRITTEN by A FICTICIOUS CHARACTER, someone I never serviced.

How do I know I never serviced “Ben D.”  from Carbondale, IL? Well, at the time this evildoer wrote this review, I was not working with clients unless they came to my office. I started working with clients via telephone (only when they can’t come to the office) in 2012. So there is no way in heck that I could have worked with “Ben D.”  

When I brought this injustice to the attention of Yelp, the Yelp team suggested I use their free option to promote A Word’s Worth. Well, when I utilized this free option, I received the following response from Yelp:

“I’m writing to let you know about our Support team’s decision to close your user account. Your account has been closed because of Terms of Service (http://www.yelp.com/static?p=tos) violations, including using your account for commercial or promotional purposes. Please note that we do not provide further details on account closures.”  

If Yelp wasn’t so unethical, unfair, and unequivocally corrupt, I would be laughing. Ho, ho, hum.

In honor of Election Day 2012, I am here to help you vote . . . for me as your resume writer / career coach!

Okay, so you are seeking professional help in writing a resume and cover letter, perhaps a LinkedIn Profile, as well. You are a bit confused as to who to turn to in your hour(s) of need. Fear not, I am here to help!

For starters, when searching for the professional you want to work with, know that you should be able to “connect” with the person over the telephone BEFORE you book the interview. If the person on the other end of the telephone is not your “cup of tea” over the phone, I can assure you that your working relationship will be less than optimal.

Second, choose a Certified Professional Resume Writer / Career Coach with EXPERIENCE. I know this is a necessary credential. Why? How? In all honesty, I have to rewrite about 5 resumes and cover letters a week that have been prepared by less-experienced resume writers / career coaches than I. It’s not that I mind the business; it’s just that it doesn’t seem right that you as clients have to pay someone for doing an inferior job, then you have to pay me for doing a superior job.

You see, resume writing / career coaching is not a science. It is a learned profession, a skill, a passion. It starts with superior writing skills, evolves with superior human resource skills, and ends with a superior commitment to helping clients open doors to interviews. Throughout the life of a Certified Professional Resume Writer / Career Coach, there are educational prerequisites that have to be met. And, these prerequisites are neither something you can learn from a single book, nor are they stagnant. The formatting, the language, the must-haves, and the must-have-nots are CONSTANTLY CHANGING. What opened to doors to job interviews in 1994, 2004, even 2010, simply said, will not open doors to interviews in 2012.

Now, I am not a politician. I have no stump speech. I have no policies or agendas to put forward. All I have is my skill, my passion, and my commitment to help you open doors to interviews. So . . . vote for me, Nina Ebert, Certified Professional Resume Writer / Career Coach serving clients since 1989; also proudly serving military personnel as a Military Reward Partner since 2007.

CAREER PATHING IS NOT AN “EITHER / OR” PROPOSITION

I know for a fact that you have been an outstanding employee . . . a team player . . . a person who brings value to the workplace. I am not for a minute questioning your commitment, your integrity, your drive, or your workplace ethics. I am, however, wondering if the company you currently work for is thriving in this economy, or if like many companies, it is considering a downsizing. Although a company downsizing is absolutely no fault of your own, I have some advice for you, particularly if your intuition is telling you that you need to “do something” because you sense that trouble may well be around the corner.

My advice . . . take action. Here are a couple of things you can do, both of which you should do sooner, rather than later:

First, fight hard to retain your position. Be visible about the value you bring to the organization. I’m not saying that you should be in your employer’s face, stating, “I’m valuable.” I’m saying do things that demonstrate your value.  Let me elaborate.

To remain within your existing position, work hard at contributing to a harmonious work environment, create positive working relationships, and (trite as this may seem), SMILE A LOT. Do not  complain or sulk. On the contrary, consider the challenges facing your place of employment and do everything you can to help your employer meet those challenges.  Collaborate with your colleagues in driving organizational productivity, profitability, and streamlining initiatives. Think “outside of the box.” Can you suggest cost avoidance techniques? Do you know vendors / suppliers who can deliver more “bang for the buck?” Any operating redundancies you can point to? Any organizational discrepancies causing unnecessary downtime? If so, speak up. Your suggestions may help save the company and your job!

In addition, if you are interested in remaining with the organization, stay late, work hard, and show that you can do more with less. Assume ownership of your job; become invested in it. If your duties are being reduced or eliminated, find tasks that need to be done, and do them.   Fulfill these new responsibilities with a smile!

Concurrently, however, start transitioning yourself towards a position outside of the organization. Since you want to optimize your chance for success, career pathing is not an “either/or” proposition. It is, in fact, a two-pronged approach.

Your career is undoubtedly rich with accomplishments. Start listing them. Think “challenges, actions, and results.” Document examples of how you add value to the workplace. Just by recalling these achievements, you will improve your confidence and be ready to have your resume professionally prepared.  Jot down the specific situation before you strove to improve it, describe the actions you took to meet the challenges imposed by the situation, and describe the positive results you achieved. Add impact by using numbers, percentages, and dollars to quantify your results.

No matter how things look in the company, always be prepared with a resume, cover letter, and job search strategy. Job strategists agree, it is always better to look for a job when you have a job.  I await your phone call . . . (609) 758-7799!