Last week I flew to Savannah, Georgia, to attend the National Resume Writers’ Association conference. It was the second conference that I’ve been to in the career professional space and I absolutely loved it. My last industry was building maintenance/management, and conferences there were filled with people that didn’t want to be there, and wondering where the next golf course or restaurant was. However, people attending these conferences are usually paying their own way to be there, so they don’t really want to miss a thing. In addition, the conferences are small (around 100 people), so during the three days you can meet just about everyone.
Resume writers are special people. I couldn’t do it – I know my personality and what drives me, and the level of attention and creativity needed to write a strong resume in a challenging situation is something that I doubt I would be able to make a career out of. I remember last year when I did The Resume Experiment, Pete Johnson left a comment saying that he believes everyone should write their own resume. I definitely agree, going through the process is important, and we should all do it. But there are times when calling in a professional is necessary, or wise (or both)!
Sitting through the sessions at this conference gave me a new appreciation for professional resume writers. There is art, mixed with science, and these professionals are at the top of their game (and working to improve). Some have chosen to partner with JibberJobber to add value to the client relationship, as well as make their operations and marketing more effective and efficient. I’m pleased to present to you my seven newest partners (in the order that they signed up):
- Kathy Warwick, Confident Careers
- Linsey Levine, Career Counsel
- Bonnie Kurka, Executive Career Suite
- Susan Whitcomb, Career Coach Academy
- Eleanore Farmer, Be Ready Resumes
- Claudine Vainrub, EduPlan
- Marcia Baker, Mark of Success
Many of you know where I’ve come from since last January. I was the guy who couldn’t get an interview (because my resume had problems). I was the guy who went from “60 to zero” pretty quick. It was demoralizing. Now, I have something cool that industry leaders are jumping on, and it is very, very flattering. I’m honored to be associated with these new partners, and thrilled to add them to my existing partners list!
How do we become partners?
Great new partners, Jason!
One point I’d like to clarify… yes, it is extremely valuable to write your own resume, and perhaps everyone “should” do it. But working with a professional resume writer doesn’t mean that he or she does all the work! It is a collaborative partnership, and you (the job seeker) need to do all of the digging, recollecting, and focusing that you would do if you WERE writing it on your own!
The difference is, you have expert guidance for what can seem an overhwelming and daunting task, and you have a skilled writer who understands the employment market on your side, doing some of the heavy lifting and ensuring that you’ll end up with a resume that works.
In the time you spent at the conference were there any discussions about video resumes or on online profiles vs. resumes? For example, LinkedIn, Jobster, Facebook, MySpace, etc. as an area to focus more attention on?
Bob
Jobmatchbox.com
@Demetrius – shoot me an e-mail (jason at jibberjobber dot com) and I’ll send you the information.
@Louise – great points… especially the part about “expert guidance”
@Bob – I was actually listening for talk about video resumes, online profiles, etc. and was surprised to not hear anything (maybe I missed it)… even without the talk about current mechanisms, I know that some of the professionals at the show do use and know about them, and have some position/strategy for them.
I am thrilled you went to the conference Jason, there is always so much to learn.
Louise Kursmark is right about the insight that a professional resume writer can give. When I do workshops on the subject, one of the misconceptions I have to correct is that you hand the information off to the writer and you get back this amazing document that will get you jobs.
Now there are writers who promise to do just that, and those clients end up with resumes, well written, but in someone else’s “voice”.
For a successful outcome it must be a collaborative partnership.
Marci
BullsEyeResumes.com