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Michelle A. Riklan
Certified Resume Writer, Career Coach, LinkedIn Profile Writer, Trainer, Facilitator, Author, Columnist, Speaker
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Career Newsletter
Volume II, Issue 11 November 2012
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Riklan Resources, LLC 522 Highway 9 North #290 Manalapan, New Jersey 07726 (800) 540-3609
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Greetings!
Welcome to November's career newsletter!
It was a privilege to speak this year at the Career Director's International (CDI) conference in San Diego. Each year CDI hosts an exciting and information-packed conference. Consistently, CDI sets the curve for the careers industry with valuable programs and expert presenters. The Global Career Empowerment Summit is always the most outrageously power-packed career conference of the year! This year, I created an E-book with the input of some the world's most acclaimed career experts from the October 2012 conference. They have joined together to provide a valuable resource of tips and suggestions to help you skyrocket your career. This is a gift for you. Simply type in "Skyrocket" in the promotional code area and receive your free copy. Click on the URL below now. The free promotion is limited! http://tinyurl.com/skyrocket-tips
-----------Our list is growing! If you would like to advertise in future issues, please send an e-mail to robin@riklanresources.com. Please feel free to send suggestions for improvement and additional areas that you would like to see covered in future issues to michelle@riklanresources.com.
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Does Your Resume Have Enough Gravy or is it a Dry Turkey?
by Michelle A. Riklan, ACRW, CPRW, CEIC
As we prepare for the holiday season, I find myself comparing my work to feast preparations. Is there a difference between a well prepared holiday feast and a microwaveable frozen dinner in a box?
As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, I often hear from potential clients who need to be educated on the value of the available service. It costs how much to have a resume professionally written? Can't anyone write one? Can't you just fix mine up quickly so I can send it out? "Interesting," I say to myself. When I had my broken front porch steps repaired, I certainly did not ask the contractor to slap some concrete around the front of my house, charge me a few thousand less and call it a day. So why do job seekers need to be reminded of the potential Return on Investment?
How long have you been out of work? How long have you been seeking to make a career move? How many resumes have you sent out without receiving a response? My question is how can you afford NOT to take seriously the most important marketing tool that you have to offer a potential employer?
Why use a Certified Professional Resume Writer?
Like any profession, the best are people who invest in themselves and are constantly learning. The nation's finest resume writers are credentialed and constantly honing their skills through training, continuing education, and staying current and "in the know" with job search trends.
To provide a client with that stellar document, hours of preparation, collaboration, and execution are needed. Just like that holiday feast!
We need to know what we are cooking up. We carefully assess the client through interviews, worksheets and other tools necessary to extract needed information. We gather our ingredients and then carefully prepare those ingredients.
Yes, the preparation is time-consuming. A 20-lb. turkey that's baked for 30 minutes is unappealing and potentially toxic. So is your uncooked resume. Is it thoughtful and well-prepared, seasoned to perfection? Sprinkled with just the right amount of key words and filled with juicy, tantalizing information that compels the reader to continue? Or, is it a dry, laundry list of unsubstantiated tasks that will end up as scraps under the table?
Hmmm....
Although professional chefs are often reluctant and unwilling to share their prized recipes, I will share a small morsel of information if your resume is dry and unappetizing: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GRAVY.
To add that much needed ingredient, review your existing document. Have you stated your challenges, actions and results (C.A.R.) ? Your reader does not only want to know what you did (CHALLENGE) but how you did (ACTION) and the positive impact that your action had on the company (RESULT). That's your secret ingredient C.A.R. It's the gravy in the resume. If you make sure that your resume is filled with demonstrated accomplishments and you can highlight the C.A.R., potential employers will gobble your resume up.
Happy holidays!
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Online Resume Samples: Some Words of Caution
by Kristen S. Johnson, CARW, CCMC, COPNS, CG3C
No one wants to spend money they don't have to. If you're in a job search, you may be tempted to try writing your own resume using samples you find online instead of hiring a resume writer. It is an investment, so it's understandable that you might want to save the money and do it yourself. However, the strategy of using content from resumes found online might end up costing you more in the long run.
Many people don't realize there are some possible negative consequences to using online samples. If you get tempted to recycle content you find online in your resume, heed these words of caution first. What's the worst that could happen? Here's what has been the result for some of my clients before they came to me:
1. Inauthentic: One client just didn't feel like the resume she wrote for herself was really "her." That's because the words used by a professional writer are chosen because they represent that individual's personality and talents well. Just because a word is commonly used in many samples, doesn't mean it honestly describes you or is appropriate for your profession. The result is a document that just doesn't match the personality of the candidate.
2. Errors: Clients come to me all the time with serious errors in their DIY resumes. There are many nuances of resume writing that take years to study and apply accurately. Grammar, formatting, words that are overused or inappropriate for a resume can't be learned quickly from looking at samples online.
3. Outdated design or content: One client looked online and wrote his own resume from samples only to hear me tell him how outdated it was. (Sorry!) He was pretty mad at himself for wasting the time after I explained that some "resume" websites are scams with incredibly antiquated samples, hoping to attract folks who just don't know what an excellent, current resume looks like. (To avoid a scam site, look for a real person as the owner.)
Note: even some very talented resume writers sometimes have outdated samples on their websites. Staying current with the latest best practices is important to good writers and using these techniques in everyday writing for clients takes priority. Sometimes updating resumes on the website falls to the wayside until samples really need to be overhauled. To be cutting-edge, stay away copying from samples.
If you are networking, (I hope you are, because you're much more likely to see success with a little help from your friends) do you want to hand your contacts something outdated that could embarrass you later?
4. Not strong enough: Using content that was originally written for another person can sound generic and weak when reused. It's crucial to describe your unique successes with language that substantiates the claims you are making about yourself. Please don't be tempted to use overly general descriptors from samples online to fill out your resume. It will just sound lame.
It is extremely important for those who have extenuating circumstances in their career to have a strong resume. If you've been let go, taken a sabbatical, made a big change, then you NEED to have every advantage. If you are applying online (tough enough for candidates who don't have difficult issues to overcome) do you want to risk your resume not making the cut because someone else had a much stronger one?
When my clients use their resume that really packs a punch, plus networking, they see results so much faster! This is what you really must be focusing on to shorten your search.
5. Illegal: One client of mine was in a hiring capacity at her job. She told me that she always Googled the content of candidates' resumes before interviewing them to be sure the person hadn't just copied it from a website somewhere. If you use wording from other writers' samples, you could be breaking copyright law. Be careful with this. Being a plagiarist doesn't make you look good in the eyes of an employer. The sample page on my website has a warning to this effect, but not all do.
Given all of this, is it possible for you to write your own resume well? Maybe. It depends on whether you have the time to research how to do it properly, the expertise with the software, the ability to know what will resonate with the employer, and can create original content without copying others' work.
Of course, it might be better to just hire a writer. I even had help with mine! Whatever you decide, just please don't use content from samples online.
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Kristin is a TORI award-winning, 5-times certified resume writer, job search coach, and social media consultant. She uses an approach that is cutting-edge, creative, and kind. As owner of Profession Direction, LLC, she works with professionals and aspiring executives across the country. Her clients enjoy the reassurance of having professionally-written, SEO-optimized documents. They find clarity and direction in their job search, feel at ease with social media and in-person networking, and earn more income faster.
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Suggested Reading: Social Networking for Career Success
By Miriam Salpeter

Social Networking for Career Success: Using Online Tools to Create a Personal Brand
by Miriam Salpeter by LearningExpress
Paperback
List Price: $18.95
Our Price: $10.23
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What's Inside? Information on how you can create an effective, compelling online presence; advice from successful professionals on how social networking can propel your career; the ins and outs of social networking sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Quora, and many more), from the basics to the advanced features; tips for creating and maintaining a blog that will establish you as an expert in your field; and much more.
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If you have a favorite career book to suggest or an article that you'd like to submit for our upcoming issues, please send your information to newsletter@riklanresources.com.
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Do you have a career related product or service that you would like to promote in our upcoming newsletters? Contact us at robin@riklanresources.com for more information.
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About Riklan Resources
Riklan Resources offers the following services:
- Resumes that land on the top of the pile!
- Coaching that puts you ahead of the competition.
- Training that ensures career advancement.
We want you to reach your top potential!
Riklan Resources is now on Facebook. Be sure to stop by and like our page!
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