Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Bard have catapulted to prominence, with people using them in countless ways. Below is a short list of ideas for using AI to support job seekers in their ongoing professional development and career management as well as in a job search. Each idea has two sample prompts. The quality of the AI response varies dramatically based on the prompt, so it’s important to input thoughtful information.

I recommend coaching job seekers to use AI like they would a research assistant or accountability partner: it can help them generate ideas, but the ultimate responsibility for verifying the information is on them. Crucially, AI has been shown to create fake information, so it’s imperative to view the data it provides as a starting point and not to let it replace a person’s thinking or judgment.

Uses and sample prompts

Explore career options

What is a career path for someone with a/an [insert degree]?

List career options for a teacher [profession] who no longer wants to teach [main skill in profession].

Brainstorm how to leverage skills and passions

How do I combine my skills in [A] and [B] and my love of [C]?

Suggest careers for someone who is in engineering and is both technically strong and creative.

Identify skills to develop or strengthen

What are the top skills needed to be a/an X?

How can I get [skill identified in AI’s response] if I want to be a/an X?

Identify professional growth opportunities

What are prominent professional organizations for [career/job type]?

List the top certifications for professionals interested in becoming a/an [expert].

Analyze job postings and related information

Analyze the following job posting and state the most important skills required for it [paste the job posting text]

Analyze the following strategic plan and list the key priorities a leader needs to know before interviewing for [name of job]. [Insert text of strategic plan]

Learn about industry trends

What are trends in X industry?

What is the economic climate for [name of industry] companies?

Research a company

What is the history of company X?

What is the company culture like at X?

Create a list of companies to apply to in similar fields 

What companies are competitors of [name of company]?

 I want to work for [name of company]. Create a list of companies similar to [name of company].

Help with time management

How can I use tested time management techniques when I’m [doing X at type-of-company]?

What is the [name of time management technique from AI’s response] and how can I use it when [doing X]?

Bottom line

Leveraging AI to help brainstorm ideas pertaining to career management can be a timesaver. Once a job seeker gets some basic ideas from AI, that information can be a great launching pad for more intensive investigation as they manage their careers.

I currently have three clients who I’m working with in various capacities. Each is an executive in his 50s who I worked with previously during their respective job searches. Each was employed when they initially hired me, interested in seeing what opportunities for advancement they could find. More than just looking for added responsibilities (they were already executives), they wanted environments where they could fully use their talents. 

All three are currently looking to exit their new employers.

What is going on?

My clients are well-paid and secure in their roles, but they aren't happy. The jobs presented to them during their lengthy interview processes aren’t as described. Two feel they were—at best—told inaccurate information. Some people would say they were lied to.

Another executive I recently worked with left a job prepared to take up to a 40% pay cut for the right work culture. And another executive resigned when the company’s values and actions no longer aligned with hers. 

People leave jobs for various reasons, but I think this cluster of clients leaving their employers represents a larger shift in the workforce. Even handsomely compensated employees are willing to leave poor work cultures and environments that don’t align with their values and integrity. You are probably familiar with the rhetoric of the “Great Resignation” that emerged during the pandemic, when employees realized there is more to life than work and resigned for personal reasons or to take on more fulfilling jobs. Looking at the end of 2023, my anecdotal evidence suggests this cultural shift of priorities for workers is here to stay (at least for now).

How can we help job seekers screen for workplace culture?

Each of my clients is resilient and savvy; they will be okay. But this doesn't protect them from the heartache that accompanies starting a new job with excitement only to be let down within months when they see things as they truly are at their new workplace. 

You can convey to job seekers at all stages of their careers a few key points, should they seek your input on interviewing. (I recognize that not all job seekers want to engage in interview or job search strategy coaching.) First, acknowledge that there are instances in which it is nearly impossible to uncover everything about a workplace, but a job seeker should make an earnest effort. Second, remind them that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. When job seekers are unhappy in their current role, they might experience confirmation bias: they look for the good aspects of a new workplace and downplay red flags. Most job seekers will appreciate having a frank conversation about workplace culture so they can learn from your expertise.  

You can also encourage job seekers to conduct online research and be highly observant when speaking with employees or visiting the company. Are people dressed formally or informally? Are they working individually or actively collaborating?

Encourage job seekers to identify their own values and priorities. If the organization has a strategic plan (common in higher education and non-profits), urge them to read it to assess whether the organization's priorities align with their desires. 

What questions should job seekers ask to investigate workplace culture? 

Whether job seekers are engaging in networking conversations or formal interviews, they can ask insightful questions that help them assess workplace culture. Brainstorm with your client to help ensure they are equipped with many different types of questions at various stages of the interview process. Here is a sample list to help you lead this conversation. Note: these 20+ questions are in random order and can be tailored depending on whether the job seeker is speaking to HR, a potential peer, or a potential boss.

1. What do you like most about working here?

2. What would you change about the company?

3. What are the corporate values? In what ways are these values demonstrated regularly?

4. How often does the company have special events/activities for staff?

5. How are expectations communicated?

6. How do you know you are doing well in your role? How is performance evaluated?

7. What opportunities are available for professional growth and development?

8. In what ways have you experienced mentoring?

9. How does the executive team communicate its strategic priorities, and with what frequency? To what extent are they transparent about company/division/departmental performance?

10. How does your boss support your success? How do you support your staff’s development and success?

11. How would you describe the leadership approach within the organization?

12. What traits are most important to have here to succeed?

13. To what extent are people permitted to have flexible work arrangements?

14. Why did you decide to work here?

15. On average, how long do employees stay with the company?

16. What happens when there is a problem (e.g., a product isn't launched on time, a client is dissatisfied, the R&D process is taking longer than expected, or a grant didn't get accepted)?

17. What do you find most exciting about the company?

18. How has the company changed since the pandemic?

19. What percentage of work is done independently vs. collaboratively?

20. How does the company evolve and adapt to changing economic and workforce conditions?

By asking questions like these, job seekers will be more informed when making their decisions about pursuing employment at the organization.

Takeaway

The pandemic served as a wake-up call for many people. People will flee places of employment with toxic work cultures—or even just cultures that don’t align with their personal priorities and values. 

People are aware that some companies allow flexible work conditions and are welcoming to having children—and dogs—occasionally join them at work. Others offer unlimited time off, personal wellness days, and generous time off for volunteering. And let’s not forget the value of a culture that fosters genuine expression of appreciation for a job well done, opportunities for growth and innovation, and clear lines of communication between executives and other staff. Job seekers know such places of employment exist—and they desire to be a part of these cultures.

Let’s help them screen for red flags so their next job is not only the right job function but also the right employer.  

What does it take to get a job today? This simple question has many answers. As I reflect on my last decade of helping job seekers get not just any job, but a fulfilling job, I want to share 10 important lessons I’ve learned that you can ensure you pass along to any students and clients you assist.

Lesson #1: Strategy remains critical.

Effective job seekers are focused, have a clear understanding of the types of companies they want to work for, view networking as an ongoing task and not a one-and-done exercise, and always have a list of companies that interest them on hand.

Lesson #2: Resumes haven’t died. 

For years now, people have been asking “Is the resume dead?,” and the answer is no for most employees and employers. From a pragmatic standpoint, companies still rely on this brief document to identify interviewees. Resumes not only help secure interviews but also energize job seekers to talk about their accomplishments. I’m sure you know this information, but not all job seekers do.

Lesson #3: Cover letters challenge job seekers but are worthwhile.

I coach job seekers to think of their cover letter as a way to show they are the solution to the employer’s problem. Whether a cover letter gets read by a human in an initial first-pass reading is hard to say. But they are almost always read when employers whittle down a list of 15 applicants to five. A well-written cover letter can help job seekers stand out.

Lesson #4: LinkedIn can accelerate the pace of finding a fulfilling job.

Many people reluctantly and passively use LinkedIn. The world will, of course, keep spinning if a job seeker doesn’t use it. However, job seekers who have a solid strategy for using LinkedIn tend to get positive results. I teach clients to accept that if they’re not on LinkedIn or using it effectively, they are likely missing opportunities. This is true for fresh college graduates through C-suite executives. The choice is theirs to make.

Lesson #5: A job seeker’s mindset will either propel them or hold them back.

You get what you focus on. For instance, if a job seeker is convinced that age discrimination will hurt them—it will. A positive mindset will carry a person far both professionally and in their overall health and life satisfaction. Johns Hopkins Medicine has reported that a positive outlook reduces the chance of having heart attacks in people predisposed to having them and “improves outcomes and life satisfaction.” Further, research published in Europe’s Journal of Psychology suggests that positivity fosters job and life satisfaction. It is imperative that a job seeker gets a grip on their mindset.

Lesson #6: Your storytelling skills will influence the job offers you receive.

How job seekers talk about their work history is telling. If someone can recognize how fortunate they were to learn and grow in each role they’ve had, they will have an easier time landing their next role than if they can only describe negative parts of previous work. If every workplace was toxic or had bad leadership—it’s not them, it’s the job seeker. As an aside, if a potential client comes to me and only has negative remarks about other career services providers, I view that as a red flag.

Lesson #7: Lifelong learning keeps you sharp and marketable.

Job seekers who desire to transition to a new field or role, as well as those who want to progress in their existing field, can speed up that process by expanding their knowledge. Employers will notice if a job seeker takes a course, joins a professional organization, or earns a certificate. The global corporation BNI, a business referral organization with the mission of “changing the way the world does business,” even has lifelong learning as a core corporate value.

Lesson #8: Research companies and be prepared to ask or talk about what you learned.

Interviews will be dead in the water if a job seeker can’t ask intelligent questions or demonstrate their knowledge of a company. Far too many times, hiring managers have shared their frustration about interviewees who didn’t seem to know anything about the company. Job seekers can impress interviewers with their knowledge of their company, which can also help make themselves memorable.

Lesson #9: Interview enthusiastically.

Job seekers who show excitement about a role do better than those who can’t muster any enthusiasm. When you’re dating a person, you don’t want them to think you’re only dating them because they are available; the same goes for a job. Job seekers need to make the employer feel special, as if they can’t wait to be working there.

Lesson #10: Confidence matters.

If I’ve said once, I’ve said it a thousand times: If you’re not confident in your abilities to succeed in a role, you can’t expect someone else will believe in you. I remind job seekers that employers have a goal: to solve a problem. The job seeker must present themself as the solution to that problem. Employers invest in employees, and they don’t make job offers to people who lack confidence.

Takeaway

The question “What does it take to get a job today?” doesn’t have one simple answer.

However, as resume writers and career coaches, we have a room with a view. We see trends, gain insights, and have revelations about what it takes to get a job that we sometimes keep to ourselves because we’re busy working with clients. I’m using this opportunity to pass along these 10 lessons that transcend any industry, any level of responsibility, and any type of role. What else do you notice about what it takes to get a job in 2023? 

I’ll close with a fun bit of nostalgia: The notebook in the photo is a notebook I purchased during my first year of business. Time flies when you're having fun!

References

Johns Hopkins Medicine, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking, accessed March 12, 2023.

Orkibi, Hod and Brandt, Yaron Ilan, “How Positivity Links With Job Satisfaction: Preliminary Findings on the Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance,” Europe’s Journal of Psychology, August 2015 11(3): 406–418, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4873052/, accessed March 12, 2023.

BNI.com, accessed March 12, 2023.

It seems as if everyone is talking and writing about generative artificial intelligence (AI)—and with good reason. Generative AI is a type of AI that generates text, images, and other media in response to a prompt. It is what people are referring to when they talk about ChatGPT, Bard, or a myriad of other platforms.

Wondering if ChatGPT can spit out a country-western song about a man upset his wife spilled spaghetti? Yep, it can.

Want a parental leave policy written in Shakespearean prose? It can do that, too.

How about a poem written from a ten-year-old’s perspective on growing up in Youngstown, Ohio? In less than 30 seconds, it will share a somewhat melancholy view of Steel Town USA, now known for being part of the U.S.’s Rust Belt.

And, yes, it can share a description of a project manager and edit resume bullet points.

Given my expertise in writing and editing, I wanted to distill my thoughts on text-based AI. As fast as AI is changing, I acknowledge these sentiments might age quickly.

Threats of AI

I tend to be a slow adopter of technology. I’ve even called myself a Luddite—a person opposed to new technology, and a term rooted in a group of English workers in the 1810s who destroyed machinery that they felt were threatening their jobs. But the Luddites didn’t win. Cotton and wool mills prevailed. 

Time will tell whether generative AI becomes as significant or more significant of an innovation than the printing press or even the Industrial Revolution. Surely, jobs will be both lost and gained. (For this article, I’m ignoring the concern of weaponizing AI because I still want to sleep peacefully at night.)

Many career services professionals might be wondering whether they will have a business in three years. After all, AI can already function like a research assistant, and it can easily generate a basic resume or bio. Taking steps to safeguard your business and offerings will help neutralize this risk.

Limits of AI

AI as Your Research Assistant

I tested AI’s ability to produce content on areas that I had extensive knowledge in thanks to my work in career services and my three degrees in history. I prompted it to provide a description and the origin of the Sanbenito, and it did a marvelous—basic—synthesis of existing information. (If you’re wondering, the Sanbenito was a garment worn during the Spanish Inquisition.) It also did a solid job outlining a potential talk on career management for women, providing a list of 10 tips for using LinkedIn, and generalizing a famous law from 1705 that I studied when conducting dissertation research.

What it lacked is new information. When I pressed it for further information on the Sanbenito, it even apologized: “I apologize for the confusion, but I don't have access to real-time data or specific sources … As an AI language model, my responses are generated based on pre-existing knowledge up until September 2021.”

In short, generative AI can function as an entry-level research assistant but certainly not a senior researcher. It could be good for learning an overview of something new, but the responses are not nearly as specific as you can find by consulting expert sources—which tend to be readily available online.

AI as a Writer and Editor

I’m impressed by the grammatical correctness of what AI produces. In that regard, any job that is strictly for line editing is at risk.

I’m less impressed with the writing itself. Sentence, paragraph, and overall structure of anything I’ve read has been bland. When I’ve tried to direct the tone, it made an admirable effort but didn’t sound like me. I’ve learned from another career services professional who tested AI’s ability to write bios that the bios all seemed okay on their own, but they followed a similar pattern and collectively read like they were written using a template. If you want to have a distinctive voice (and who doesn’t), AI isn’t capable yet.

Intellectual Property and Proprietary Information

As of this writing, I am uncertain of intellectual property (IP). Who owns what when it comes to AI-written text? I’ve seen lawyers raise this question. As a cautious individual, I want clarity before I would use AI for anything other than basic research.

AI platforms also warn you not to share proprietary information. For this reason alone, I have significant concerns about using AI for anything that is directly from a client. Large organizations like Samsung have banned employees from using generative AI after confidential information accidentally got shared by a Samsung engineer. Amazon, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan have also restricted use of generative AI. As resume writers, we handle sensitive material, and our clients trust us to handle it with care. I have no plans to input information from a client into an AI platform.

Opportunities to Stay Competitive in an AI-laced World

Research Assistance

As I already mentioned, AI can be likened to an inexperienced research assistant: it can provide information quickly, but it might not be accurate. ChatGPT even acknowledges that some information might be wrong. I’ve found such inaccuracies. This doesn’t mean the information isn’t a good starting place, but due diligence will be crucial. We can empower job seekers to use AI prudently and effectively; this could be an extension of services we provide.

Customized, High-Quality Work Products

I suspect AI will raise the lowest common denominator in terms of writing quality. This could make it even more difficult for our clients to stand out. They will need us to become even better writers and editors to help them rise to the top in a swelling sea of mediocrity.

To maintain a competitive edge, ongoing professional development in writing and coaching will be critical. I am saddened when I have a collaborative work session using Google Docs and the sentences the client writes are riddled with misspelled words; then, the client sheepishly says, “I’m not a good speller.” Spellcheck is helpful—but only to a certain point. A word needs to be close enough to the correct word for the spellcheck to suggest the correct spelling. Grammar, spelling, and writing are sometimes underdeveloped skills, so gaining and maintaining these foundational abilities will help us stay relevant, serve our clients better, and work more efficiently. Writing and editing tools can continue to be useful aids rather than become life rafts.

The Human Touch

The pandemic revealed our innate desire for human interaction. Families and friends came together via drive-by birthday parades, highlighting the importance of personal connections. We now understand that remote learning, with its social isolation, negatively affected the mental health of countless children. Some of my clients quickly realized their longing for the office environment and eagerly embraced the opportunity to return. And, when our call to a company’s customer service line is met with an automated phone messaging system, many of us press “0” in hopes of connecting with a real, human customer service agent who will attentively address our concerns. The examples could go on and on… .

Staying competitive will require us to lean into our humanness—providing services that center on human interaction, active listening, and work products truly customized to each client. Services with person-to-person consulting and coaching will remain attractive and might even command higher fees.

Those are my predictions. What are yours? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Not long ago, I was on a work retreat with a colleague and the topic of writing about yourself came up. My colleague had been self-employed for more than 10 years before she switched to a full-time role at an organization. Because she wanted to keep her website up and running for selective projects, she updated it periodically but never mentioned her full-time work or current professional interests. This plan worked fine for a time, but after several years, it faltered. The website felt dated. It lacked any mention of how she had grown in the past five years.

Together, we discussed her goals for the website, and then she made changes to make it current, relevant, and, most important, authentic. She accomplished this without revealing she had a full-time job, which suited her strategic priorities. These relatively small changes had a huge impact on the effectiveness of her website. 

The revision process also prompted her to change her service offerings to match the season of life she is in. Like a faucet that can be slowed to a trickle or opened to full blast, her website is back to doing what she needs it to do—bring in the type of projects that interest her at the pace she wants, while authentically representing her brand and voice. 

This all happened because she knew how to write about herself—which is not an easy task. If you’ve ever struggled to write about yourself, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. It all starts with knowing yourself and what you want to communicate. This requires having a clear understanding of WHO your audience is and what you want them to know about you. For the brand you are creating, does your audience need to know your pet’s name and your favorite color? For most professionals, the answer is no. However, what if you have created a lifestyle business that is deeply rooted in your audience knowing “the real” you? In that case, you might share what type of lightbulbs you buy and style of jeans you prefer. You get the point: scale what you share based on your brand and what will resonate with your audience. 

2. Once you’ve identified WHAT you want to share, be consistent with this across all platforms. For example, if your website professes your skills as a life and career coach, your LinkedIn profile should not showcase your interior design skills. Consistency is crucial.

3. Adapt your strategy for each platform. HOW you communicate your message on a LinkedIn business page will be different from your LinkedIn profile page, which will be different from your Twitter and Instagram accounts.

4. Seek and be open to feedback, especially if you feel stuck. My colleague was genuinely open to receiving my feedback. She didn’t flinch when I told her that it looked like she hadn’t done anything in five years (of course, I told her in a nicer way!). She responded with questions, we talked, and then she got to work.

5. If you’re really feeling stuck—or simply lack excitement—do a quick assessment on what you like to do. You might feel like you should communicate certain information; if so, ask why you feel that way. You can also reflect on what you like to do professionally. Write down everything you do and the services you offer, and rate them from 1 to 5, with 1 being the least enjoyable (“I hate this”) to 5 being the most enjoyable (“This doesn’t feel like work”). Seek 4s and 5s, and create your messaging about yourself around them. This exercise prompted my colleague to change some of the services offered on her website. 

SUMMARY

Writing about yourself is hard because you’re so close to the subject matter (you!). It becomes easier if you clarify WHO your audience is, WHAT you want to communicate, and HOW you need to adjust your content strategy, depending on the platform. When you hit a brick wall, pause and assess what you like doing the most, and then restructure what you share to emphasize those things. If you take these steps, you’ll feel more energized and authentically represented across all writing that you do about yourself.

How often do you update and revise your website? If you’re like many people, you might forget to do this regularly. Or, you know you should do it and need to do it, but reviewing your website keeps getting pushed lower and lower on your priority list. Somehow, one of the most critical marketing assets you have seems to always take a backseat to more pressing matters. 

Yet, there are compelling reasons to keep your website updated. Websites that are updated regularly can garner higher Google rankings. Even more important, you want your content to feel fresh and relevant to your audience. For instance, it’s less relevant now than it was a couple years ago to have a Covid protocol notice on your website. That is just one example, of course. 

Below I’ve provided an easy checklist you can reference to help you give your website a check-up. Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Is my website secure? What I mean is, does the URL start with HTTP and not HTTPS? If so, users might see an exclamation point and “not secure” notice in the address bar of their internet browser. What a way to build trust with a potential client! If your site isn’t secure, take steps immediately to make it so.

2. Does my website accurately reflect the value I offer? Have you made sure your approach stands out as unique? Strong websites will have a clear focus and value proposition. Make sure you can clearly state what differentiates your service or product from competitors.

3. Does my website accurately reflect the services I offer? In the decade I have run my business, my service offerings have evolved. Information about editing academic writing and coaching high school students to apply to college used to be standard features on my website, but not anymore because I no longer offer those services. There was a time, however, when I still had those pages on my site because I hadn’t had the chance to take them down. I recommend you delete outdated and irrelevant pages, and update your site to ensure your services are clear and accurate.

4. Is my About Page current? Review your bio. Does it convey everything you want? Check to see if you need to add any additional qualifications or credentials. Of course, if you share information about your personal life, make updates there as well.

5. Are my testimonials/reviews fresh? Perhaps you have new reviews to add to your site. Either do it now or schedule a time to do it in the near future.

6. What is outdated? Review the website, page by page, looking for little pieces of information that are outdated or might come across as irrelevant. Information that references how many years of experience you have, how many years you’ve been in business, how many resumes you’ve written, or how many clients you’ve worked with become dated quickly. Consider updating the information immediately or determining a new way of sharing that information. For instance, you can reference a founding year rather than stating how many years you’ve run your business.

7. Ask “What else?” What else do you need to add to your site? Have you been thinking of adding a blog component? Or a shop for customers to purchase an e-book? Or a sign-up form so people can be added to your newsletter? Whatever you need to add, take action to do so immediately, or schedule it on your calendar in the near term. If you don’t have a website administrator, you might consider exploring that option, too. My web design team makes keeping my site updated a breeze.

8. Do I need a website overhaul? Periodically, you might realize you need a rebranding of your site. Although this often takes substantial work, consider it a sign of your success! I am on the fourth version of my website, and each version has gotten stronger. If you realize that you need to start from a clean slate, determine whether you will build the website yourself or whether it’s better to invest in a professional web design service. Take whatever appropriate steps are necessary to get a new site launched.

9. Ask “When should I do this again?” Conducting a website review quarterly is ideal, but every six months or even every year might work for you. Decide what will work best and mark your calendar for your next website check-up.

10. Do a victory lap! Celebrate this “small win” by going for a short walk outside, chilling on the couch for a few minutes with a favorite book, or doing whatever else your soul finds satisfying. Once you start associating the task (website check-up) with the reward (something you love doing), you will be less inclined to delay future appointments to review your website.

Takeaway

Running a business—whether full-time or as a side hustle—is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re in it for the long haul, then getting into the habit of giving your website a check-up periodically is important. Otherwise, potential customers will find it and wonder if you are still in business … and you certainly don’t want that to happen! 

Do you have an idea for a book, workbook, course, or other significant writing project but are unsure how to start? If so, this article is for you. Using the steps below, you can transform your idea into a working outline from which you can then draft a manuscript. I use the word “book” throughout, but the same steps can apply to any longer writing project.

For your reference, my assumption in this article is that you plan to self-publish. Some considerations will be different if you want to publish with a traditional publishing house. 

SIX STEPS FOR BUILDING YOUR BOOK OUTLINE

Step 1: Think of your audience and key message. Knowing your audience is an important first step because considering the reader throughout the writing process will ensure what you’re providing will help them.

Ask yourself the following questions—and write your answers.

• Who will benefit from this body of work? (See Step 2.)

• What is the key value you’re providing? 

• What problem does your book solve for your reader? 

• What is the key message you want your reader to know?

• What topics will you write about that build the key message?

I urge you to know this information before you start writing your book.

Step 2: Decide how long you want your book to be. Considering your audience is also important when determining your approximate word-count goal. Is your typical audience member a busy professional who would value a book that is as concise as possible? A working mom with young children who might not have time for a full book and would prefer an action-oriented workbook? Or a hyper-analytical professional who loves taking a deep dive into a topic, so they can feel like they’ve mastered the content? Set your book’s word-count goal according to what will best suit your audience. 

If you’re wondering how to estimate this information, know that each standard page of text has approximately 250 words. This means that a 50,000-word manuscript would be approximately 200 pages, while 20,000 words equals about 80 pages. 

Step 3: Choose a target page count for each chapter. Keep in mind that shorter is often better. I’ve edited books that had snappy three- to four-page chapters as well as books with 30-page chapters. More commonly, the goal is somewhere in between. After you choose a chapter page-count goal, do the math to determine how many chapters you will need to write based on the book’s length, as estimated in Step 2.

An author I recently worked with set a goal of approximately 10 pages per chapter. This target helped us establish the scope of each chapter and facilitated a more efficient developmental editing process than if we approached each chapter with only the topic in mind rather than both the topic and page-count goal. As it did for us, doing this exercise will give you a solid reference point when you decide how to structure your chapters. The page-count goal, however, is not etched in stone. It’s simply a guideline to help your outlining process go more smoothly. 

Step 4: Write your chapters in a list. Literally—just write “Chapter 1,” then “Chapter 2” underneath, and so on. This is like hitting the Easy Button. There’s no pressure on you! You are not adding titles or content yet.

Step 5: Brainstorm your chapter topics and consider what order to present the information. Now comes the fun part! If you’re writing on a topic that has a clear process, then sequentially ordering the content would make sense. But there are other options, of course. Chapters might be organized as case studies, thematic topics, in chronological order, or otherwise. Brainstorm the approximate number of topics based on the number of chapters you estimated you’ll write. Again, this is just a guideline—you might have planned on eight chapters but end up with 10. 

Step 6: Assign your topics to each chapter that you’ve listed. Use a pencil or write digitally, so you can rearrange topics as needed. Under each chapter title, jot down notes that encompass key information you want to present on each topic. For instance, if you have a chapter on networking, perhaps your notes might read “informational interviewing, importance of following up, setting a schedule and goal, differences between networking for employed and unemployed job seekers.” The objective is for you to gather your ideas, so you have them for easy reference when you start writing each chapter. 

TAKEAWAY

At this point, take a moment to pause and reflect on your progress. You considered your audience, set goals for the book and its length, and created a rough outline. From this point on, you can start drafting chapters. You are well on your way to having a manuscript draft! Congratulations!

Here’s the situation: You committed to writing something that was important but not urgent, and now you’re up against the deadline. (What the document is doesn’t matter. It could be a resume, a bio, a blog article, or countless other genres of writing.) The deadline is soon—maybe just a few hours away or less. 

Ideally, you’re never in this situation. But we don’t live in an ideal world, and most people who write for a living find themselves in this situation occasionally. If you are in this category, save the following checklist and reference it the next you have a pressing deadline. This checklist will help you overcome overwhelm and focus on the task at hand.

MEET-THAT-DEADLINE CHECKLIST

Create the right environment to focus.

• Situate yourself in a setting where you are most productive—whether that is your home office, a coffee shop, a co-working space, or somewhere else. If you focus better while using a standing desk, use it while completing the project.

• Silence phone and computer notifications.

• If you will need water, tea, or coffee nearby, get it before you start writing.

• Close Internet browser tabs*—including email and LinkedIn. 

• Turn on white noise or focus music on YouTube if you work better with music playing in the background. (*This strategy is the exception to the guidance above to close browsers.)

• Take a deep breath. Reassure yourself silently or aloud by saying “I can do this” (or something similarly positive). 

Draft your document.

• Strategize by determining how much time you have for each part of the writing process. For instance, if you have three hours, perhaps you will dedicate one and a half hours for drafting, one hour for revising, and half an hour for proofreading. Do your best to stick to the schedule, but don’t waste energy criticizing yourself if you fall behind. Stay focused on your job: to produce a quality piece of writing that you are proud of while meeting your deadline.

• Use the Pomodoro Method, or a version of it customized to your preferences. The Pomodoro Method is a time management method in which you set a timer for 25 minutes and work without stopping until the timer goes off. Then, you take a break for 3-5 minutes. Upon completion of the break, you restart the process (25 minutes of work followed by a brief break) for several series before taking a longer break of about 15 minutes. 

I often adapt this method and scale it according to the project I’m working on. Sometimes I will break down my work time into seven-minute increments, which serve as “sprints.” I also sometimes ignore the breaks. This goes against a key component of the Pomodoro Method, but I’ve learned that when a wave of inspiration arises, I want to ride the wave for as long as I can! Note: The Pomodoro Method can be used for any type of work project at any time; don’t save it only for when you’re up against a deadline. 

• Consider switching to “Focus” mode on MS Word. You can do so by selecting “View” and then “Focus” in the dropdown menu. Focus mode will display your document but nothing else on the screen. You can use the Focus setting even if you use two computer monitors. Your second monitor will still display other documents you have visible—so either clear that desktop or only have documents open you plan to reference while you write.

• Strategize regarding your “big picture” approach to the project. Determine at the outset the topic, main idea, or key value proposition. If you’re unsure of this, brainstorm and/or clarify your thoughts by freewriting, talking aloud (to yourself or someone else), or thinking silently. Knowing your focal point is crucial. If you don’t know this information, you will struggle.

• Start writing by choosing to begin with whatever is easiest. For instance, if you’re writing a resume, you might start with the heading information or perhaps the education. Those sections tend to take less intellectual energy than crafting a person’s work history. 

I’ve written and said countless times that this approach—starting with whatever feels easiest—ends up saving significant time because you’re eliminating the chance you’ll stare at a blank screen, unsure of what to type. After you’ve finished the easiest part, move to the section that now feels easiest. By doing this, you’ll have numerous “small wins” that will give you momentum to tackle the most challenging part of the writing project. Note: This approach inherently gives you permission to not work in linear fashion unless that feels easiest.

• Either turn the auto save feature on or save your document frequently. 

• Periodically assess whether the direction you’re taking is in line with the “big picture” goal you established initially. If not, redirect your focus immediately. 

Revise and proofread.

• After you’ve completed drafting the document, read it from beginning to end. Assess whether the content is as strong as you’d like. If not, focus on strengthening the points you are making. You might need to reorder sections and cut ideas.

• Once you’re pleased with the content, start editing for clarity and conciseness. Trim words, strengthen verbs, omit needless words, and eliminate ambiguity. Remember, in the words of Brené Brown, “Clear is kind.”

• Proofread your text. A great first step is to run MS Word’s Editor. You can also use Grammarly. Above all, use your own proofreading skills to read the text because MS Word and Grammarly aren’t perfect. A couple strategies include printing the document and reading it out loud. 

• Seek the feedback of an outside reader if you can. Another set of eyes can be invaluable.

Submit the project.

• Once you’ve completed your project, submit it.

• Take time to self-reflect after you’ve turned in your project. What worked well? Do you thrive under pressure? What would have worked better? Most importantly, what can you change to reduce the likelihood that you’ll be in the same situation again?

BOTTOM LINE

Some people thrive under pressure. With writing, you may find that you have a “sweet spot” for feeling pressure while still not putting yourself at risk of missing a deadline. If this is the case, set your schedule accordingly, so perhaps you can break up your work sessions across several days rather than just one day. 

If you despise working under pressure, take care to create a realistic schedule, so you can avoid the overwhelm that can occur when you’re facing a pressing deadline. Last, save this checklist just in case you need it for future reference! 

Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you have some writing goals for 2023. Maybe you are looking to improve the quality of your writing, to increase the speed at which you produce polished writing, or to write with greater regularity. Your writing goals may not be related to your work; perhaps you want to join the ranks of people who keep a daily gratitude journal. Whatever your intentions, I’ve provided seven tips below to help you achieve your goals.

1. Create a schedule. Scheduling your writing might be the most important piece of advice in this article. Simply put, what isn’t scheduled typically doesn’t happen. If you want to create a daily habit (such as journaling), then commit to a set time, such as every morning while you drink your coffee or tea. Notice how this new habit is incorporated into an existing one, which can make it easier to keep. For work-related writing, schedule time in your calendar. For instance, I do almost all content creation for clients (e.g., resume writing, ghostwriting) in the morning. I schedule blocks of time for this work. Once you have scheduled your time, don’t neglect the next tip… 

2. Guard your writing time as sacred. Especially if your writing project is not for a client, it can be ridiculously easy to bypass your scheduled writing time for something more urgent. I’ll just take care of these couple of important emails. I need to return the call that I missed. Let me revise this client document before I work on my project. Do these situations sound familiar? If you’re working on a large project, such as a book, website text, or course curriculum, consider blocking several days for a writing retreat. During writing retreats, I produce large volumes of work quickly because I have no other distractions.

3. Determine your pain points. Reflect on what is holding you back. Is it that you schedule time, but don’t know what to write? If so, work on brainstorming your topic ideas in advance. Perhaps you spend time guessing where commas or semicolons should go. If that’s the case, then you need to brush up on your grammar. If you’re struggling to self-identify your pain points, talk to a trusted friend or coach. Having someone actively listening can help you pinpoint your top struggles. After you determine your pain points, tackle them one at a time to improve your writing incrementally. This brings me to my next point… 

4. Be a lifelong learner. Ernest Hemingway wrote that “we are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” What a liberating sentiment—even “expert” writers can still improve! If they can, you certainly can too. Adopt a mindset of lifelong learning. Once you’ve determined your pain points, seek out resources. These resources can be as simple as books on writing, grammar, or time management. 

5. Set the bar low (at first). Novelist Anne Lamott has written about “shitty first drafts.” These are the drafts in which you simply put your thoughts down on paper. When you first draft something, don’t strive for perfection. Strive for completion. Aim to get your ideas documented, and then go from there. Don’t spend precious time poring over every word and comma when those ideas might go on the cutting room floor. Depending on what you’re writing, you might be done! This can be the case if you’re writing something that won’t be made public (e.g., journal or list of blog topics). If what you’re writing is for an outside audience (e.g., blog, client document, book), then you can acknowledge your accomplishment of getting the first draft written and then move on to revising and polishing. 

6. Seek feedback. Feedback can take many forms. For personal writing like a journal, you don’t need to discuss your writing with anyone unless that is your preference. For all other writing, asking for feedback is a critical step. You can develop habits for doing so, such as by informing clients that your process is collaborative and that their feedback is crucial to the project. For blog or book writing, having an editor can be invaluable because that person isn’t close to the project like you are. They will help catch issues of clarity, wordiness, logic, and, of course, grammar. If you choose not to work with an editor, you can identify a writing partner with whom you swap work: they provide feedback on your writing, and you do so on theirs. These types of arrangements can last for years or be project-based.

7. Read your writing out loud to catch errors and awkward phrases. Before you hit “send” or “publish,” make sure you’ve read your writing out loud. This can feel quite tedious, but you will almost certainly notice an awkward phrase, repeated word, or some other type of error.

These tips can both make your writing practice more efficient and the quality of your writing better. But that’s not all. When you adopt strong writing habits, you will also find that you enjoy the process of writing even more. Given that writing is at the core of what we do as career services professionals, improving your writing habits has the potential to enhance your overall happiness at work. Writing will no longer be just one more thing on your to-do list. Rather, it very well might become the most cherished part of your day. 

Wishing you all the best as you embark on 2023!  

“Do I need to be able to talk about everything in my resume during an interview?”

“Yes, you do,” I responded. I was working with the student one-on-one as part of my engagement with a university to teach students how to write effective resumes.

“Well, this was only a one-month long internship. Won’t the interviewer know that I couldn’t actually have done all of this?”

“Well, why would you include it if you can’t talk about it? Remember in the workshop when I said to only include information you want to talk about in an interview?”

“Yes, I do. But I hired a resume writer, and this is what they wrote. Is it okay for me to keep it as is?”

Oh, boy.

As you might imagine, my consulting session changed dramatically in that moment. Rather than me asking clarifying questions that led to them strengthening the resume even further, it pivoted to me educating them about how everything in a resume must be 100% truthful. I explained how it is a lose-lose situation for all involved when you misrepresent yourself—and how it can be immediate grounds for firing.

The student ended up revamping the resume to only include information they actually did and could actually talk about comfortably during an interview.

Although I was not involved in the engagement with the other resume writer, it appears that the resume writer did a great disservice to this student. Until our work together, the student was under the impression that it was okay to include information that wasn’t accurate on a resume.

I wish this dishonesty was an isolated event, but in the past three months I’ve encountered other troubling findings.

Most recently, I learned that some job candidates are paying proxies to pretend they are the interviewee during the interview. Yes, you read that correctly.

In reading up on reference list best practices, I stumbled upon a business that offers fake references and fake pay stubs. Their employees will take on the identity of your reference and read the script you provide them. They claim they have many five-star reviews. (I certainly believe them. Don’t you? Ha, ha, ha.)

What is going on? The above practices are all big “no, no’s” in the United States. They prompt my recollection of Michelle Obama’s famous quote: “When they go low, we go high.”

Let us not merely meet the standards of our profession; rather, let us set them. To respond with integrity and grace when these kinds of topics might be brought up to you by job seekers, here’s what I recommend.

First, have a positive mindset. Realize you can’t change other people, but you can ensure YOU function with integrity 100% of the time. That allows you to not focus (i.e., waste time) on what you might perceive as unethical behavior. Elsa it—let it go.

Second, don’t amplify the visibility of companies offering fraudulent services by naming them.

Third, if you are working on career documents with clients or students, do everything you can to position them strategically and in a compelling way, but never misrepresent their work history or accomplishments. Do NOT push them to develop information that they no longer recognize as their own. For a resume, make sure the job seeker can discuss every piece of information in the resume in detail.

Fourth, educate them on the importance of honesty throughout the process. Also, remember that different cultures have different norms and expectations, so especially make sure you let people with international backgrounds know that “In the United States (or wherever you are practicing), it is customary to ….” I worked with a client from one country who was surprised that people in the United States assume resumes are truthful. Misrepresentation in that country is apparently so flagrant that references hold substantial weight—perhaps more than they do in the United States.

Last, encourage clients to do some deep self-reflection. If they state they can use Python, R, and SQL, make sure they have accurately assessed their abilities. One “Introduction to Python” course does not warrant Python’s inclusion under an “Areas of Expertise” category on the resume. Should it be included in a Skills section? Absolutely. But being knowledgeable on a subject does not equate to expertise. This level of discernment is important.

Years ago, my husband shared a story that stuck with me: a fellow manager had to let an employee go. The employee was a nice person and got along with everyone in the office. Everyone involved was disappointed. So, why did they let him go? Because he claimed to have more advanced abilities in a particular software package than he, in fact, had. He couldn’t perform to the standards the job required.

This was a lose-lose situation: the employee got fired, the company lost money because they had to restart a search, and bridges were burned because it was perceived that the employee lied.

Takeaway

Career services providers have a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and expertise. Ideally, we unite around the importance of integrity, so we serve job seekers in the best way possible and hold ourselves to high standards. This allows us to sleep soundly at night, elevates our profession, and serves our clients and students so they have the best chances to reach their professional goals.

Recently, I had a client who was asked for references before she expected, which forced her to scramble—especially because she didn’t want anyone at her long-term employer to know that she was contemplating leaving.

We talked through this issue, and my client raised many questions:

Who should I ask? A supervisor? A direct report? A long-time colleague?

Who can I ask?

Do you think it’s okay to ask Joe, even though I haven’t talked to him in two years? I hope he remembers the project we worked on together.

I wish I could ask Natasha, but I don’t know if she’d say something to my boss. 

The interviewer asked for the reference list by tomorrow. Do you think I can list people and then tell them after? I hope they don’t get caught by surprise—but I don’t want to seem like I can’t provide references.

Clearly, this was not an ideal situation. We devised a plan, and thankfully, my client ended up getting the job.

What’s the moral of this story? Try to prevent this from happening to your clients and students!

Proactively Prepare a Reference List

As career services professionals, we can suggest that job seekers proactively prepare their reference list, so they are never caught off guard. Here are steps to take, which you can coach your clients and students through.

Identify references: It is common for employers to ask for three to five references. I recommend that my clients identify at least five, so they can then choose which ones are most suitable depending on the opportunity. Job seekers can also be strategic by making sure difference voices are represented: people who can speak to their technical, managerial, and interpersonal skills, for instance. As such, job seekers can determine who would serve as a good reference, depending on the opportunity.

Ask permission: Once they identify their list of potential references, job seekers should ask each person for permission to list them as a reference. This ensures they won’t get caught by surprise.

Get—and give—details: For each reference, job seekers should ask for their contact information. Additionally, job seekers can also supply each reference a current resume and brief description of the type of role(s) they are seeking.

Write the reference list: Once the job seeker has the appropriate information, they should create the reference list. The list should be neatly organized and formatted consistently. I like the document to look visually cohesive with the other application materials. Include each person’s full name, job title, and preferred contact method. I also like to supply context for who the person is (e.g., a boss of three years who promoted the job seeker).

Express gratitude and keep in touch: Once job seekers have thanked each reference, tell them they will keep in touch and report how things are going. This step nurtures the existing relationship and is courteous. If an employer plans to contact the references, the job seeker should notify them accordingly.

Takeaway

Knowing how to create a rock-solid reference list is an important—albeit sometimes overlooked—part of the job search campaign. Equipped with these easy steps, you can coach your job seekers to success, so they won’t have to ever worry about being caught off guard.

When I’m running on empty and need a boost, I have a secret weapon: motivational quotes. There’s power in clear, succinct statements that prompt an emotional response or the fortitude to improve oneself and overcome obstacles. They are especially valuable when my motivation is lacking or I’m feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps because of my close relationship with motivational quotes, I encourage my students and clients to identify a handful of their own “go to” statements that they can refer to regularly to help them make progress toward their goals.

Because it seems like so many people are running on empty right now due to larger concerns on a national and global level, the topic of motivation feels more relevant than ever. When personal and larger-scale concerns weigh on your students and clients, they may find it challenging to focus on career development or fully engage in job search campaigns. Motivational quotes can be a helpful tool to support them during these times.

In the book I’m currently reading, Someday Is Not a Day in the Week by Sam Horn, each section starts with a quote. Some quotes are from famous philosophers while others are from actors, comedians, business leaders, humanitarians, and authors. All the quotes are inspiring and nudge the reader to take action. Here are a few gems:

“It is our choices that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities.”—J. K. Rowling

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”—Albert Einstein

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.”—Steve Jobs

“We can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”—Tina Fey

Reading this book prompted me to pause and reflect on my favorite motivational quotes. I use these to motivate myself, and I frequently state them when I’m working with students and clients. Some, I’m sure, will be familiar while others might be new to you.

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”—Theodore Roosevelt

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”—Henry Ford

“Jump while you can.”—Joshua Becker

“Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been.”—Jimmy Buffett

“Wherever you are, be there.”—Ivan Misner

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

“Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.”– Charles Swindoll

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa

“It takes no more time to see the good side of life than the bad.”—Jimmy Buffett

“If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.” – Sheryl Sandberg

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it, and hang on.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Statements like these underscore the fact that we all struggle and face self-doubt. Jimmy Buffett, the king of feel-good beach music and the escapist mentality, would not appreciate the value of seeing the good side of life if he hadn’t experienced the bad side. FDR, one of the most famous leaders of the twentieth century (who lived most of his life in a wheelchair) was tested in ways many of us can’t fathom. His wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, surely had people trying to make her feel less than.

Perhaps more than anything, these statements make us realize we aren’t alone. They also tell us whatever we’re facing when we wake up in the morning is something we can overcome—perhaps even with optimism and excitement! Controlling our mindset and choosing to take a positive stance was a key message I learned while training under Jay Block’s direction for my certified empowerment coach credential. Even though there are many things that we can’t control at an individual level, how we act and perceive our situation largely dictates our mindset—and quality of life. Charles Swindoll’s thoughts on this matter were transformative for me: 90% of life is how I react to it. What a liberating idea!

Below are some key questions and statements that can be particularly powerful when you’re working with job seekers. These can help them shift their mindset when they’re in a rut. They are even more powerful when stated out loud.

What’s the worst that can happen?

If not today, when? If not me, then who?

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And that doesn’t mean the tough get up and leave!!!

If it’s got to be, it’s up to me.

Will the future me appreciate what I’m doing right now?

To reinforce the message, you can also suggest that students and clients write statements and questions like these or their favorite motivational quotes on a sticky note and place the note in a prominent place, such as a bathroom mirror or office desk. They can also get them framed to display in their home. The near-constant visual reminder can be empowering and help them stay focused.

By taking a moment to reflect on such questions and statements, we can usually dig a little deeper and not only persevere but thrive. Self-coaching doesn’t fix the world—but it can help us muster the motivation on difficult days to continue fulfilling our respective mission in life.

Not too long ago, I attended an in-person event at a middle school—an honor society induction ceremony. The principle asked the audience (parents) to have patience because “after a couple of years of not doing this, we’re a little rusty.” What a relatable statement!

Like the teachers, students, and staff who were a little rusty on the protocols for the school event, all of us might be rusty on networking protocols and etiquette. Here are pragmatic tips to help you and the clients and students you serve.

Appearance:

• Dress for the occasion. If you’re meeting in person, dress appropriately—which usually means business casual. If it’s a Zoom meeting, don’t be complacent. One time I had a person visibly surprised when she saw me in a Zoom meeting. She told me “Why do you look so good?!?” I can assure you that I didn’t look that good! But I did dress as if we were meeting in person.

• Consider your shoes. I hardly every have to wear shoes during the day because I work from home. This tip seems mundane, but consider which shoes you are wearing for in-person events. At least for me, I have shoes that I can wear all day and other ones that I can only wear comfortably for a couple of hours. Don’t make your feet suffer!

Audience

• Consider the perspective of the person you’re networking with. What is their background? What do they know? Are they younger or older than you? Are they a big-picture visionary or an in-the-weeds pragmatic person? Consider them before you speak and tailor your approach accordingly.

Food and Drink

• Ivan Misner, the founder of the referral networking organization BNI, has written that it’s not netSIT or netEAT but netWORK. When you or job seekers are at events with food, the food and beverages should not be the main attraction.

• Have food OR a beverage one at a time so you can always have a hand free to shake hands or exchange business cards. Alternately, if you want to have both your food and drink at the same time, step aside from everyone else, eat your meal, and then get back to networking as soon as you can.

• Keep alcohol to a minimum. If you do drink, I recommend sticking to wine or beer. This is true for virtual networking meetings, too. Remember, networking events are first and foremost to meet people and build relationships.

Message

• Begin networking conversations already knowing what you want the person to know about you. Networking is not for meandering conversations that have no point.

• Make sure you stay on topic, but don’t sound rehearsed. It’s a conversation not an audition. Memorized elevator pitches often sound inauthentic.

Conversation

• When talking with someone, show genuine interest in what the person does. Job seekers can consider asking questions about what the person likes best about their work, what advice they have to share, and why they chose the field. For business owner-to-business owner conversations, questions can focus on what a good referral looks like and what the person specializes in.

• You have two ears and one mouth; use them proportionately. Listen to learn not just to jump at the moment you can interject and share your thoughts.

• Be concise. It should not take anyone several minutes to explain what they do or are interested in. Make sure everything you say is relevant to the topic at hand.

• Establish next steps for following up to build the relationship.

Follow-up

• Follow through on what you say you will do. This will set you apart from most people.

•  After having a networking conversation, follow up with a succinct, thoughtful, and well-written email.

***

Networking can be an enjoyable experience—even for reluctant networkers. The key is being prepared!

Consider Cassandra: Cassandra is your client (or student). You’ve worked with her in numerous sessions about her plans for securing her next job. Cassandra is overflowing with ideas! She has stated her intentions to explore new career options through informational interviewing, expand her skillset by taking online courses, and strengthen her resume by volunteering.

Despite her intentions and initial efforts to pursue them, Cassandra still can’t clearly state what type of role she plans to target, and, when asked, can’t give a single example of a company that interests her. She remains committed to advancing her career, but it’s hard for you, her coach or counselor, to identify tangible progress from one session to the next.

What is going on?

How can someone with so many ideas and plans get stuck? Cassandra is spinning her wheels; a disconnect exists between Cassandra’s intentions and her progress.

A simple tool might help Cassandra overcome her lack of progress.

What Are SMART Goals?

Cassandra, like anyone with a goal (including you!) could benefit from writing SMART goals. A SMART goal is a tool to help individuals or teams keep themselves accountable for reaching their stated intentions by ensuring that the goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

SMART goals can be particularly useful for planning and beginning a job campaign. For instance, “Land a new job making more money than I’m making now” is not clear enough for Cassandra. In fact, given her multifaceted goals, she will likely need to have several SMART goals throughout her job campaign.

Below are questions you can teach your clients or students to ask as they set their SMART goals.

Specific

What exactly do I want to achieve—and why?

How will I achieve it?

Who else will be involved, if anyone, in accomplishing this goal?

Measurable

How will I measure my progress?

How will I quantify my results?

How will I know when I’ve accomplished my goal?

Achievable

Am I capable of achieving this goal?

Do I have the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources?

If I don’t have the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources, how can I attain them?

Relevant

Is my goal relevant to my larger career objectives?

Does this goal make sense given where I am in my career/life stage, etc.?

How does meeting this goal advance my mid- and long-term goals?

Timely

By when do I need to complete this goal?

Is this deadline realistic?

How can I break the timeline down into smaller parts/milestones?

How to Use SMART Goals

While the focus of my attention has been on job seekers, SMART goals are relevant for everyone—even children! My children have brought home SMART goal worksheets from their elementary school, which speaks to the versatility of this tool.

When working with your clients or students, you can emphasize the usefulness of SMART goals. Because these are written goals, the writer can also print the goal and hang it in a high-traffic area, such as on a wall near their desk or on the bathroom mirror. Doing so is a visible reminder and motivator.  

Below are examples of how people in different circumstances can use SMART goals:

Working professionals seeking a new job: to break down each step of a job campaign into manageable pieces, which can lead to increased feelings of empowerment and decreased feelings of overwhelm.

Unemployed individuals needing a job immediately: to create a rigid structure that builds in accountability for meeting each milestone swiftly, which will accelerate the pace of a job campaign.

College students: to help balance their time between completing coursework and taking the steps necessary to secure an internship or first job.

Business owners: to set clear business goals that align with their larger vision and are achievable within their busy schedules as entrepreneurs.

Examples of SMART Goals

Example #1: I will identify my next job target within three months by having three informational interviews per week, spending two hours per week researching companies, and using LinkedIn three times per week to network and meet more people in fields that interest me. My interpersonal and organizational skills enable me to execute these steps, and I know I’ll be successful when I have a list of 20 potential companies and several related job titles that align with my skillset and education.

Example #2: I will apply for at least four jobs per week on weekends and Tuesday and Thursday evenings. To accomplish this, I will ensure I manage my time wisely so I’m not too tired to dedicate time to my job campaign after work.

Example #3: I will improve my leadership skills within six months by enrolling in a leadership course through Coursera this month, volunteering to lead the next project at work instead of being an individual contributor, and reading at least four books on leadership.

***

By teaching clients or students like Cassandra to write goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely, you’re not only equipping them to succeed in their job search but also providing a tool that can be used literally any time they want to set a goal in the future.

Even better, by teaching others to use SMART goals, you’ll surely start using them too!

This month, it will be nine years since I started my consulting company, Career Path Writing Solutions. On this anniversary, I thought I’d share hacks that have helped me grow my business year-over-year, every year.

Here are 10 strategies that work for me—and might for you, too.

1. Create (and then customize) templates for client communication: For frequently used proposals, contracts, or emails, I use a handful of templates that I customize based on each interaction.
2. Batch tasks: The time you save adds up quickly when you batch tasks. By doing similar tasks at once, you stay focused and work more efficiently. Consider batching responding to emails, sending proposals, writing blogs (or other content), responding to phone calls, and handling business administration (e.g., bookkeeping, updating your website).
3. Honor your natural tendencies: Don’t try to make a square peg fit in a round hole. Pair the type of task you do with the level of energy it requires and the level of energy you’re able to give during the day. For instance, when I was younger, I was much more of a night owl and could easily draft client documents during the evening; nowadays, I draft client documents almost exclusively during the morning when I have more focus.
4. Use a calendar/scheduler: For years, I resisted using a scheduling system like Calendly. (To be fair, they weren’t as common as they are now.) I feared that clients would view this approach as being impersonal. All I can say is that I was wrong. People like the ease of selecting a time that works for them without having to coordinate through several emails. Using a calendar for initial consultations has saved me countless hours of manual scheduling—and clients get an automatic reminder about their upcoming appointment, which means I have a <1% no-show rate.
5. Choose the right type of meeting: Since the pandemic started, Zoom and Teams meetings have become the norm. However, not all meetings need video conferencing or benefit from it. Video conferencing fatigue is real (at least for me), so I use video conferencing only when I see an added value. Otherwise, I conduct meetings via phone calls.
6. Identify your “best” projects and seek more of them: I periodically work with a business coach, and he gave me amazing advice. He had me rank the type of work I do from one to five, with one being work that feels hard and doesn’t give me joy, with five being work that feels easy and is energizing. After I did this, I quickly saw the types of projects I wanted to proactively seek and the types I wanted to bypass. Perhaps not surprisingly, the higher-ranked projects also tended to be the most profitable. I encourage everyone to go through this same exercise—and reevaluate at least once a year.
7. Limit the services you offer: Turn down work that doesn’t give you joy (if you’re financially able to do so). We work too much in our lives to do work we don’t like! As an entrepreneur, you get to decide what you do. This means that you can limit your services to projects that energize you rather than drain you.
8. Limit distractions: Learn what can derail your focus and do everything you can to eliminate distractions. Obvious distractions might be listening to music, watching YouTube, or reading news. A less obvious distraction might be taking unexpected phone calls. If you set up a welcoming and professional voicemail, you can continue working and respond to voicemails later.
9. Stay organized: Whether you use customer relationship management (CRM) software, handwritten notecards for each client, or something in between, make sure you stay organized. In terms of organizing files on your hard drive, create a system (don’t worry if your system is different from the norm—just make sure it works for you!) and regularly back up your files and/or save them remotely in a Cloud-based system like iCloud or Dropbox. By doing so, you won’t lose precious time searching for files or trying to recover lost files when accidents happen.
10. Use the Pomodoro method (or something similar): The Pomodoro method is a time management method in which you pick a task, work on it for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, and then repeat. Once you complete four sets (four “Pomodoros”) take a longer 15- to 30-minute break. You might find that your productivity skyrockets using this technique!

Takeaway

The busier you are with client work, the more you might struggle to keep up with your workload. By striving for continuous improvement in how you work, you’ll be able to shave seconds off minute-long tasks and many minutes off longer tasks. All those little savings add up to make a big impact on your bottom line and your level of customer service.

What time-saving hacks do you use that I didn’t cover? I’d love to hear them! Please drop me a note on LinkedIn or at heidi@careerpathwritingsolutions.com.

Not long after I started my business, I was invited to help facilitate a networking group for life sciences professionals. Once a month, I woke before the crack of dawn and headed out the door to be there by 7 a.m.

I always made sure I had my manila folder.

The folder contained copies of a handout I wrote. Each month, I created a new handout that I incorporated into the discussion I led at the networking group. 

Those handouts became my calling card. To this day, I never facilitate a discussion or lead a workshop or webinar without providing at least one additional resource.

Creating valuable content beyond client deliverables has been a priority, and it has helped me grow my business. By extending the value of your services, you can increase your credibility and boost your revenue stream. Repeat clients come back for more services, potential clients trust you, and you build a suite of resources that you can use in a variety of ways—including giving out for free to people who want to work with you but who might not be able to afford the fee.

Wondering where to get started? Here are some ideas.

Blog

By blogging, you can build your reputation and provide valuable information to readers of all backgrounds. I blog about topics that come up as frequently asked questions, so I can point people in the right direction quickly, whether that’s during an initial consultation or client session. This approach is particularly helpful when I’m a panelist or in a group setting. Not long ago, a person asked a question about cover letters during a Zoom Q&A about resumes and CVs. I quickly dropped a link to my article about cover letters into the Zoom chat, and the rest of the group continued asking questions focused on resumes and CVs.

A word of warning: consistency is important with blogging. Create a publication schedule and stick to it. For me, I publish a new article once a month. For others, it might be twice a month or even quarterly.

E-book

If you have a particular topic you want to cover, perhaps an e-book might be a better approach than a blog. Recently, a fellow PARWCC member hired me to edit her e-book; her focus was perfect! The topic spoke directly to her unique value proposition, and I’m confident her audience will find it helpful as they navigate their job search. My client intends to offer her e-book as a free download, but some professionals charge a nominal fee for these types of publications.

Tip Sheets

As I previously mentioned, I started by developing a suite of handouts. One type of handout is the tip sheet. With this type of handout, you can simply summarize key points the reader should know on a particular topic.

Worksheets

The worksheet is a type of handout that requires reader participation. Perhaps the reader answers questions, brainstorms ideas, or creates a list of achievements. The sky is the limit when deciding what topics to cover. Just remember that each worksheet needs to have only one main point.

Worksheets or tip sheets (mentioned above) can also be great as free downloads on your website.

Welcome Packet

A welcome document can set the tone for your client’s experience with you. In addition to providing your client with content related to career coaching and securing a job, you can also use the welcome packet as an opportunity to share information about ways to stay engaged with you, such as by providing links to your social media accounts.

Takeaway

By focusing on providing value to your audience—whether current clients or potential clients—you will develop a reputation as a trusted professional. Even if you do not directly charge for the content you’re providing, you will reap rewards from the time it takes you because you’re elevating the level of service you provide.

Remember that your reputation is on the line every time you give advice—especially in writing. Devote the same time and attention to these documents as you would for all your clients’ documents.

I hope you go forth with excitement about creating content if you have not done so already!

Write Faster, More Efficiently: Introducing the Best Writing Practices Program

By: Heidi Scott Giusto, PhD, CPRW, CEIP

Spotlight, February 2022

I recently had the pleasure of working one-on-one with each PARWCC member who enrolled in the Best Writing Practices (BWP) program. What a delight! To tailor the program specifically to professionals working in career services, I developed the curriculum so that students receive time-saving tips throughout the course while they learn and master the key stages of the writing process.

BWP Overview

The BWP program is an advanced training program designed to improve your writing skills so you can increase efficiency, reduce errors, and decrease revision and clarification requests. When you are a strong writer, writing is easier and faster. Whether you are self-employed or working for a college or other organization, you will have more time to spend as you desire—whether that is working with more clients, building a side-hustle independent practice, or assisting more students.

The BWP program relies on an experiential approach to learning—students work on a project of their choosing that is beneficial to them. In the program that recently concluded, projects included genres of writing such as bios, rack cards, and newsletter content. Students picked projects that supported their goals and growth.

BWP Structure

In 2022, BWP will be offered as a self-paced course so you can access content anytime, anywhere. Each session includes a Zoom recording, slide deck, and related resources. The program’s six sessions progress through the writing process: 

• Planning Your Writing Project/Brainstorming
• Drafting Your Writing
• Revising for Key Ideas and Structure
• Strengthening Your Writing at the Sentence Level
• Revising to Omit Common Grammar Errors, Avoid Sexism, and Ensure Inclusion
• Proofreading

In each session, I integrate the five tenets of good writing that I’ve developed over the course of my career as a writing consultant, writer, and editor.

In this self-paced program, students work on their chosen projects throughout the course and then meet with me individually to raise questions and receive my feedback for further improvement. This occurs through edits and marginal comments on their work and through video conferencing, which ensures a truly customized experience for each student.

BWP Instructor Background

Through this program, key parts of my background converge and position me to offer a cutting-edge approach to writing in the career services field. I came into career services by way of three degrees in history, having earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Youngstown State University and my PhD from Duke University. While earning my PhD, I worked at Duke’s writing center—a job that would forever change the course of my career. I also benefited from strong mentoring and took coursework on effective teaching.

It was in my role as a writing consultant at Duke’s Thompson Writing Program that I determined that rather than write history, I wanted to help people forge their own. Although I completed my doctoral training to become a professional historian, I swiftly launched Career Path Writing Solutions after I graduated at the end of 2012.

In more than thirteen years as a writing consultant, I’ve worked one-on-one with thousands of clients and have had the joy of designing and delivering nearly 200 customized workshops, webinars, and presentations to diverse audiences on professional communications and executing an effective job campaign.

It’s my honor and privilege to play a small part in helping people execute their mission in life. Through BWP, I can support other career services professionals so they can reach their professional goals and help more job seekers along the way.

BWP Results

To practice what I preach in the BWP program—to seek feedback on writing and related projects—I asked students to share their thoughts with me after they completed the program. Alexis Anderson, owner of Calibrate Career Services, shared that the “curriculum put a spotlight on my writing habits, inconsistencies, and unconscious choices, making me a more thoughtful and concise writer.” Dahlia Ashford, an Assistant Dean at Shenandoah University and owner of Ashford Career Consulting, noted that her “clients will have stronger career search documents and a less nervous career services professional writer.”

Some students had revelations about how they want to (re)target their coaching business and even how they engage with clients, all as a result of a class on writing. You never know where thoughtful exploration of your writing practices will take you!

The BWP program will evolve to meet the needs of busy professionals like yourself, and I look forward to more steps along this journey!

“Rewriting is where the game is won or lost; rewriting is the essence of writing.”

These words from famous American writer and journalist William Zinsser appear in On Writing Well, a resource familiar to many professional writers. By learning how to rewrite and revise efficiently, you can improve the speed and quality of your writing. As a result, you will feel more confident every time you send, share, or publish your writing. Here are tips I recommend for streamlining your editing process.

Check for Higher Order Concerns

Once you have drafted your text, whether that is an important email, a proposal, a resume, or a cover letter, review it carefully and in stages. First, look for “big picture” issues such as overall clarity and whether what you’re writing is compelling.

For clarity, check that the fundamentals are in place and that you are writing for your intended audience. Try to take the perspective of an outsider if the audience is not your peers; avoid jargon and highly technical language for a general audience. To provide a larger framework for understanding, include a few words of context. If you have any doubt the point you’re trying to make is not clear, look for areas to clarify or cut. With your reader in mind, assess your writing objectively and ask yourself if it is too wordy, vague, or open-ended to be useful. Remember that extraneous information is not helpful; it is merely a distraction from the point. Here is an example that could be an excerpt from a cover letter:

Before: To describe my job duties before I considered a career transition, I performed QA checks on various types of content. (The first part of the sentence is wordy, awkward, and not relevant to the point; the second part is vague and doesn’t give enough context or information.)

After: As a Project Manager, I safeguarded the quality of all marketing copy, in-house documentation, and newsletters by performing fact-checking, verifying revisions were implemented accurately, and ensuring final products met design specifications. (The revision contains no extraneous information and gives context by describing what specific tasks were carried out on what type of content.)

To check if the document is compelling, evaluate the text to see if evidence supports your claim or call to action. Don’t ask someone to take an action without giving them good reason to do so. Similarly, avoid bluster and flowery prose. Get to the point and make sure the essential information is included and clear. In other words, do not make the reader work hard to understand your point!

Once you are satisfied that your message is clear, review your writing with a finer-toothed comb. Examine each sentence to identify where you can make improvements or increase clarity and readability. The following suggestions can help guide your revision process.

Vary Sentence Structures

Evaluate your writing to ensure your sentences are varied in length, some being longer than others. While short sentences can pack a punch, too many consecutively can lead to choppiness. Similarly, a series of long sentences can lose the reader’s attention and create confusion.

Pair Subjects and Verbs

Look for the subject and verb in each sentence, and check to see if they are paired closely together. If not, consider revising to place them together because they are the cornerstone of the sentence. Sometimes your revision might prompt you to break an unwieldy sentence into two or three. For instance, which of the following reads better? “The software, which was installed a year ago and has been giving us problems since day one, malfunctioned again.” Or “The software malfunctioned again. This news surprised no one because it has been giving us problems since its installation a year ago.” Most people would say the second version is easier on readers because it decreases the likelihood they will need to pause at the verb and reread the sentence to remember the subject.

Omit Needless Words

The suggestion to edit for conciseness by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White in their foundational book, The Elements of Style, has influenced my writing. Do not use five words when three will do. For instance, use “because” rather than “due to the fact that” or “although” instead of “in spite of the fact that” and “regarding” instead of “in regard to.”

Many words that we add for emphasis provide little value and can diminish the quality of the writing. Adverbs like really, very, absolutely, mostly, truly, and fairly can usually be omitted without losing meaning. For instance, “You are absolutely correct that we have a really substantial problem on our hands” is stronger when revised to “You are correct that we have a problem on our hands.” (A further edit might yield “You are correct that we have a problem.”)

Oftentimes, entire phrases can be omitted. For instance, “Personally, I think the policies should be updated to reflect current trends and become more relevant” is more concise when revised to “I think the policies should be updated to reflect current trends.” Depending on the audience, it could be shortened even further to “The policies should be updated.”

Choose Strong Verbs

Select strong, active verbs to convey meaning, and avoid weak verbs that don’t have much impact. The most common culprit is the “to be” verbs: is, was, were, are, am, been, being, etc. Take for instance these two sets of sentences: “He was the coach of the winning team” and “He coached the winning team.” Or “This is going to be an event to remember” and “Everyone will remember this event.”  When the “to be” verbs are replaced with more dynamic verbs, the sentences become livelier.

In job application materials such as resumes or cover letters, it’s crucial to use strong verbs that express a specific result, yet people often rely on vague, weak verbs such as “worked.” In a resume, a phrase like “Worked to increase employee morale” doesn’t tell the reader much. We know the person did something, but that’s about it. In contrast, “Increased employee morale” is stronger: the verb is more precise, and the phrase shows a result (increased)—not just an effort that may or may not have had a positive result (worked to).

Takeaway

The editing process can feel—and be—tedious, especially if you are inexperienced, but your skill and speed will improve with practice. By mastering this handful of editing techniques, you can communicate more effectively.

Time management has been a consistent theme in the Best Writing Practices program I’m currently teaching. We can have the best of intentions, but so many people struggle with time management. When that happens, the result might be a sloppy email sent from your pone while you’re pumping gas that says, “Yup, got it last week wll be in touch ASAP.” Or a hastily written blog post that you are mildly proud of—or at least not embarrassed of. From my own experience as a writer and more than 12 years as a writing consultant, here are my top time management strategies.

Strategies for Brief, Routine Communication

Estimate how much time you’ll need

Routine communications, such as day-to-day emails, often don’t take long to write individually. But time can pass quickly and what started as writing a few emails can turn into a day of only writing emails. If you’ve noticed this happening, keep a log for a week or two of how much time you spend on writing email and then block time in your calendar for that task throughout the week.

Be deliberate with your email writing schedule

If you decide to take care of email from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. each day, recognize that means that your in-box will likely be filled again by 10 a.m. Consider scheduling several blocks of time throughout the day to respond to email. If you’re tempted to merely “check” rather than “do” email, retrain yourself to combine these tasks so you respond to email when you check it, or schedule time in your calendar if a particular response requires it.

Acknowledge if emails are written quickly

Sometimes a quick response is more important than making sure there are no typos. If you often reply from a phone, include a line in your signature that acknowledges you are responding in haste. But I recommend you do this only if you are truly in a role that requires it, one where the speed of your response directly impacts another person’s ability to do their job and meet deadlines.

Strategies for Longer Writing Projects or Content Creation

Set realistic goals and create a schedule

Writing is a multi-step process, so schedule time for each step. Projects can vary, but you’ll generally want to account for brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising, and proofreading. The drafting and revising steps often take the longest. Here is an overview of each step.

1. Brainstorming 

If you routinely produce written material for your job or business, such as blog posts, LinkedIn articles, or social media posts, I recommend keeping a journal of ideas, whether that is an actual journal, a spreadsheet, or a note on your phone. When an idea pops into your head, jot it down. This habit prompts you to create a running list of topics so you can begin writing when you have scheduled time for it instead of spending that time figuring out what to write about.

Remember that your best ideas might not come because of you scheduling 15 minutes for brainstorming every fourth Thursday afternoon. You might find that ideas pop into your head when you allow your mind to be creative and wander, such as when you’re cooking, exercising, or engaging in hobbies.

2. Outlining 

Write down key ideas in whatever format you want, whether that is a traditional outline, a visual spiderweb map, or paragraphs. There’s no need to demand precision from yourself at this step. Some scribbles on a sticky note might be all you need.

3. Drafting 

Drafting is the time to get your ideas on the screen. Do not waste time by doing line edits at this point. There will be time for that later.

4. Revising 

After you have a full draft (which might take several discrete sessions), let it sit, then review it with fresh eyes and edit. Ideally, you will also get an outsider’s feedback on your writing during this stage. Revising is likely the step that will take the longest because you might have several rounds of feedback from your reviewer(s), or you may continue to see issues on your own. However, recognize that there will be a point where you should stop because you likely don’t want to spend your valuable time splitting hairs over inconsequential matters.

5. Proofreading 

Establish some best practices for proofreading, including how much time you’ll spend on a document. Unless you notice something truly problematic, stick to your scheduled time, whether that is five minutes (perhaps for a longer email), 30 minutes (maybe a blog post), or two hours (the proposal for a project that might garner you a huge contract).

Go on a writing retreat

If you are a business owner or in a role that requires you to generate substantial content, consider going on a writing retreat. I go on at least one writing retreat a year, and each time I have gotten a shocking amount of work done. For my retreats, I go to the beach and hole up in a condo with one or two fellow writers and entrepreneurs. The energy is simply amazing, and we brainstorm, draft, provide feedback, and otherwise support each other’s endeavors. We create a schedule for the retreat and stick to it.

Create Templates for Frequently Used Items

Generating proposals and reports requires similar effort as for any other forms of content, but you can make the process more efficient. Consider creating templates for documents you use repeatedly that you can then tweak with each use. (And the same is true for emails that you write frequently. This can be a huge time saver, especially for business owners.)

One word of warning: do not get too comfortable when using templates. Remember to customize any sections that are specific to each client or project. Highlighting sections of the template that need customization will prompt you to tailor them. A quick way to make a bad impression is sending a proposal to a potential client with the name of a client from a prior project on the proposal. For this reason, read the entire document from top to bottom before finalizing, rather than only reading the parts you changed (because you might have forgotten to change something!).

Takeaway

Perhaps the most important strategy to remember is to dedicate time for writing, and honor that time. So many people (myself included!) have ideas for written content that can help them build their businesses, serve their clients, strengthen relationships, demonstrate subject matter expertise, etc., but they never schedule the time to turn these ideas into actions. Or, if they do, they let other more urgent priorities encroach. Also, be realistic about what you can accomplish at any one time. Building writing and the writing process into your calendar in discrete, manageable blocks will help you reach your writing goals.

At some point, you will coach clients as they interview for their first leadership role if you have not done so already. As such, it’s critical your clients are aware of how they present themselves to others and to determine if they need to make any adjustments before their next interview. Because effective leaders are also self-aware leaders, I’ve included topics and corresponding questions to share with your clients for reflection.

Research the Organization and Role

Before an interview, your clients should fully research the organization and role. This will require less effort if they’re applying for a position internal to their current organization. If the organization is not their current employer, your clients should learn as much as they can about its size, structure, and culture, as well as any challenges and opportunities that might lie ahead. Encourage them to take notes.

Before going into an interview, your clients should make sure they’ve thought through answers to the following questions.

• Why am I interested in this job?
• Why am I interested in this specific organization? (It’s not enough to say, “Because there is an opening.”)
• Why might working here fit my long-term goals?

By gaining clarity on their interest in a role or organization, your clients will be able to handle related questions when asked during an interview.

Articulate Vision and Style

Leaders need to have a vision; the organization will want to know that the person steering the ship has not only a plan but also the navigational tools to get there. Your clients will want to think deeply about their vision within the context of the role they’re interviewing for—and then work on articulating that vision clearly and concisely.

• What is my vision for the organization?
• How will I lead the organization (or department or team) to realize that vision?
• What obstacles might present themselves, and how will I overcome them?

All leaders have a style—whether they know it or not. To spark their thinking, I typically ask my clients about their approach to leadership. Some people can respond without skipping a beat. Others will tell me they have never thought about the topic before. From there, I ask additional questions so we can discuss and identify their leadership style.

• What is my leadership style?
• Who do I want to be known as? What do I want my legacy to be?
• What steps have I taken to develop as a leader?

The above questions will prompt reflection and help your clients determine what they want to accomplish and what type of leader they want to be. Do they want to be a transactional leader who doles out rewards and punishments to motivate staff? A transformational leader who coaches their staff? A servant leader who first and foremost serves others?

Determine Key Attributes

Questions about strengths, weaknesses, and problem solving might feel tired and overused, but they are almost ubiquitous to the interview process. These questions might not be asked in a universal way, but the essence of the questions will almost certainly be asked—and understandably so. They demonstrate self-awareness around key attributes and qualifications and help highlight where a person might be a particularly strong (or weak) fit for a role.

• What is my greatest strength?
• What is my greatest weakness? How can I shore up this weakness?
• What is my greatest professional achievement to this point? Why did I pick this example?

Be Mindful of Demeanor

I’ve worked with several men who have told me that people find them hard to read. Not too long ago, another client told me she felt like her reserved demeanor held her back. Other clients assure me they build rapport almost instantly with anyone they meet. The point here is for your clients to be cognizant of how people might perceive them.

• What does my body language reveal to people about me?
• How do I project my voice when talking in both small and large groups? What does this suggest about me?
• How do people perceive my attitude? Am I widely known as a pessimist who is quick to complain? Or an optimist who might downplay the significance of obstacles?

You’ll notice that there are very few “good” or “bad” answers to these questions. Rather, they are meant to deepen self-awareness.

Takeaway

Asking questions that promote self-awareness will help your clients be prepared for their interview and encourage reflection on their larger professional goals. Moreover, by thoughtfully considering questions about their leadership style and demeanor, your clients might be prompted to make valuable adjustments while they are in their current role—before even interviewing for their next one.

The first time I saw bear scat I was rattled. My husband I were in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina; we had traveled a few hours from our home to hike Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, and we were hiking a shorter trail the day before our climb to the summit. Before our trip, I did my research and knew that encountering a bear was a possibility. Even still, I didn’t really expect to see evidence that a bear was nearby, let alone right smack in the middle of our trail. I had previously wondered if I would even recognize bear scat. It was unmistakable, I learned.

Even though we were startled—especially after seeing that the bear had overturned nearby rocks and disturbed a beehive—we went on our way, staying fully aware but otherwise unbothered. We even helped a woman who got stung by the bees; she approached us seemingly out of nowhere and asked for Benadryl. She carried nothing with her other than car keys, while I had (and always carry) a first-aid kit in my backpack. After assisting her, we finished the hike as a trio without much ado.

Our hike to the top of Mount Mitchell was as amazing as I had pictured. In total, we hiked 15 miles, gained 4,400 feet in elevation, and also summitted Mount Craig, the nearby second highest peak east of the Mississippi River.

I marveled at how many people were starting their ascent in the afternoon while we were on our descent, having planned for a hike in daylight hours. They often didn’t have a backpack, water, jacket, bear spray, or other items that I learned all wise hikers would carry on the lengthy journey. I, on the other hand, was grateful we lugged extra water because we didn’t have access to any other water source the entire day.

I’ve learned that some people like to live on the edge more than I do and don’t prepare as much as I might. I’ll make the 15-mile hike, but I also won’t do it without the proper gear.

Why am I writing about bear scat and hiking in this article?

It’s because I have realized a parallel—and it relates to having valuable tools of the trade at our disposal as career service professionals.

For all of us to succeed in our craft as resume writers, career coaches, and business owners, we must be well equipped with the tools we need. The tools will vary for each activity and be in different forms, such as knowledge or skills, but the idea is the same. Could I have trekked to the summit without the gear I had with me? Probably. But it would have been more difficult, more uncomfortable, less fun, and possibly even dangerous. The same goes for successful resume writers and business owners. The more tools we have, the more efficient and effective we become.

I remember the first time I figured out how to write a template email in Gmail. Time saved!

Setting up an Excel spreadsheet to automatically populate invoicing information was another reason to rejoice. Time saved!

Hiring an expert proofreader to complete the final step in my resume-writing process enabled to me focus on drafting and revising more resumes. Time saved!

Each tool, each best practice, has helped me continually grow my business (without any formal business training).

Best Writing Practices: A Program for Career Service Professionals

It is with this mindset that I eagerly await the start of Best Writing Practices for Career Service Professionals, a program that PARWCC and I are partnering to offer. Earlier this year, Margaret Phares, Executive Director of PARWCC, and I discussed how valuable a writing program could be for members to sharpen their skills.

Margaret mentioned that she loved the idea of best practices. We both believe that when a person adheres to best practices, completing a task gets easier and the results are better—whether that is hiking, writing, or something completely different. With a goal of creating best writing practices targeted for career service professionals, I set off to use the knowledge I’ve learned over the years to design a course that I could share with my fellow PARWCC members.

Why writing?

As resume writers and career consultants, we write every day. It is at the core of what we do. The same is true of being a successful business owner in this field. What’s the fastest way to lose a potential client? I think an argument could be made for having a typo in an email to them. How do we gain confidence and know our work is better than the countless templates that float around online? By knowing our writing is stronger than what a typical person can do on their own. 

Ernest Hemingway stated, “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” It’s useful to put our time and attention on the apprenticeship aspect of writing—an act of ongoing learning. Everyone can advance as writers. Hemingway said so himself!

By honing our writing skills, which are essential to our work, we can elevate the quality of everything we do, whether that is write a resume or cover letter, a blog post, a proposal, website content, or an email. Through careful time and attention to writing, we will not only be better writers, but we will also be able to serve job seekers more effectively and save time in the process.

Takeaway

I will forever be grateful for the rigorous training I received from my dissertation advisor (who had me revise my entire seven-chapter dissertation to ensure I used the “to be” verb only once per paragraph) and the training I received while working as a writing consultant at Duke University’s Writing Studio. These two experiences set me up with strong writing skills that I put to good use every day on behalf of my clients. Knowing how I benefitted from the teachings of others, I am excited to launch a course on this crucial topic to teach to my peers. Class starts October 19! I hope you’ll join us! (No bear spray needed.)

Years ago, I conducted my first and only informational interview—and landed a job offer, much to my surprise. I literally said, “Oh, no! I can’t take a full-time job now. I’m writing my dissertation, working part-time, and taking care of my infant daughter. I scheduled this to learn about the role, not to try to get a job.”

Clearly, I could have used some coaching on how to respond.

However, from that day forward, I recognized how valuable informational interviews can be for people contemplating what they want for their careers. My process of career exploration through an informational interview advanced at lightning speed—from timidly sending an email inquiry to receiving a job offer during the conversation. Even though I didn’t accept the offer, I walked away with a confidence boost and confirmation that I was qualified for the type of role that interested me.

Whether I am working with students or experienced professionals who are considering what’s next, I routinely advocate for the value of informational interviews and networking conversations—but I also encounter the same timidity that I had when I first did mine. When this happens, I coach my students and clients with the following step-by-step plan. Consider this your blueprint if you want to pass along this same type of guidance to the job seekers you’re working with. Tailoring the message to the stage of the job seeker’s career is critical, so I’ve offered suggestions for coaching students (and those new to the workforce) as well as seasoned professionals.

Defining the Informational Interview for Students and Experienced Professionals

“Informational interview” is a phrase that many people don’t intuitively understand, so it warrants a definition. An informational interview is an interview in which a job seeker or career explorer gathers information from a person about the company they work for, the person’s career path, and/or the person’s job function. The emphasis is on gathering information, not soliciting a job offer (although an offer can occasionally be made).

Language matters when talking to job seekers about these conversations. Whereas a student might understand the value of emailing a professional and asking for an informational interview (even if they are nervous doing so), seasoned professionals and executives tend to view the term as juvenile. Rather, these professionals are often more comfortable with the language of “networking conversations.” They more readily relate to me describing informational interviewing as reconnecting with people they haven’t spoken to in a while and “reaching out” to new people to have conversations and learn about opportunities and trends. The specific label for the conversation is less important than the intent underlying the conversation: to learn and gather information.

Explaining the Value of Informational Interviews

Conducting informational interviews shows initiative, provides job seekers with practice in having one-to-one “interview-like” conversations, and gives them visibility. Visibility is helpful across the board. For students, an informational interview might be their first time speaking with an industry professional who works in their desired field. For experienced professionals who are looking for a change, an informational interview might be the first time in years that they have had a serious career conversation outside of their current organization. If they haven’t interviewed in a long time, it can also offer much-needed practice in having formal conversations about their career interests and the value they bring to an organization.

The visibility job seekers gain from doing informational interviews leads them to pop into someone’s mind when there is an opening at the company. In this way, an opportunity may come a job seeker’s way without ever having been posted in a formal job announcement. In a similar fashion, if a job seeker speaks with people in the company they currently work for but who are in different departments, there is a stronger chance the job seeker will be considered when a position opens in those other departments.

By doing informational interviews, students and experienced professionals alike can stand out from the crowd, sharpen their communication skills, and become a “top of mind” resource when positions open.

Coaching Job Seekers to Ask for an Informational Interview

Students and less experienced professionals tend to appreciate a step-by-step plan for asking for informational interviews because it helps them feel more comfortable with the process. I have found that seasoned professionals often don’t need this level of guidance, in part because they have years of experience communicating with other working professionals. Even still, the following steps can be adapted to meet the needs of professionals who haven’t had to network in a long time.

Step 1: Identify the interviewee(s).

LinkedIn is a tremendous tool for this. I remind job seekers who are uncomfortable contacting people they don’t know that their existing network can be a great resource. Perhaps a fellow church member has a job in the same field the job seeker is interested in. A conversation with that person could be an easy place to start their career exploration.

Step 2: Contact the potential interviewee.

Advise job seekers to ask interviewees for a 20- to 30-minute conversation about the company they work for, their career path, and/or their job function. The request should be clear, concise, and direct; specificity shows focus. Many people suggest meeting for coffee, but oftentimes the interviewee is too busy to meet in person or prefers a virtual setting. I recommend always giving the option for a phone or video conferencing call. It is also acceptable if the job seeker prefers phone or video conferencing. For in-person meetings over coffee or lunch, I encourage job seekers to explicitly mention it will be their treat.

Step 3: Follow up.

People lead busy lives, and the potential interviewee may have forgotten to respond. When this happens, the job seeker should follow up by sending a subsequent email after a week if they haven’t heard anything. If the potential interviewee declines, I coach job seekers to not take it personally; when that happens, they should write a concise thank-you email (e.g., “Dear Tony, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my inquiry.”). And it should go without saying: If the person replies that they are happy to have the interview, the job seeker should respond promptly and establish a clear date, time, and location (physically or virtually) for the meeting.

Step 4: Prepare!

Students and seasoned professionals both need to prepare by doing their research and making a list of questions for the interviewee. Ideally, the interview will feel like a natural conversation and not a rigid question and answer session. It can be helpful to remind students that they will feel more comfortable and be able to have that natural exchange if they are prepared and know the topics they want to cover.

Step 5: Keep your commitment.

Informational interviews should be treated as seriously as an employment interview. Cancelling should be reserved only for true emergencies. Punctuality is crucial, and the job seeker should confirm the call/meeting 24-48 hours in advance.

Step 6: Be a good timekeeper.

At the 20-minute mark during the interview, job seekers can offer their thanks and wrap up the interview. Alternately, they can inquire whether the person still has time to continue the conversation. This attention to detail and respect for the interviewee’s time will likely leave a good impression.

Step 7: Express gratitude.

Job seekers should thank interviewees for their time during the meeting and also in a thank-you email.

Takeaway

By conducting informational interviews, job seekers obtain valuable information and insight, nurture existing relationships, build new connections, practice succeeding in career-driven conversations, and communicate their goals and aspirations to those who might be able to help them down the road. If you can inspire your students and clients to embrace this activity, they have a good chance of accelerating the pace of their job search campaign.

Me: “How does the reader know you were anything more than good enough at your job to not get fired?”

Job Seeker: “Huh?”

Me: “Your resume says you managed projects, but maybe you were the worst project manager the company has ever had.”

Job Seeker: “Ha! They gave me all the difficult projects because they knew I could handle them. I earned a promotion faster than any of my peers. I was a good project manager.”

Me: “Why don’t you tell the reader that information?”

Job Seeker: “I don’t know. I never thought about it before.”

Over the years, I’ve realized that my role as a resume writer and career consultant is just as much about asking good questions as it is about writing documents. The former directly affects the quality of the latter.

Even after completing a detailed resume questionnaire, many clients still struggle to communicate their accomplishments to me. Below is a series of questions I ask during consultations to draw out compelling information from my clients and students. In doing so, it’s a lesson to them in how precise language that includes context can strengthen the quality of application documents. The process often provides job seekers with a confidence boost as well!

Thought-provoking Questions for Job Seekers

How does the reader know you were good at this job?

Many job seekers are humble and don’t think in terms of accomplishments, but they can tell you why they were good at their job. This question can lead to a gold mine of information.

Was there anything going on at the company that made your work particularly challenging?

This question often brings up stories of mergers and acquisitions, downsizings, aggressive growth, changes in leadership, and reorganizations. The larger context of a person’s success (or struggle) in a role is often evident in their response to this question.

This says you completed X task. What was the result of this task?

Questions like this steer a job seeker to share more specific information. You can ask other similar questions that relate to demonstrating successful outcomes: Was the person’s efforts rewarded? Did they complete the task on time or ahead of schedule? How important was the particular task in relation to the company’s larger objectives?

How did you mentor your staff (or lead the team)?

Asking how a person did something can reveal greater context for their approach to their work—in this case, how they lead people.

What did it feel like when you did X?

Sometimes I ask clients this question to get a better understanding of what motivates them and makes them particularly proud.

How many? What was the monetary value?

Quantification provides clarity to a reader. “Led projects” and “Led 19 projects concurrently (values: $500K-$23M), completing each on time and within 2% of projected budget” each take up one line on a resume, but the latter provides details and speaks to a person’s skill.

TAKEAWAY

When a resume only lists responsibilities and basic tasks completed, a person’s contributions and value to a company are open to interpretation. Clarity of writing aids the reader and eliminates ambiguity. You never want a reader to have visions of the turn-of-the-century classic movie Office Space when reading a resume you worked on: Is this person like Peter Gibbons? Only doing enough to not get fired? Posing thoughtful questions to job seekers (in writing and orally) reduces the chances this problem will occur.

After working with clients, they often tell me, “I never knew I looked so good on paper!” This is EXACTLY the type of feeling I want job seekers to have, so they can go into interviews with confidence and excited to discuss their background and fit for a role. Provocative questions lead to empowered job seekers!

A key piece of advice career coaches and resume writers share with job seekers is to research a company before applying for a job and, certainly, before an interview. But what does company research entail in practice? Here are best practices that dig deeper than the common and well-intentioned yet vague advice of “research the company.” When job seekers implement these strategies, they’ll be super sleuths!

Scour the Company’s Website

The ubiquity of this advice speaks to its importance. Job seekers should thoroughly read the website of a company. Here are key points to look for on some of the most common pages on a website.

• Home page: What does the home page tell the reader? Does it announce a corporate value? Ford Motor Company, for instance, welcomes the reader and then proclaims its purpose: “to help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.” The PARWCC’s website makes its purpose obvious as well: “Your job is helping job seekers. Our job is helping you.” Home pages are crucial to analyze because they have the potential to tell readers so much about how a company wants customers to perceive it.
• “About” section: Smaller companies might have an About Us section, while larger companies might have a section about their story or history. This page might include important clues to a company’s values and culture.
• Services/Products: Critical information will be here to educate the job seeker on what the company produces and offers.
• Blog: What does the company blog about? Who writes the blogs? Is it the founder of the company? Is it the marketing team? Or do employees write various articles?

You may choose to tailor the advice you give based on each individual job seeker’s needs. It might be helpful to guide less experienced job seekers through each page of a website and coach them to think critically about what it tells the reader—and potential employees.

Set Google Alerts

Job seekers can set a Google Alert for any company to make sure they are aware when it makes the news (for good or bad reasons). These alerts take only a few seconds to set up, and they save time and effort because company-related news will automatically appear in the job seeker’s inbox.

Research a Company’s Social Media Presence

What is the company pushing out on Twitter? Facebook? Instagram? LinkedIn? In particular, what appears on the LinkedIn company page? Following the company on its social media channels will give a job seeker a sense of its corporate values, its mission, and where it stands on certain issues.

Silence can speak volumes. If a job seeker wants to work for a company that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, a company’s lack of a post on International Women’s Day or on Martin Luther King Jr. Day would be telling.

Get Inside Perspectives from Employees

Talk to employees! This may sound like simple advice, but it can be difficult to implement on short notice. If a job seeker has taken your advice to build their network, asking an existing contact for an informational interview may be a good approach.

Even if the job seeker doesn’t have an established relationship with an employee, reaching out on LinkedIn can be helpful. In these instances, I encourage job seekers to write a customized LinkedIn connection request to many company employees. From there, as people accept the request, the job seeker can follow up with a request for a brief informational interview.

Read the Financials if They’re Available

A company’s financial situation is another important factor to consider when doing research. For any publicly traded company, it’s a great idea to have a clear understanding of the company’s financial health. For companies that aren’t publicly traded, a job seeker can still sleuth out information: Has the company recently been in the news because of a new investor? Or has an organization just received a large grant? Some of this information might also be on the website.

Researching what the company CEO has said on record can be informative as well. I recently read an interview with a CEO of a privately held company in which he discussed how many organizations they work with, their aggressive growth, and their plans for innovation in the future. What a gold mine for an interested job seeker!

Visit the Company if Possible

If a job seeker is applying to a company that has a brick-and-mortar location to visit, it’s in their best interest to visit it in person whenever possible. When doing so, the job seeker can observe how the company runs, what the customer experience is like, whether employees seem to be happy, and what the service and/or products are like. Much like a “secret shopper” experience, this reconnaissance mission can provide invaluable insights into the company.

Research Competitors

By researching competitors, job seekers can accomplish two objectives at once: they can learn what competitors are doing similarly and/or differently from the company they are most interested in, and they might identify additional companies that interest them. For instance, a person interested in working for a company that caters to outdoorsy clientele might research REI. In the process, the job seeker might also research Patagonia and The North Face and decide to include those companies in their job search campaign.

Takeaway

Researching a company proactively is part of an effective job search campaign because it allows job seekers to focus on companies that truly interest them—ones that align with their values and what they want from a workplace. Researching a company reactively once an interview has been secured will help job seekers be more informed and able to position themselves strategically as a good fit because they will have done research in advance. Either way, it’s a good practice for job seekers to do detective work into companies of interest!

I recently worked with a client who scheduled a coffee meeting with an employee from a company he previously interviewed with online. His upcoming meeting prompted a conversation during which we discussed coffee meeting  networking etiquette. To help your students or clients when they encounter a similar situation, here are tips you can pass along. They can use these whether they are meeting for coffee to network or as part of an interview process. Impress on job seekers that the key to a successful conversation is to proactively think through the logistics and how they want everything to go.

Dress to Impress

Encourage job seekers to plan their attire in advance, paying careful attention to any power dynamics at play. Is this a meeting with a potential future boss, as was the case for my client? Or an acquaintance they’ve known for a decade? Job seekers should adjust what they wear according to whom they are meeting with, but I recommend erring on the side of being more formal than less. This is especially the case considering the pandemic and how informal the work-from-home culture has caused many of us to be. It’s hard to go wrong with a nice blouse or button-down/collared shirt. (Wrinkled clothes should stay home.)

Establish a Time and Location—and Confirm the Details

Confirming the location prior to the meeting is important, especially because many coffee shops are franchises that have multiple locations within one geographical area. More than once, I’ve been waiting for a person to show up for a meeting only to get a call or text asking me where I am. In each case, the person went to the wrong place. These things happen, but job seekers should do their best to make sure they’re not the one in the wrong place!

I recommend sending a meeting invitation with the time and street address of the coffee shop. Then, the job seeker can confirm the day before with a brief email that restates the time and location. This extra step will also demonstrate organizational skills.

Allot Plenty of Travel Time

A good way to make a bad impression is to be late. Beforehand, job seekers should look up the drive time, and then add buffer time in case of traffic. Google Maps or another GPS tool can also suggest alternate routes if there was an accident or other issues that could extend the commute time.

Who Pays?

The etiquette around who pays can be tricky, especially for inexperienced networkers and job seekers. I recommend that the job seeker make this decision in advance. Common etiquette suggests that the person who invites the other party to meet for coffee should pay. Of course, if a student or client is meeting with many people as part of their networking strategy and funds are tight, they might not be able to cover the tab for everyone. As their career coach, you can use your experience to discuss how they can handle this situation and guide them through the process.

Wear a Watch

Being a mindful timekeeper shows respect for honoring the time commitment. To this end, I recommend wearing a wristwatch so it’s easy to glance at it without having to pick up a phone to activate the screen, which can be distracting. Not losing track of time also helps ensure the agenda gets covered. 

Ensure the Equitable Sharing of Information

When I first started my business and had networking coffee meetings, I predominantly filled the role of listener because I didn’t manage the clock well. I would let the other person talk for 50 minutes and would only start to share information about my business in the last ten minutes of an hour-long meeting. This was neither satisfying nor effective. And even though I always wore a watch (see tip above), I didn’t know how to direct the meeting when the other person dominated the conversation.

It can be helpful to notify job seekers that this imbalance can happen and assist them in creating strategies for managing the clock. Simple verbal cues work well: “It’s great to hear this information about your job! I know we only have about 30 minutes left, so I’d love to tell you more about myself. I can see we have some similar interests.” The exact wording doesn’t matter as long as the person uses language that is authentic and communicates the message clearly, concisely, and enthusiastically. Whether a person is meeting to network as a business owner or job seeker, coffee meeting etiquette includes the equitable sharing of information.

Conclude the Meeting by Expressing Gratitude and Planning Next Steps

Job seekers can transition into closing the meeting about ten minutes before it is scheduled to end. In the last few minutes of the meeting, the job seeker can establish next steps and thank the person for having the meeting.

Takeaway

If the job seekers you’re working with have networked long enough, they’ve probably had a networking-gone-bad experience. Coffee meetings can be awkward if either party is inexperienced or has poor etiquette. With the logistical considerations addressed, job seekers can focus on the exchange of information—which is the point of the meeting!

Learning how to read job descriptions critically enables job seekers to use their time wisely by helping them decide whether or not to apply for a role. If they proceed with applying, the job description can also serve as a guide for tailoring their application materials. Here are three steps you can share with your clients and students to ensure they use the information in a job description to the fullest extent possible.

Step 1: Read the Job Description Completely

Recently, I read a job description that stated toward the end, “Make sure you submit a cover letter so we know you read all the way to here.” This example illustrates that many people don’t read job advertisements thoroughly, which causes them to miss important information. Coach your students and clients to read every word of the job description, paying close attention. They can learn about the company’s culture and mission along with information about the role’s responsibilities and qualifications.

Step 2: Assess Required and Preferred Qualifications

Many job descriptions categorize qualifications by “required” and “preferred.” While some applicants don’t distinguish between these categories when deciding whether they should apply, I recommend that they do.

If the job description neatly categorizes required and preferred qualifications and the job seeker lacks the top required qualification, they should carefully consider if applying to the role is a good investment of their time. For instance, assume a job seeker has two years of experience as an individual contributor but the job description states “10 years of experience required, with at least five years of team management experience.” This role is not a good match with the job seeker’s background. In our role as career service providers, sometimes we must remind a job seeker that just because they theoretically could do a job doesn’t mean they are a strong fit.

If the job seeker does have the top one or two required qualifications, then they need to evaluate whether they have enough of the other qualifications listed in the job advertisement. Back in my grad school days at Duke University, I was taught to apply if I had 60-70% of the qualifications; I still find this to be good advice.

When working with my clients and students, I tell them the following: Do not make the mistake of missing opportunities because you don’t have 100% of what the employer is looking for, but also don’t waste your time applying for a role if you are missing the most basic qualification the employer is seeking. I often remind women clients that women often underestimate their qualifications and lose opportunities for lack of applying.

Step 3: Use the Job Description to Tailor Application Materials

Tailoring the resume and cover letter to the job description is the name of the game when it comes to applying for jobs. Job seekers can accomplish this by taking the following two actions.

Mine the Job Description for Key Words and Other Information

I instruct my students and job seekers to print the job description or save it in an editable file. They should have highlighters or colored pens on hand if working from a printout.

The job seeker should analyze the description and mine it for information. They should consider the following: What is the key skill or set of skills the employer is seeking? Which skills are preferences and which are requirements?

Next, the job seeker should determine what the employer needs them to do and know for the role. In one color, they can highlight or underline actions (verbs) and nominalizations, which are verbs in noun form, such as implementation and development. These are the key actions the employer wants the new hire to take and do.

In a second color, the job seeker can highlight or underline all core competency areas. These are typically nouns, such as MS Office Suite, microbiology, Python, digital marketing, or other key things the new hire is expected to know.

Next, the job seeker should review and categorize the highlighted terms to determine if they can be grouped into key “bucket” areas. These bucket areas can get to the heart of what the employer wants the person in the role to do and know, if it hasn’t been stated succinctly in the job advertisement.

For instance, your student or client might create a bucket category called “marketing” by grouping together the following terms: brand development, copy writing, engagement, monitor trends, Google Analytics, WordPress, SEO, and social media.

Cross-Reference and Incorporate Key Terms into the Cover Letter and Resume

Once the job seeker has divided all of the highlighted terms into buckets, they should cross-reference their

resume and cover letter and ensure both documents contain all—or at least most—of those terms. Depending on the length of the job description and how many terms the job seeker identified, they might use their cover letter to address the key bucket categories. In the letter, the applicant could emphasize three to five categories of information rather than try to incorporate 25 individual key terms.

Takeaway

Reading a job description carefully is the first step a job seeker should take to decide if applying for a particular job is a good use of their time. Once they determine they are a strong fit for a role, the job description also provides direction for tailoring their resume and cover letter for the job opening. Far too many job seekers do not take the three steps I’ve outlined above, but if we coach our students and clients to do so, we can help them accelerate the pace of finding an employment opportunity that is a good fit.

The year 2020 brought many work changes, including the widespread use of video conferencing software. By now, most people are familiar with the various platforms—such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet—but I still see quite a few goofs. Regardless of the platform, good video conferencing etiquette is crucial, so here are some tips you can share with your clients and students to help them polish their skills.

Dress for the Occasion

Don’t let standards slide when it comes to video conferencing. Professional conversations require appropriate attire—although I’ve found there is no need to overdress for casual conversations with work colleagues.

For formal interviews, I always recommend erring on the side of caution, which includes dressing for the occasion from head-to-toe. For routine work calls, I won’t suggest that everyone needs to wear formal clothes below the waist because I know that is simply not the world many of us are living in right now. The point is to know when dressing well really matters. When it does, encourage job seekers to hit it out of the park.

Have the Right Lighting

I advise my clients and student to make sure they have good lighting that shows their head and shoulders clearly, and in a way that doesn’t make them blend into the background. This topic could be an article all on its own! Let clients know that it might take experimentation and time to set up effective lighting. Slow but steady progress is still progress.

Avoid Clutter during Video Interviews

Clutter can be both visual and audible; both should be limited as much as possible. Visual background clutter is not only distracting but also can reflect poorly on the interviewee because they might appear disorganized. This perception can then be extrapolated by employers, interviewers, and potential clients: Will the candidate represent the company brand well? Can the company put them in front of a client? Job seekers shouldn’t take the risk of having a messy space plant seeds of doubt about their abilities.

Audible clutter can be more difficult to control, but measures should be taken to do so. Advise your client to conduct the interview in a quiet space. If they can’t, they should give the other person or people on the call advance notice. Not long ago, I had a person tell me, in case I heard it in the background during our call, that sometimes a train goes by and it gets loud. This level of professionalism is appreciated.

Ensure a Strong Internet Connection and Stable Location

In my own home office, I needed to start using a Wi-fi extender when my husband and children were also at home doing work and school tasks online. Otherwise, my connection was not consistently stable. Whether it means moving closer to where the Wi-fi is located, closing all other applications, buying an extender, upgrading Internet speed, or doing all of the above, make sure your clients take steps toward having a strong internet connection.

Join on Mute—And Stay on Mute Except When Speaking

Video call participants should stay muted unless they are actively talking to make everything run smoother. I still routinely hear hosts ask participants to mute themselves. Similarly, computer notifications should be silenced. Typically, other people on the call will hear these sounds and they can be disruptive.

Encourage Late Adopters to Learn and Practice

If you have any late adopters, consider nudging them to use video conferencing. I currently have a client who has met with all of her clients in-person throughout the pandemic because many of them do not have computers. This strong customer service also comes with a liability. My client will almost certainly be judged harshly if she does not do well in a video interview due to her lack of experience with the software. Because of this, I’ve proposed that we hold at least one of our sessions in Zoom, so she can practice with me. It’s much better for my client to use a video call with me as her training wheels—not an interview for her dream job. Incorporating video conferencing into a session can offer valuable training and comfort to those who might not need or have the opportunity to use it on a regular basis.

Advise late adopters (and all video conferencing participants) to become fully acquainted with the features of the software they’ll be using. These features can include breakout rooms, screen sharing, chat boxes, muting/unmuting, and virtual backgrounds—just to name a few. By capably handling them, your client or student will surely make a good impression. Also, be sure to emphasize that each platform is unique. Encourage clients and students to familiarize themselves with the one they need to use before an important meeting.

Be Gracious When Video Conferencing Goes Bad

Although I coach my clients to try to control for everything they possibly can during video conferencing, I also remind them to be understanding when things go off the rails for the other party. Sometimes dogs bark, kids need their parents, internet connections become unstable, and tea kettles whistle. Being kind and gracious will surely make a good impression. Having a sense of humor about mishaps can go a long way, too.

Have a Plan B

As routine as video conferencing is, sometimes things can still go wrong. As a result, I recommend having a back-up plan in place. For example, suggest that your client obtain the other person’s phone number prior to the meeting, especially in situations like an interview. Along the same lines, it’s helpful to keep a glass of water nearby to avoid having a dry throat from talking.

Takeaway

Most people’s comfort and familiarity with video conferencing has grown exponentially in the past year, but I do not recommend getting complacent. Even if we know that most of us are wearing comfy pants, that doesn’t give us permission to start wearing pajama tops to video meetings. Or, to forget that clutter (even bookshelves!) distracts people.

While meeting via Zoom and similar platforms is the norm now, not everyone recognizes that good video conferencing etiquette can set them apart when they have professional conversations, whether that is with a colleague, boss, or potential employer during an interview. Arming your students and clients with these best practices could very well propel them to their next opportunity!

Building Rapport Can Boost Productivity—and Bridge Divides

As a career professional, there are many scenarios where you might have to establish rapport with a client or student quickly. This could be during a routine session, a first working meeting, or even an initial consultation with a potential client. If you’re like me, you probably have a litany of calls scheduled one right after another, and you can’t fall behind schedule. This might prompt you to get right down to business at the beginning of a session. While this approach might seem wise from a time management perspective, it might not be the best for building rapport.

Start the Session on the Right Foot

At the beginning of each call, I start with a simple question after our initial greeting.

“Is this still a good time for you?”

I always ask this question to ensure that the client is fully present. It’s better to know at the outset if they just took their dog into emergency surgery. I’d much rather offer to reschedule than force someone to work with me when their mind is elsewhere.

After we reconfirm the time still works for them, I move on to my next question.

“How are you doing?”

Their response will be telling. I have found that people tend to respond in one of two general ways. First, they might say, “I’m good. How are you?” In addition, they might also share something relevant to our session: they make a comment about their resume, job search, or upcoming interview. This type of answer tells me they are ready to jump right into our work together. If they ask me how I am, I’ll quickly reply that I’m doing well and am excited to work with them. From there, we transition into the items on our agenda. In total, this means that I might be working with the client on substantive matters within one minute of the start of our call.

Alternatively, the client might elaborate on a different topic.

“Well, I’m okay. I’m sitting in my car watching all of this snow fall.”

“Thanks for asking. Work is really tough right now. My boss just told me…”

“I’m fine, but I just found out my dad has COVID.”

These types of responses prompt me to switch gears. Rather than dive into their job campaign needs, I pause and talk with them on a more personal level. I create the space for them to share information that might not be critical to our work but is good to be aware of. In this way, I can be empathetic while gently refocusing their attention so we can have a productive session. Also, it’s nice to connect with people—especially when so many of us have had our lives more-than-a-little disrupted during the pandemic.

Manage the Clock

I will typically allot up to five minutes for “off topic” conversation, although it can be even longer than that for an established client during an hour-long session. Every once in a while, the call changes direction, starting out with the client and I reviewing a cover letter draft, for instance, and ending with me primarily in a listener role as the client tells me what is happening in their workplace or during their job campaign.

A key to maintaining a successful relationship with the client is paying close attention to their communication approach and adapting accordingly. In those sessions where the client needs to relay information not directly related to the topic of the session, I still manage the clock and give verbal cues to indicate that we need to address the agreed upon topic of our meeting. In practice, this means that rather than discussing a resume draft for a full hour, maybe we only take 20 minutes. Then, I give the client homework to do. This homework will help address any areas that we didn’t have time to cover during our session.

Bridge Cultural Gaps

Not long ago, I completed a LinkedIn Learning course on developing cross-cultural competence. It was so enlightening! I learned the difference between “low-context” and “high-context” cultures. In the U.S., we have a low-context culture, where we largely assume people do not have prior knowledge of a topic—in other words, we assume people do not have much context on a topic. As a result, Americans tend to communicate in direct and explicit ways. In contrast, in countries that have a high-context culture, such as India and China, people tend to communicate in more implicit ways that rely on contextual cues such as tone of voice.

While I still have more learning to do on this topic, I left with a key takeaway point: the country we are reared in greatly shapes our communication style. In the U.S. (at least, most parts of the U.S.), we tend to launch right into business at the beginning of conversations. In other countries, that would seem rude. Every person has individual tendencies, but the importance of this topic was not lost on me. While I might think it’s more efficient to dive into a session’s main topic, this approach might feel uncomfortable or abrupt to a client who might prefer that we begin instead by spending a few minutes chatting about their day, the weather, or whatever other “off” topic is on their mind. And, even though countries have general tendencies, communication styles are still individualistic.

In this regard, communication styles are neither “right” nor “wrong.” They are merely different. As career professionals, it’s in our and our clients’ best interest if we can fluidly move between the various styles of communication.

Takeaway

I want all of my clients and potential clients to know that I care—that I truly care. As a way of showing this, I pay close attention to how they interact with me and adapt accordingly. Sometimes creating room for more casual conversations also helps bridge a cultural divide. In both scenarios, if you meet the client where they’re at, you can end up having a more productive session than if you just plowed ahead according to your plan without considering their needs.

Coaching Career Changers to Success

There is a season for everything in life, and many professionals are looking at this time to transition into a new career, either by choice or because of recent changes in the job market. Similarly, some undergraduate and graduate students are looking toward the future wondering if they’ll need to pivot to a different field because their current or intended field has been negatively affected by the pandemic.

Shifting into a new field or industry can be a challenging—but not insurmountable—task. Helping people with career transitions is a specialty of mine. Here are some tried-and-true steps that you can use to guide clients and students so they can set reasonable expectations and make their transitions go smoothly and successfully.

Step 1: Plan Enough Time

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” These wise words, commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, apply nicely to major career transitions. Career transitions often take time, so it’s best to plan for this change well in advance; for example, I frequently work with professionals who have a 12-18 month lead time. However, career pivots can happen much sooner—especially if the applicant already has skills or qualifications that apply to the new role or field. Most of the activities in the following steps can fall within this planning period and will likely give the career changer a clearer idea of how much time they need to make their transition.

Step 2: List, Compare, and Assess Skills

Advise career changers to research and create a list of the skills needed to succeed in their desired field by reading job descriptions. You can also encourage them to conduct informational interviews with people working in the role or industry they are interested in to get an inside perspective.

Concurrently, it’s important for career changers to take an honest assessment of their skills and strengths to determine if they correspond with those needed in their targeted role or industry. To facilitate this, you can recommend that your clients create a second list of their main technical skills, abilities, and expertise as well as their personality traits and interpersonal skills. Sometimes clients assume they will need to go back to school, take courses, or earn a certification to switch careers, but this is not always the case; creating the two lists will help clarify if any of these are necessary.

After completing both lists, have your clients take stock. Do they want to go into digital marketing but lack relevant experience with social media? Are they seeking a project management position but have never worked in a role that required those skills? This step can be uncomfortable but also enlightening because it literally shows career changers the areas they need to focus on before they can reasonably expect to make a transition.

Step 3: Fill Knowledge Gaps

If the career changer identifies knowledge or skillset gaps, encourage them to start learning! Coursera.org and other online learning platforms such as Udemy can help. Career changers can also gain hands-on experience through an unpaid role; they can consider volunteering or engaging in professional development by joining an organization like Toastmasters. Testing the waters in an unpaid role can provide valuable insight into the work that extends beyond just the skills needed to succeed before making the switch. So, too, can seeking out paid project-based consulting work.

A note about coaching students who plan to look for work outside their field of study: gaining new skills and experiences—whether through clubs, part-time work, or volunteering—can be a wonderful way to increase marketability in their intended new field.

Step 4: Tailor Application Materials to the New Career

It is crucial that career changers target their application materials to their new career by showing that their skills and experience are a good fit. They (or you, if you are writing the resume for them) must make it easy for an employer to identify relevant experience. I do not recommend, for instance, that a client apply for a sales role without showing sales skills prominently.

Career changers should highlight pertinent skills and experience by placing them in the summary of their resume and in bullet points throughout, and they should show measurable results using numbers and metrics to the extent possible. Be sure to stress that it is the applicant’s responsibility to satisfy the employer’s expectations. It’s also important that career changers update their LinkedIn profile as well to ensure alignment with their new career direction.

Takeaway

Transitioning to a new field or industry takes less time and is less taxing when there is a clear path for getting there. As career service professionals, we can coach clients and students to approach this change by breaking it down into smaller, defined steps, so they know how, when, and where to focus their energy—and land a new job that’s a good fit.

LinkedIn is the networking platform for professionals. With 660 million individual users and 30 million businesses on the platform, it’s safe to say a presence on LinkedIn is necessary for almost everyone. Here are tips you can use directly—or pass along to job seekers.

Develop a Clear Strategy

Many people have profiles on LinkedIn because … they know they are supposed to. This strategy is not adequate. Simply put, there are too many opportunities in LinkedIn for professionals to sit on the sidelines.

Here are a few questions to help you or your clients and students develop a LinkedIn strategy:

• ÞWhat is your goal for using LinkedIn? Getting a new job? Networking? Professional development?
• ÞHow often can you plan on actively using LinkedIn? Every day? Once a week?
• ÞHow will you grow and nurture your network?
• ÞWhat topics will you post on? How will you ensure you post regularly and add value to your network? (Hint: creating a posting schedule can work wonders.)

Stay Current on New Sections and Other Features

LinkedIn made changes in 2020, so users should be aware of these updates to take full advantage of the platform. Overall, LinkedIn is trending toward becoming more of a mobile and content platform; it is best to not think of your LinkedIn profile as a static document or simply an “online resume.” Some of the more prominent changes include the following:

• Þ“Featured” section. This section helps make your profile more dynamic because you can “pin” posts, websites, and other media you would like to feature. This section appears directly below the “About” section, meaning it is prime real estate in your profile that appears even before your work experience.
• ÞStories. In the mobile app, you can record and view Stories similar to Instagram Stories. This is a new way to share content using videos.
• ÞName pronunciation. In the app only, LinkedIn users can record a pronunciation of their name but have the option to listen to the recording in both the mobile and desktop versions. This is particularly helpful to ensure proper pronunciation of a person’s name when an online connection converts to a conversation or interview.
• Þ#OpentoWork profile photo banner. If you have not seen this feature yet, it is a green banner that encircles a user’s profile photo with the words “#OpentoWork.” I am not in love with this feature for two reasons. First, I’ve heard recruiters say that this banner does not influence whether they will look at a person’s profile. So, at least in my small sample, it doesn’t seem to prompt more views by people who are looking to fill roles. Second, it feels desperate to me. In the same way I don’t instruct candidates to write “Actively seeking new opportunities” in the headline section immediately under the profile picture, I cannot yet promote use of this feature. I will continue to monitor it and perhaps change my mind later if I hear positive feedback. (Please reach out to me on LinkedIn to share your experience with this feature; I’d love to hear others’ input.)

Enhance Visual Appeal

No one should have a visually boring profile! There are many easy ways to make a LinkedIn profile “pop” aesthetically. Here are a few:

• ÞUse a professional profile photo. This one is a must. Making sure you look professional and approachable is a key way to improve your profile. You can solicit unbiased feedback from sources like Photofeeler.
• ÞFrame your profile photo. A nice way to make your profile photo stand out is to add a border. The site Profile Picture Maker enables users to do just that.
• ÞEmphasize text using bold or italics. You can selectively choose words to make bold or italicize in your profile or posts by typing your text into a “fancy font generator” and then copying and pasting it into your profile. (There are many fancy font generators online.) You can also experiment with different fonts, but I recommend sticking with bold and italics. Less can be more with this approach; remember that if everything is in bold or italics, then nothing stands out.
• ÞCustomize the background banner. You can use a stock photo, a photo you’ve taken, or use a design tool to brand your background banner. Canva is a great tool that allows you to customize a background image and include text on it; there are countless design options using Canva’s free version.

Takeaway

LinkedIn’s newest features ensure that it will continue to offer incredible value to active users, even for the majority of people who do not pay for a Premium account. The suggestions above merely touch on the ways either you or your clients and students can use the platform to stand out from the crowd in the year ahead.

How do you feel about cover letters? I must admit that I’ve said “Cover letters are the most annoying part of the job application process” thousands of times. This resonates with clients because, well, cover letters are annoying in a practical sense. They are required for many if not most job applications, yet it is common knowledge that the letters are often not read. Applicants understandably find this frustrating.

However, a compelling cover letter can make an applicant stand out in a positive way. Here are my recommendations for advising clients and students when they ask whether they need a cover letter and tips on how to write a good one if they do.

When Is a Cover Letter Needed?

When trying to determine if a cover letter is necessary, asking these two questions can help inform your client or student’s decision:

• What does the target industry typically require? If the client is a hiring manager and never reads cover letters, and has peers in the same industry who also do not read cover letters, then there’s a good chance a letter is not necessary for that particular industry. The point is to understand the industry the applicant intends to work in and plan accordingly. This is where having an established, well-nurtured LinkedIn network can help because the applicant can ask connections in the targeted industry whether they use or read cover letters. In fields such as academia, cover letters are a critical part of the application, so it’s vital that the applicant is aware of the audience’s expectations.

  A general piece of advice I give to applicants is that mission-driven organizations (often but not always non-profits) as well as small organizations with a smaller applicant pool are more likely to value a thoughtful cover letter than large organizations that might have to process hundreds of applications for every role.

• Is the applicant an insider candidate? If your client is being recruited for a position through a strong internal advocate or are up for a promotion, then a cover letter is likely not necessary. In cases like these, I speak with the client about different scenarios in which a letter might be advantageous. More often than not, the client determines it would feel awkward to submit a cover letter if it was not specifically requested and they are already a known quantity within the organization. We often focus instead on crafting a stellar resume and preparing for the interview.

If there is any doubt, opt to send a cover letter. Most of the time they are needed. The exceptions are if a job posting explicitly says not to submit a letter and if an applicant is being handpicked for the role. Otherwise, even if the recruiter or hiring manager elects not to read the letter, submitting one still shows good form and that the applicant cares.

Help Applicants Write Effective Cover Letters

Below are several strategies you can use to guide applicants as they write and tailor their letters, or as you draft letters for them.

• Be strategic on all levels, from sentence structure to overall framing and content. My experience has taught me that most cover letters are not effective because they tend to be either poorly written or are a bore to read, which often stems from lack of a good strategy. Readers can be expected to tolerate “I + verb” sentence structures only so many times before their eyes start to glaze over. Encourage applicants to think strategically about how they can share information that complements their resume but doesn’t completely duplicate it, and then write accordingly. This advice holds true whether you are coaching them to write their own letter or teaching them how to tailor a template you drafted for them.
• Be persuasive. A cover letter is a piece of persuasive writing—just like a resume. Make sure the applicant is clear on their message and provides evidence in support of it. Show, don’t tell. Cover letters should be specific about experience, contributions, and results, and quantify them in numbers, dollars, or percentages when possible.
• Keep it to one page. Except for certain circumstances and industries, the general expectation is that a cover letter should be one page. Be considerate of the reader by keeping it direct and to the point. Focus the letter on why the applicant is a logical fit for the organization and the role.
• Use formatting for emphasis and readability. Ensure that key information stands out prominently. Formatting features like bullet points or bold typefaces can help accomplish this.
• Don’t forget the obvious. Make sure the letter includes the specific job title and requisition number as they are listed in the job posting, either at the top of the letter near the salutation or in the opening paragraph of the text. This important detail can be easily overlooked.
• Address the reader by name. Applicants should do their best to find out the name of the reader. LinkedIn is a good resource for researching this information. If the applicant cannot locate the person’s name, then a current trend and accepted practice is to use “Dear Hiring Manager.” Or, if there is a search committee, which is common in academia and for executive searches, “Dear Chair of the Search Committee” or “Dear Search Committee” will suffice. Letters can also be addressed to the recruiter, if applicable.
• Show enthusiasm. The cover letter is an opportunity to show not only qualifications but also to express excitement about the job prospect. To do so, the applicant can briefly explain what draws them to the field, position, or organization in a way that pushes beyond experience or qualifications. If the job is in a field the applicant is passionate about, encourage them to show it.
• Ditch the fluff. Focus on clear, crisp writing that relies more on nouns and verbs than overused adjectives and adverbs. Avoid statements like the following: “I am a results-oriented, motivated, deadline-driven professional in engineering consulting.” Instead, demonstrate these claims in statements that are more concrete: “As a civil engineer with more than eight years of progressive experience within engineering consulting, I have managed multi-million dollar projects from inception through completion. Each project met aggressive deadlines, stayed within budgetary goals, and satisfied all stakeholders.”
• Build in time to revise and proofread. For everyone’s sake, applicants should take the time to revise and polish their letter. After they draft it and make revisions, encourage them to print the letter if possible and then read it out loud. This will help them catch errors. Also, it’s a good idea to suggest that they allow the letter to sit for a day so they can look at it with fresh eyes when doing their last pass through.

Takeaway

Most people do not like writing—or reading—cover letters. But that could be because most cover letters are not effective. If you coach each applicant to write a stellar letter, it might help them stand out from the crowd.

In the same day, I had two very different conversations about errors in application materials. A client, who is also a hiring manager, told me that she stops reading cover letters the moment she finds a typo. Another person, a student, expressed her dismay about the grade she received after submitting a resume for evaluation that had errors throughout due to a lack of proofreading. These perspectives reflect two ends of a not-so-wide spectrum in the world of applying to jobs: details matter whether we would like them to or not.

As a writer, editor, and career services provider, I recognize that typos and grammatical errors are liabilities because they can cause a reader to stop reading and disregard a job application. Typos and errors can also cause confusion and distract the reader from the heart of the matter: why the applicant is qualified for the job. Moreover, errors can directly contradict claims a person might make in their application, such as that they are detail oriented or have strong written communication skills.

I’ve also found that sometimes students and less experienced job seekers don’t fully appreciate just how much of a problem errors can be. To address this, I try
to determine the root cause of the errors, then offer corresponding solutions to help job applicants safeguard their
documents from typos and mistakes.

Root Causes of Errors
I have found that there are typically two key causes of typographical and grammatical errors: 1) lack of careful proofreading and 2) lack of knowledge. In other words, people don’t pay close enough attention to the words on the page or they don’t know what to look for when they are proofreading. As someone who initially learned to “write how you would talk and place commas where you pause,” I can certainly sympathize with people who need to brush up on their English grammar skills!

Solution 1:
Adopt Proofreading Strategies
Below are my top proofreading tips that you  can share with  your  students  and  job  seekers.  These are applicable to any written communication that matters: resumes, cover letters, and even requests for informational interviews.

Print the documents and mark them up by hand, “red pen” style. I find I catch more errors easily when I print, so this is my tried and true method. If you don’t have access to a printer and are working in MS Word, consider executing the steps  below  in  Focus  mode to reduce distractions. Also, if proofreading digitally, I recommend using Track Changes. After you finish proofreading, go back and accept the changes you made one by one. This extra step will help make sure you don’t accidentally correct a mistake with another mistake.

Read the documents out loud slowly, ideally with a person reading over your shoulder silently. In a perfect world, this should happen at least a day or more after you’ve finalized all content to create “distance” between you and the document.

Consider printing the documents in a different font because it makes them  look  less  familiar—we  tend to read what we think should  be  on  the  page  when the text looks and feels familiar to us. Changing the
font in a separate version just for proofreading can be especially helpful if you don’t have a printer. Reading the content “backwards” can also be effective—the last sentence first and the first sentence last—because that also places the information out of context.

Look for words that you, as the writer, tend to mistype. When I was in graduate school, I knew to always look out for how I wrote “United States” because my fingers would often type “Untied States,” which spell check would not flag.

Take a “big picture” look at the document to check for formatting errors. For example, in your resume, are all the dashes in date ranges the same width? Are dates all written the same way? Are bullet points all the same size? Are the margins and alignment consistent? If an accent color is being used, is it consistent throughout? I recommend doing a second reading for formatting separate from proofreading for the text alone.

As a last step, run spell  check  and  grammar  check. Tools  like  the  free  plug-in  Grammarly  are  also  great. I especially like Grammarly because  it  both  educates the writer and fixes what is incorrect.

If you are a career services professional, you might want to consider hiring a proofreader to review your work as well because it is reassuring to have a second set of expert eyes on a document.
Solution 2: Address Common Grammatical Errors
Beyond proofreading, sometimes job seekers are not well equipped to write error-free documents because, through no fault of their own, they did not have rigorous English training while they were in school. Below are common misused word pairs and grammatical errors that I see routinely.

Wrong words: Two incorrectly used word pairs that occur frequently in application documents are led/lead and insure/ensure.

Improper use of semicolons: Semicolons are under-taught in the US! If your students or clients don’t know how to use them properly, they should consider avoiding them. Here is a quick video from Purdue Online Writing Lab on the two ways to properly use semicolons. Click here.

Faulty parallel structure: This is when items in a list are inconsistent or inconsistently phrased. For instance, in the list “Assigned tasks, data analysis, and conducted research,” a verb is missing before “data analysis.” A great resource on parallel structure, also from Purdue Online Writing Lab, is available here:

Solution 3: Level Up Writing Skills
Everyone can learn  and  grow  as  writers.  Students or clients who are inclined to invest time in refining their skills can consult a myriad of books on writing. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White: This (short!) classic has stood the test of time. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser: The first 50 pages complement  The  Elements  of  Style   particularly well. Zinsser recommends that writers reread The Elements of Style annually.

HBR Guide to Better Business Writing by Bryan
A. Garner: This newer guide focuses exclusively on professional writing.

Online resources: Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), Capital Community College Guide to Grammar and Writing, and Grammar Girl are all excellent resources.
Takeaway
Proofreading errors happen to everyone, even meticulous writers. It would be unfortunate for a job seeker to be overlooked for a job because of a single grammatical error, but as career service professionals, we know this can happen.  It’s  in  the  best  interest  of  our  students  and  clients  if  we  communicate  that  fact  clearly  and  equip  them with the tools, resources, and knowledge to prevent these types of mistakes. This empowers them and reduces the likelihood that they will submit documents with errors whether they write their own or tailor materials we have developed for them.

What are your favorite proofreading strategies and writing resources? I’m always adding to my list, and I’d love to hear from you if you have other suggestions. Please feel free to reach out by email (heidi@careerpathwritingsolutions. com) or by LinkedIn (Heidi Scott Giusto, PhD) to let me know!

Empower Job Seekers
to Network “Pandemic-Style”

If you’ve been working with students and clients during the past seven months,    has your suggestion to network gone over like a lead balloon, or led to lamenting that so many in-person events are no longer happening? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. In  a  course  I’m  currently  teaching,  the  students  were  supposed to travel to New York City and Paris and have in-person meetings with company executives, so I’m familiar with the massive changes that have been brought to campuses around the world.

There is a silver lining, though. While it’s true that group gatherings have largely been eliminated for the duration of the pandemic, numerous options for networking still exist. In fact, job seekers may  be  pleasantly  surprised  to  know that the pandemic has opened doors for some increased opportunities. Here are    six ways that you can guide them in networking “pandemic-style.”

Nurture Existing Connections
Networking is fundamentally about building mutually beneficial relationships. To this end, now more than ever is a good time to “check in” with existing connections. This can be done by emailing, calling, or even texting. People will appreciate knowing that someone is thinking of them and wondering how they are doing.

Attend Networking Events via Video Conferencing
Many regular networking events have been moved to video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The wonderful advantage to video conferencing is that we are no longer limited by geography, which means it’s possible to attend more of these events than if they were held in-person. For example, a person can attend an event on Monday from 4-6 p.m. that would have occurred in one city and attend a second one from 6:30-8 p.m. that would have been located in a city an hour away. Point out to networkers that this is a perfect time to try out and visit new groups to see which one(s) they like and benefit from the most and want to attend regularly.

Build New Connections
Your students and clients can also build new connections via networking held through video conferencing. I have found this to be particularly true when the networking event uses small group discussions. In Zoom, these are called “Breakout Rooms,” which allow for more intimate discussions and encourage relationship building. The platform Hopin offers networking capabilities akin to “speed dating.” Emphasize that it’s essential for networkers to follow up with the people they meet in these interactions so they can continue to meet and get to know       each another through phone calls or additional video conferencing.

As locations open up, meeting in-person with another individual might be an option. These one-to-one meetings can be outdoors to allow ample room for social distancing. Setting clear expectations is crucial to ensure that both parties are comfortable with an in-person meeting. For the duration of the pandemic, it’s likely best to forego exchanging business cards and shaking hands, but networkers can still enjoy the other aspects of meeting in- person that can’t quite be fully conveyed onscreen.
Devote Time
to Professional Development
Just like networking events, a multitude of professional development opportunities are now online. Personally, I have found more of these activities than I know what to do with! Encourage your students and clients to choose one or two—or as many as their schedules permit—and to keep an eye out for activities that include other participants, which is a surefire way to build new and meaningful relationships.

Partner with
an Accountability Buddy
Whether  it’s  to  take  a  self-paced  course  together  or have  a  weekly  check-in  to  review  each  other’s  goals, wins, and misses, suggest that pairing up with an accountability buddy might be helpful. This type of consistent contact with another person offers many advantages, fosters support, and  will  likely  deepen  the relationship.
Be Professional but also Real
Given the need to be professional in personal settings, more conversations have opened up to include family/ life topics. As a result, boundaries between work and personal life have been breaking down at lightning speed. I have overheard a president of a company tell people on a video call that she was in her “jammies,” I’ve seen more pets than I can remember, and men and women alike pause conversations to help children with schoolwork. There is absolutely a time and place to be strictly professional, but the conditions brought about by the pandemic encourage us to bring our whole selves into our work lives.

When I work with my students and clients, I recommend that they strive to create ideal conditions for networking calls and video conferences by choosing a quiet, uncluttered setting, wearing professional attire, and maintaining a businesslike demeanor. However,   it’s   important   to   give   grace   to   yourself and to the person you are networking with when life  interrupts.  And,  it’s  okay  to  share  some  personal details  as  long  as  doing  so  doesn’t  distract  from  the professional objectives the networking conversation is premised on.

The prevalence of content marketing has led to an explosion of blog writing—
whether for a personal or business blog, a website, or a LinkedIn article. It's also
relevant to job seekers: 77% of internet users read blogs, so writing blog articles
can be an effective way to show productivity and increase visibility by sharing
knowledge in an area of expertise.

Below is a step-by-step guide to writing an engaging blog article. While it is
geared toward coaching clients, students, and job seekers, coaches and résumé
writers can also use this process to bolster their own online presence.

Step 1: Determine the goal for the article

What is the desired outcome? For many job seekers, businesses, and career
service professionals alike, the goal is to show expertise on a particular topic
and to build brand visibility.

Step 2: Establish broad categories
of topics to write about in light of the goal

Have your client explore the following questions:

What general areas can | write on that show me
as someone who is knowledgeable in my field?

Of those categories (generated above), what will
my intended audience likely value, or find most helpful?

Urge your client to consider the perspective and knowledge they have to offer
to readers. When thinking about this, they should determine if the selected
category or categories align with their overarching strategy. For example, | tend
to write about proactive career management and writing well; those are my
professional “bucket” categories. A project management professional might
write about various aspects of project management, while an operations
director might share a perspective for increasing efficiency. In contrast, even
though | love to travel, writing about that hobby wouldn't advance my goals
unless | wanted to transition into the travel industry.

Step 3: Select a specific topic

In each article, make one main point and one main point only. Note that this
very article is about writing a blog post—not “Blogging.” That is too broad.

Assuming the plan is to write more than one article, it’s helpful to generate a
list of topics by brainstorming ideas alone or with a colleague or collaborator.
Often, two brains are better than one. If not under time constraints, be aware
that the best ideas might corme when your clients allow themselves to think
creatively. Whenever the ideas occur, record them to revisit later. That way, once
your client or student is ready to start on an article, they already have a list of
topics to choose from.

The prevalence of content marketing has led to an
explosion of blog writing—whether for a personal or
business blog, a website, or a Linkedin article. It's also
relevant to job seekers: 77% of internet users read
blogs, so writing blog articles can be an effective way
to show productivity and increase visibility by sharing
knowledge in an area of expertise.

Below is a step-by-step guide to writing an engaging
blog article. While it is geared toward coaching clients,
students, and job seekers, coaches and résumé writers
can also use this process to bolster their own online
presence.

Step 1: Determine the goal for the article

What is the desired outcome? For many job seekers,
businesses, and career service professionals alike, the
goal is to show expertise on a particular topic and to
build brand visibility.

Step 2: Establish broad categories
of topics to write about in light
of the goal

Have your client explore the following questions:

What general areas can | write on that show me
as someone who is knowledgeable in my field?

Of those categories (generated above), what will
my intended audience likely value, or find most
helpful?

Urge your client to consider the perspective and
knowledge they have to offer to readers. When
thinking about this, they should determine if the
selected category or categories align with their
overarching strategy. For example, | tend to write about
proactive career management and writing well; those
are my professional “bucket” categories. A project
management professional might write about various
aspects of project management, while an operations
director might share a perspective for increasing
efficiency. In contrast, even though | love to travel,
writing about that hobby wouldn't advance my goals
unless | wanted to transition into the travel industry.

Step 3: Select a specific topic

In each article, make one main point and one main
point only. Note that this very article is about writing a

blog post—not “Blogging.” That is too broad.

Assuming the plan is to write more than one article,
it's helpful to generate a list of topics by brainstorming
ideas alone or with a colleague or collaborator. Often,
two brains are better than one. If not under time
constraints, be aware that the best ideas might come
when your clients allow themselves to think creatively.
Whenever the ideas occur, record them to revisit
later. That way, once your client or student is ready to
start on an article, they already have a list of topics to
choose from.

Step 4: Outline

Organize the key points for the article in whatever
format works best, whether that is a traditional outline,
a visual spider web map, or paragraphs. This outline
will serve as a guide for the draft.

Step 5: Draft

Agrad school friend of mine once told me to “start with
what's easiest,” and that is some of the best writing
advice | have ever received. Sometimes people get
stuck because they don't know what the first sentence
should say. Start with whatever idea, section, or
paragraph feels easiest—even if that information goes
in the middle of the article. After that part is written,
move to the next part that feels doable. There is no
need to write the introduction first, the body second,
and the closing last; it’s OK to skip around during the
drafting process to keep the momentum. Each line
does not need to be perfected yet because that line
might get cut later. The goal at this point is getting
ideas written down.

For blog articles, a “how to” approach tends to be
helpful, as does a “step-by-step” format. Otherwise,
the lessons we learned in high school English courses
still hold true: open with a “hook” and thesis staternent,
include three points or so that are supported with
evidence, and then close with a takeaway that pushes
beyond just restating the article’s content. There are
countless ways to veer from these structures (and |
encourage people to do so!), but your clients will likely
find them helpful as a starting point.

Step 6: Revise

Once a full draft has been written (which might take
several discrete sessions), | find it’s beneficial to let it sit, then review it with fresh eyes and edit. To gauge if their writing
is effective, urge your clients to seek an outsider’s feedback—either
from you or a friend or colleague. If they do, they should guide the
reviewer by specifying the type of feedback that they are looking for.
For example, rather than just saying “Let me know what you think,”
stipulate instead, “I'd like to know if my writing is clear and concise.
The audience is educated, but not knowledgeable on this topic. I'm
open to minor wording changes, but that’s not my main concern.”
After feedback is received, edit accordingly.

Step 7: Consider formatting and SEO

Select an appropriate image or images for the article. Clients should
be encouraged to think strategically about the title in terms of search
engine optimization (SEO), and they may want to consider SEO when
formulating subheadings as well. SEO tends to be a moving target,
so suggest that your clients consult a recent article or two on what
seems to “work” to help them get hits. But emphasize that the content
should be their top concern. Even if an article appears at the top of a
Google search, it likely won't matter if the content is not good.

Step 8: Proofread

As the saying goes, “the devil's in the details.” No one should skip this
crucial step. In very prominent places | have seen both “quality” and
“excellent” misspelled. Readers might forgive one typo, but they are
not likely to overlook several. If your client is in a field that professes
attention to detail, excellence, and/or writing, then they should take
this step extra carefully. If a typo slips by, though, it’s not the end of
the world. The fact is, this can happen even if there was a thorough
proofreading process, but measures should be taken to minimize
these occurrences.

Step 9: Publish!

After proofreading the article, confidently hit the publish button. If
your client doesn't have their own dedicated website, you can suggest
they use LinkedIn as a blogging platform and showcase their article(s}
in the “Featured” section of their profile.

Remember Ernest Hemingway's wisdom: “We are all apprentices in a
craft where no one ever becomes a master.” Encourage your clients
not to let insecurities stop them from getting their ideas out into
the world.

Takeaway

Whether you're helping clients, job seekers, and students
attract job prospects through content creation or looking
to bolster your own visibility, blogging can be a useful tool
for networking, demonstrating subject matter expertise,
and executing a successful job campaign.

Coach Job Seekers to Success in One-Way Video Interviews

You just received an email with the news every career coach loves to hear: “Thank you so much for helping me with my résumé. I’ve been invited to interview for my dream job!” You’re over the moon for your client or student, but as you keep reading the email you get an uneasy feeling in the pit in your stomach. The soon-to- be interviewee has also shared the interview details for your input and guidance, and it includes instructions for how to log in, record answers via a webcam, and then submit the answers for review. Huh?

If you have not already learned about or have experience with this newer form of interviewing—asynchronous or “one-way” video interviews—I’ve written this article to bring you up to speed so you can help job seekers successfully navigate these situations. Whereas most video interviews occur like video calls with friends or family—where two people talk “real time” using software like Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, or WhatsApp—candidates do not directly interact with anyone at the hiring organization when interviewing in one-way video interviews.

Advantages of One-Way Video Interviews

Service providers like Interviewstream tout benefits such as faster placements, a more efficient process, and cost effectiveness. Candidates have the flexibility to conduct the interview using any type of device at a location and time of their choosing, so long as the interviewee submits the interview in the timeframe set by the employer. With 900+ employers using services like Interviewstream, as well as universities using them for interview preparation, this form of interviewing is likely here to stay.

Challenges of One-Way Video Interviews

In researching this topic, the word that kept coming up was “dehumanizing.” Candidates tend to despise this form of interviewing, calling it awkward and viewing it as insulting. One article written by a Forbes career expert even encouraged candidates to refuse these types of interviews because the author saw them as a way to tee up for discrimination by allowing employers

to narrow the list of candidates without taking the time to get to know each person.

Unfortunately, despite candidates not liking these interviews, this is an example of having to make the best of a bad situation. If an individual wants a job at Company A, and Company A uses one-way video interviews as a screening tool, that individual must either participate in the interview on the company’s terms or lose the opportunity. No one I know has chosen to walk away from this interview format, which is probably wise considering the current state of the economy.

Format and Preparation

Interviewees should expect to view only one interview question at a time (as opposed to having the full set of questions up front). They may or may not be able to record their response several times. I have interviewed job candidates who have had one chance, three chances, and as many chances as they wanted to record each response. Having limitless re-record opportunities seems to be the most challenging option

August 2020 | PAGE 18

because candidates might struggle to determine when their response is strong enough to move to the next question, which can invite fatigue and result in sounding “canned.”

How should candidates prepare for such variety? Just like they would for any other interview. I teach my clients and students to research the company in advance, reread the job description, carefully consider their qualifications and what they will contribute to the company, and be ready to answer common screening interview questions. These questions tend to be about the candidate’s background, strengths, weaknesses, challenges they’ve faced, and why they’re interested in the role or company, to name a few. I encourage clients to think strategically about mentioning key skills and qualifications in case the first screening of the interview is run through artificial intelligence, which can help determine if candidates qualify by “listening” for key terms.

Mastering video conferencing as a genre of communication will help job seekers far beyond just a one-way video interview, too. To this end, I advise my clients to know how to use their webcam or built- in video camera and ear buds or a headset, learn how to arrange lighting so their face is clearly visible, dress professionally, and remember to look directly into the camera. And, of course, to smile and have good posture! These little steps show a candidate’s enthusiasm and preparedness.

Perhaps most importantly, I recommend that job seekers practice answering common interview questions while recording themselves on a free platform like Zoom or through built-in software like Quicktime. I encourage them to create separate recordings for each response, then watch their recordings and objectively evaluate how they did, with attention to both content and presentation. While having job seekers do a live mock interview with you can be beneficial for all types of interviews, encouraging a client or student who is expecting a one- way video interview to practice recording individual responses is particularly helpful because they have to take control of when to hit record, when to stop, etc. If they struggle to see their own flaws when evaluating their performance, they can share the recordings with you, or a friend or colleague who they can trust to be frank. Receiving constructive criticism and making improvements accordingly boosts confidence, which can help tremendously during the interview process.

Takeaway

For better or worse, one-way video interviews are an emerging technology used to screen candidates. If this type of interviewing is as new to you as it is to many job seekers, I hope this overview will be a valuable resource as you coach your clients and students to interview success.

Create Content That Addresses Today’s Most Pressing Problems

Nurture Connections

20 Reassure students or clients and be optimistic, even as you acknowledge the great challenges that 2020 has thrown our way. I tell my clients frequently, “I’m in your corner!” A sunny disposition and steady support doesn’t cost a dime but can be invaluable.

Closing Thoughts

A sucker for a great quote, I have been referencing Fred Rogers quite a bit lately. Rogers said,

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

As for me, I want to be a helper. And I’m sure you do, too. I hope these strategies help us all embrace the great opportunity we have to be a solution to the giant problem that many job seekers have before them through no fault of their own.

Learn a New Skill

People can add to their professional development in a formal capacity through certifications and coursework. I recommend looking at Coursera, TedX or other massive open online courses (MOOCs). Students can take courses from a wide range of universities on an equally wide range of topics (from Innovation to The Science of Beer!). Most of these courses are free, although some offer a certificate for a fee. I have had clients use MOOCs to facilitate a career change and rebrand their professional skillset.

For folks looking to learn new skills through a less formal process, books and YouTube University are also great options. I learned how to uninstall and reinstall a toilet from YouTube videos! And, in the process of doing a little Internet research while writing this article, I registered for a course on Google Analytics.

Master Video Conferencing

There will be little room for not having this skill after the pandemic. By the time of this publication, I suspect everyone will already have seen the “video conferencing gone wrong” clips of a woman filming herself going to the bathroom and of a man walking around in his underwear. Spare your clients and students (and yourself!) from this embarrassment by encouraging them to learn how to use video conferencing effectively.

I recently wrote an article, “Vital Tips for a Successful Video Interview,” that can also be a resource. But more than just reading about how to use video conferencing software, I urge my clients to practice using it and making sure their software is updated. Practice also makes perfect in terms of learning how to optimize lighting and positioning of the camera. I encourage everyone to learn several platforms like Zoom, Skype, GoToMeeting, and Google Meet.

Pick up the Phone

Reconnecting with colleagues, friends, and family members to see how they are doing allows an individual to share their situation as well. These can be social calls, but job seekers can also mention their job campaign and report on how it’s going. Speaking about an active job campaign reminds your contacts of your situation, and they might be able to help. Even during difficult times, I recommend that clients keep their attitude upbeat and

perspective optimistic when communicating. Keeping a gratitude journal can help. (Make a gratitude journal for free with these prompts.)

This is also an optimal time to make new contacts and inquire about informational interviews. I encourage my clients to conduct informational interviews, even now, because no two situations are alike. Some people are incredibly busy as they work from home and ensure their children are doing schoolwork remotely, but others are impatiently waiting for the economy to reopen. Or, retirees are being extremely diligent about staying home but also wishing they could do more to help. Given these situations, job seekers can identify companies and people they would like to learn more about and then send emails to request informational interviews. The worst that can happen is that they do not get a response.

Serve Others

I recently read a LinkedIn post about how interviews in the months ahead will likely include a new question: How did you help during the pandemic? Not all of us are front- line workers putting our lives at risk. But we don’t need to be to help others. Job seekers can volunteer for a non- profit organization, offer a free resource if they have one to give, work outside their normal hours to accommodate clients’ schedules, volunteer a remote service or skill, offer to buy groceries for a neighbor, and the list goes on.

Being a helper in this time is much more than a way to help a person get a job; it also fulfills a basic human need to be needed. Sociologist and counselor Steve Rose, PhD, has written that “the need to be needed is an individual’s sense of significance rooted in the sense of being part of a community or cause beyond themselves.”* All of us can find purpose and meaning when times are tough— whether that stems from unemployment or simply being stuck in our homes.

Closing Thoughts

Job seekers can take these steps to help accelerate their job campaign, but these actions are valuable for any professional who has down time and is proactively managing their career—perhaps yourself.

* Steve Rose, The Need to Be Needed