how to write your way into a job

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Beyond Resumes and Cover Letters March 17, 2011 MAUREEN NELSON, M.A. Global Career Development Facilitator Certified Professional Resume Writer

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Presentation given at CareerWell on 3/17/11. Handouts are at careerwell.org

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: How to Write Your Way into A Job

Beyond Resumes and Cover Letters

March 17, 2011 MAUREEN NELSON, M.A.

Global Career Development Facilitator Certified Professional Resume Writer

Page 2: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 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??

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 2

Page 3: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 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!

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 3

Page 4: How to Write Your Way into A Job

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

Page 5: How to Write Your Way into A Job

“Learn as much by writing as by reading.”

– Lord Acton English historian, politician and writer

1834-1902

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 5

Page 6: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 Cover letters  Follow-up letters  Thank-you letters  Resurrection letters  T-letters  Prospecting letters/emails  Networking resumes  White papers/special reports

3/16/11 6 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 7: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 Reference pages  Project pages  Quotes pages  Work samples  White papers/

special reports

3/16/11 7 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 8: How to Write Your Way into A Job

3/16/11 8 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 9: How to Write Your Way into A Job

  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

3/16/11 9 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 10: How to Write Your Way into A Job

3/16/11 10 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 11: How to Write Your Way into A Job

“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

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 11

Page 12: How to Write Your Way into A Job

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 12

But what if I can’t write???

Page 13: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 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

3/16/11 13 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 14: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 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)

3/16/11 14 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 15: How to Write Your Way into A Job

  Introduction   Features & Benefits  Biography/Credentials/Experience   “How I Work”  Client Testimonials  Work Samples/Past Successes

3/16/11 15 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF

Page 16: How to Write Your Way into A Job

 Recruiter letters  Career biographies  Leadership profiles  Branding statements  Social media profiles  Online identity analysis  Career marketing plans  Critical leadership initiatives

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 16

Page 17: How to Write Your Way into A Job

“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

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 17

Page 18: How to Write Your Way into A Job

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

3/16/11 Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 18

Page 19: How to Write Your Way into A Job

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.

Maureen Nelson, M.A., CPRW, GCDF 19

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