how to write your way into a job
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given at CareerWell on 3/17/11. Handouts are at careerwell.orgTRANSCRIPT
Beyond Resumes and Cover Letters
March 17, 2011 MAUREEN NELSON, M.A.
Global Career Development Facilitator Certified Professional Resume Writer
Resumes Letters and resume alternatives Resume addenda Social media writing Work samples for portfolios Books, articles and presentations But what if I/they can’t write??
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How to leverage the writings of others to boost your career
Websites (for entrepreneurs and those with “portfolio” careers)
Additional written pieces for executives
Writing jobs — the variety!
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1. Make it sell (objective vs. paragraph) 2. Make it relevant (employer seeks…) 3. Make it organized (parse the info) 4. Make it appealing (design counts!) 5. Make it believable (quotes/examples) 6. Make it memorable (graphics, color,
text direction, non-Times font)
Find your distinctiveness and tout it! 3/16/11 4 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF
“Learn as much by writing as by reading.”
– Lord Acton English historian, politician and writer
1834-1902
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Cover letters Follow-up letters Thank-you letters Resurrection letters T-letters Prospecting letters/emails Networking resumes White papers/special reports
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Reference pages Project pages Quotes pages Work samples White papers/
special reports
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School papers (reformatted to look like white papers)
Business reports and plans Spreadsheets (with explanation) Articles (even from co. newsletter!) Work journals or task queues
(good for performance reviews) Project management
documents
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“Get it down and then revise, revise, revise. When I’m writing a blog post or article, I do a quick draft first just to get my ideas out, and then I revise everything I write 7 or 8 times. If it’s an important piece I’m submitting for publication, I’ll send it out to a few people for feedback.”
– Marty Nemko, author of 600+ articles and five books, Cool Careers for Dummies, 3rd ed
MartyNemko.com
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But what if I can’t write???
Be the interviewer! Be a SME and partner with a writer Partner with a copyeditor who will
explain why she made the changes she did
Partner with another writer and review each other’s work
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Letters (emails) of introduction Letters of recommendation (you draft) Performance reviews Customer or client “love letters” and
thank-you notes. Recommendations on Linked In/Yelp Media mentions (use HARO)
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Introduction Features & Benefits Biography/Credentials/Experience “How I Work” Client Testimonials Work Samples/Past Successes
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Recruiter letters Career biographies Leadership profiles Branding statements Social media profiles Online identity analysis Career marketing plans Critical leadership initiatives
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“Successful writing is all about trust and authority. It makes sense to write about your area of expertise. If you don’t have an expertise, reading and writing is the best way to develop one and put it on display.”
– Pick the Brain http://www.pickthebrain.com
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Ghostwriting • technical writing • instructions • labels • tip sheets • fact sheets • policies & procedures manuals • essays • medical writing • software manuals • pharmaceutical writing • advertising copywriting • speechwriting • marketing communications • public relations • business plans • annual reports • proposal/grantwriting • greeting card writing • comedy writing • news reporting/journalism • online writing/social media
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Maureen Nelson is manager of Adult Career Services at the Oakland Private Industry Council in Oakland, CA. She co-authored the second edition of Getting Your Ideal Internship and has been a writer on career and management topics for over a decade.
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Maureen has been profiled in the online publication Write Success and serves as field editor for Career Convergence, where she was named Author with the Most Impact (grad student category) in 2008. She runs a coaching practice in Walnut Creek, CA, where she helps clients not only write resumes but create high-impact documents of all types. (Her own appears resume in Susan Ireland’s Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Resume.) Maureen holds an M.A. in Career Development from John F. Kennedy University, a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Cal State East Bay.
Maureen Nelson, M.A., GCDF, CPRW ~ (925) 708-7476 Skype: maureenpnelson ~ Twitter: @maureencareer
www.linkedin.com/in/maureennelson www.MaureenNelsonCareerCoach.com