Program Details

Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshop

The Texas Two-Step: Must-Know 2.0 Career Communication Innovations that Fill Your 'Dance-Card' with Clients & Cash With Susan Whitcomb and Deb Dib

Calling all innovation-hungry writers and coaches! Develop a new revenue stream with Branded CareerCom: the "Confusion Solution!"

Job searching has never been tougher and stakes have never been higher. Web 2.0 has created an employment marketplace that is confusing and changing at warp speed. Your clients need to know that in this “social search” world, the resume is no longer a “first-strike,” centerpiece document, and they need to know what to do about it.

In this groundbreaking intensive, you will learn techniques to help your clients deliver the “bold and brief” first-strike career communications required for viability on the Web and craved by perennially distracted recruiters and hiring managers. You'll seal the deal with ROI portfolio components packed with the irresistible “so-what-make-me-care!” proof coveted by employers.

Whether you write for clients or coach clients to write, Branded CareerCom™ strategies are the “confusion solution” that will help your clients understand what works today and tomorrow. You'll quickly become a trusted advisor and build a bridge to lifetime client engagements.

You will learn to. . .

• Embrace the seismic shift to the “short-form,” magnetic writing style that captures the attention of distracted decision makers.

• Meet the employer's urgent ROI demand: So what? Make me care! Do it fast!

• Adopt the “ruthless editing” secrets critical to bold, brief, and brilliant CareerCom.

• Connect your clients' brands to the value that gets them on the short list.

• Help job seekers navigate today's 2.0+ “Social Search” with value-infused CareerCom strategies.

• Create a modular library–from micro-messages to LinkedIn and Twitter profiles...  from short-form “Twit-Fit™” resumes to 10-Tweet™ cover letters... from 15-second pitches to video-scripting... and more.

• Use these strategies to create perennial possibilities for your clients, as they become the hunted and not the hunter, ramped up and ready for the career opportunities they'll attract.

Susan Britton Whitcomb and Deb Dib are inspirational industry veterans, trend spotters, innovators, and authors who love sharing their six-figure secrets with colleagues who want to evolve more and earn more (and help their clients do the same)! They are in demand as media sources and frequently present at national career conferences, business organizations, and universities.
 
Susan (Twitter handle:@SusanWhitcomb), “America's Career and Life Coach,” has helped thousands of job seekers find the clarity and confidence to claim career success and significance. Founder and director of The Academies–the career practitioners' go-to resource for world-class credentialing programs–she has trained hundreds of certified career coaches and authored many best-selling books, including Resume Magic, Interview Magic, Job Search Magic, 30-Day Job Promotion, and The Twitter Job Search Guide.
 
Deb (Twitter handle @CEOCoach) is coauthor of The Twitter Job Search Guide and director of The Academies' Branded CareerCom certification program. A careers industry trend leader, career communications expert, and one of the world's first Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategists, she is known for infusing ROI value into executive branding. Deb is the trusted, go-to coach for leaders and rising stars who want to land faster, earn more, have fun, and change the world, “without becoming a shark or a suit.”

Half-Day Pre-Conference Workshop - Afternoon Session

It's 2010....Do You Know Where Your Digital Footprint Is??? With Barbara Safani

Over 90% of recruiters perform Internet searches on candidates before making a hiring decision, and more than half of employers solidify their decision to hire based on a strong online presence. Today's job seeker needs a robust and digitally distinct web presence in order to compete for positions in the 21^st century. If someone searches for information about your clients online, what will be found? Have you asked your clients these questions?

• Do you exist online?

• Are you a “John Doe” who is difficult to locate online because there are many people out there with the same name as you?

• Is the information about you online relevant to your professional identity and is it accurate?

• Is there any damaging information about you online that a hiring manager could uncover?

If your clients don't currently have a strong or targeted online presence, the good news is that you can create and manage one very quickly for them. Learn how to brand your practice as one that specializes in creating branded online identity packages and services to move clients from digital duds to digital rock stars.

During this half-day workshop, participants will learn how to:

1. Conduct a comprehensive audit of clients' online identity. Learn how to scour the Internet to uncover all mentions of your clients and their affiliations online. Based on these findings, you will make recommendations for placement on online identity and networking sites to build a digital footprint and create new and sustainable visibility for your clients' candidacy.

2. Write traditional and online bios. A powerfully written, branded bio placed strategically across multiple online identity and networking sites can quickly build your clients' value proposition and facilitate a dialogue between them and the hiring authority. Learn how to market bio writing services that focus on your clients' core competencies, market differentiators, and compelling stories of professional success.

3. Create robust online profiles. Learn strategies for making recommendations for profile placement on the top online identity and networking sites and uncover the keys to customizing packages based on the needs of the individual client. Online communities each have their own tone and culture, and you will leave the workshop with the expertise necessary to match each client's brand to the online communities that are most likely to contribute to his/her career success. In addition, you will learn the step-by- step instructions for building profiles on multiple sites so you can manage all administrative aspects of the profile creation for your clients including password creation, linking, image uploads, signature lines, and content development.

4. Offer identity management coaching. Learn how to coach clients on ways to effectively maintain their profiles and optimize their value in just minutes a day.

5. Pitch, package, and price services. Gain an understanding of how to sell online identity services, overcome objections, customize packages, and create add-on products that keep revenues flowing.

Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers, has more than 15 years of experience in career management, recruiting, executive coaching, and organizational development. Barbara partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to deliver targeted programs focusing on resume development, job search strategies, networking, interviewing, salary negotiation skills, and online identity management.

Barbara is certified by the National Resume Writers' Association, the Professional Association of Resume Writers, Career Directors International, and Career Management Alliance, a distinction only a handful of resume writers world-wide have achieved. In addition, she is a six-time award winner in the TORI (Toast of the Resume Industry) annual awards sponsored by Career Directors International.

She is the author of Happy About My Resume: 50 Tips For Building a Better Document to Secure a Brighter Future and #JOBSEARCHtweet, and her work is featured in dozens of career-related publications.

Barbara has appeared as a career expert on CNN, ABC, FOX, Workopolis TV, and WOR News Radio, and her career advice has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, AM-New York, Fortune Magazine, Monster, Yahoo HotJobs, AOL, CNN and MSNBC online, eFinancial Careers, and Dice. She is the lead blogger for AOL's job page, a career expert for CNN.com, CareerBuilder, and Netshare, and she regularly contributes career-relevant content to The Ladders 100K job board and Kennedy Executive Agent.

Prior to starting her consultancy, Barbara was a human resources executive for a Fortune 100 company where she oversaw management development, recruiting, and employee relations initiatives.

Opening Keynote Address

7 Keys to Courageous Success With Kelley Moore

Develop Strategies to Achieve All That is Possible

Reams and reams have been written on what it takes to succeed in life. I say it's not as complicated as most people make it. Here's my list. Take what's best for you and leave the rest.

1. We are in this together!

2. Back up and re-group!

3. Be true to you!
   

4. Action first...feelings follow!

5. You are what you think!

6. You'll pick up what you're putting down!

7. It's all on you!

Choose to live life to the fullest every moment. Choose to surround yourself with those who compliment you and give you positive energy. Choose to keep at it no matter the challenges. Choose to treat yourself with kindness and love. Choose to take action even when you initially don't feel like it. Choose your thoughts wisely, as thoughts become things. Choose to put out there what you want back and choose to live, laugh and love in every moment.

Yes! It IS possible!

Sessions and Speakers

Career Management Journal & Portfolio
With Wilson Elliott

Provide another valuable service to your clients by coaching them to create “The Career Management Journal.” Divided into six sections, it is a record of significant observations, goals and accomplishments, ideas, and information to help clients maintain their focus and also provide accurate data for resume updates. You will come away with a tool for client data gathering and presentation in interviewing, resume writing, salary negotiation, and performance evaluation. It is a means for goal setting, training and development, and process improvement.

Wilson Elliott, JCTC, CACPD is the owner of INTRATEC-The ResumeProfessor. In his varied career as a Naval officer, consultant, trainer, resume writer, and job coach, he has presented on career and resume-related topics at the Library of Congress, New York University, Pioneers International, Inc., as well as various computer career schools. He is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and is a member of The NRWA.

Higher Education Roundtable
With Travis Wilson and Cheryl Minnick, Ph.D.

This roundtable provides a forum for professionals who work in higher education to share best practices and trends with their colleagues. Cultural, economic, political, and demographic changes have radically altered the college and university student population. Career counselors and professional resume writers should be prepared to respond to these changes. Facilitated by two professionals in the field with more than 30 years' combined experience, topics of discussion include displaced workers entering/re-entering higher education, military transitions, personal branding, social media, generational differences, communicating with the millennials, and the economy.

Travis Wilson has worked in higher education for more than seven years. A new member of The NRWA, he has provided career guidance to students while at institutions such as Grinnell College, Saint Louis University, and the Minnesota School of Business, the latter of which where he currently serves as the director of career services. Travis has presented at regional and international conferences and has honed his facilitation skills through leading numerous training and development sessions for students and full-time staff.

Cheryl Minnick, Ph.D. has more than 25 years' experience in higher education, ten at The University of Montana in career counseling and strategic career planning. She has helped hundreds of students create resumes, secure scholarships, internships, and entry-level positions, to navigate graduate school application processes, as well as figure out what they want to major in and/or do when they “grow-up.”  Cheryl has a solid reputation for collaborative relationship building, presenting light-hearted workshops and understanding and connecting with the millennial generation. She has been an NRWA member for five years and attained her NCRW in the summer of 2009.  Additionally, she serves as a GED, LSAT, and ACT test administrator for the university and public school system. 

Master Your Marketing
With Ruth Pankratz

Many resume business owners are great at providing assistance to clients but may forget to spend time on critical business-development items, such as marketing. While some business owners may be able to afford to hire a marketing firm, many business owners need simple, easy-to-implement marketing techniques. The “Master Your Marketing” presentation provides marketing techniques that are practical and measurable for small business owners.

Ruth Pankratz is the owner of Gabby Communications and has over 17 years' experience in traditional and Internet marketing. She has been providing resume and interview support, as well as small business coaching, for five+ years. Previously, Ruth owned two successful marketing businesses and held various related positions in major corporations. She holds an M.B.A. from Colorado State University, a B.S. in Communication from Kennesaw State University, and a Web Technologies certification from International Webmasters Association. For two years, Ruth worked with thousands of clients and small business owners under the guidance of a nationally recognized, senior-level career counselor. Her website is: www.gabbycommunications.com. She is a member of The NRWA.

Where Did Microsoft 2007 Put All My "Stuff"?
With Jean Whalen Raymond

Have you been successfully working with Microsoft Word for years? Did you recently upgrade to a newer computer that comes with Microsoft Word 2007? Are you struggling to find the tools you were used to using? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions and you're somewhat frustrated with this so-called enhancement to technology, then this is the session for you!

Come get a tour of the new Office 2007 Window, get acquainted with the new interface, and most importantly...learn how to find the stuff you're used to using. This session will also introduce you to some of the newer features that you may actually find helpful in designing stellar resumes for your clients.

Attendees will be able to ask, "Where is...." and leave able to comfortably work with this updated technology with less frustration and greater efficiency.

Jean Whalen Raymond, owner of Highland Training Consultants, is Microsoft Office 2007 - Word Certified. In addition to providing career coaching and resume writing services, she has also been teaching desktop software classes for more than ten years at beginner and advanced levels. Her strength is in helping people feel comfortable with the computer, overcome any fears of working with the computer, and enable participants to master new skills and gain confidence working with computers. From beginners to advanced (turbo) users, her classes have something for everyone.

Best Practices for Leveraging Your Client's Multicultural Advantage for Job Search Success
With Murray Mann and Makini Theresa Harvey

Are you successfully engaging your clients of diverse backgrounds, delivering effective multicultural career marketing documents, and leveraging diversity-specific, interview-generating job-search strategies? Even in a turbulent economy, the competition for multicultural employees is intense. Recruiters are using targeted talent-acquisition tools to legally identify candidates with diverse backgrounds from their career-marketing communications.

During this highly interactive session, you will learn actionable techniques to effectively serve multicultural clients; trends and specific practices employers use to identify multicultural talent from resumes, cover letters, online profiles, and other career communications; document-content strategies and essential keywords and phrases to include with examples from successful client tools; diversity-specific marketing approaches for career documents and employer contact points for multicultural clients.

Murray Mann, CCM, CPBS, OIS, has presented workshops on multicultural career management issues at the National Association of Minority Media Executives, IDEAS Conference: Bringing Diversity to Madison Avenue, National Association of Colleges and Employers, International Coach Federation, Career Management Alliance, Women of Color in Higher Education Roundtable at Cornell University, The NRWA, and at several universities and organizations. Murray owns Global Diversity Solutions Group, LLC, in Chicago, Illinois. His website is www.globaldiversitysolutions.com.

Makini Theresa Harvey, CCM, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP, is President of Career Abundance. Makini is a recognized industry leader, holding senior positions in career management associations, speaking nationally, being featured in award-winning publications, and delivering exceptional career-management services to clients for more than 20 years. 
 
Makini has also served as a senior manager for Global Diversity Solutions Group LLC.

Reaching Beyond Your Greatest Potential Through the Power of YOU!
With Monica Hardy, Ph.D.

Even if you write the greatest resumes in the world, if clients can't sell themselves in an interview, they're not going to get the job! Learn new strategies and gain a fresh perspective on how to get the most out of your clients. Most people never give themselves enough credit...let them see the success that lies within so that you can bring it out in the resume!

Monica Hardy, Ph.D. serves as Area Chair and Lead Faculty for the University of Phoenix, Senior Pastor in Jacksonville Florida, and a motivational speaker at various community and school events. She is a member of several professional associations and sits on multiple advisory boards. Monica owns Resumes and Beyond, Inc. and is located in Jacksonville, Florida. Her website is www.resumesandbeyondinc.com.

Coaching Clients to Achieve a Capable, Empowered Mindset
With Robyn Feldberg

A great resume is certainly an important step in launching a successful job search, but it takes more than just a great resume -- or even strong networking skills -- to ensure our clients succeed in their job searches. They need an optimal mindset. However, the recession, a weak job market, and continued news of layoffs often leave our clients feeling weak, depressed, stressed, tired, confused, angry -- or a combination of those things. This session will be devoted to teaching people a proven, time-tested process called The Work, invented by Byron Katie, that they can use with their clients to help them eliminate stressful, painful, unwanted thoughts.

Robyn Feldberg is the founder of The Abundant Success Coach and the creator of the Abundant Success Model of Career Design. She holds four major industry certifications as a certified career coach and resume writer, and her expertise is in helping executives and senior-level executives attract good-fit career opportunities.

Robyn gives workshops, coaches people, and writes resumes and career marketing documents. She's been a resume writer for more than 19 years, and she's passionate about helping people break through the limiting beliefs and stressful thoughts that keep them from living the career of their dreams.

Robyn's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts in journalism with a minor in writing from Texas State University. She is a former president of The National Resume Writers' Association and a former regional representative.

How to Handle Tough Situations with Tough Clients
with Kimberly Schneiderman

Have you ever had clients ask their credit card companies for a charge back due to dissatisfaction of services? Have you ever needed to tell a client he needed to shower or he likely will not be taken seriously by any employer? Have you ever received a nasty email from a client that completely baffled you? Have you ever needed to turn a client away because you just KNEW you didn't want to work with her? Are you wondering how to handle these situations if they ever do arise for you? This session will cover the strategies for and the step-by-step process of working through these tough situations.

Kimberly Schneiderman, owner of City Career Services, is focused on helping New York area job seekers achieve their professional goals through personalized services. By taking clients through the entire job search - from creation of the resume through interviewing and on to coaching during the first 90 days on-the-job - Kimberly serves as a dedicated resource of support and guidance for job seekers. Kimberly works with senior managers and executives in all industries - from advertising to technology. Clients benefit from her emphasis on marketing and branding through the search process while giving extra attention to their goals, accomplishments and experience.

Kimberly also presents “Career Night” workshops for professional and social organizations; has been featured on ABC Eyewitness News; is an active member of the National Resume Writers' Association and Career Directors International; hosts career videos with MetroBoxTV.com; was featured on radio station WBAI as a job search specialist; and has been published and quoted in a variety of newsletters and books. Kimberly also holds distinction as a Nationally Certified Resume Writer, a Certified Leadership and Talent Management Coach, and a Certified Employment Interview Consultant.

Networking with Recruiters to Help Your Clients and Make Money
With Kathy Sweeney

Would you like to help your clients and make money at the same time? Developing relationships with recruiters is critical in our industry. Not only will you appear to be well-networked with your clients, but you can also make money! Over the years, Kathy has developed very profitable relationships with 15 different retained-search recruiters. She has been very proactive in building relationships which has resulted in thousands of dollars in business as well as high levels of trust from these recruiters to produce documents that make their jobs easier. Learn how you can do the same!

Kathy Sweeney, NCRW, CPRW, CEIC, CCM, has spoken at multiple industry conferences. She is a former president of The NRWA. Since 1997, Kathy has spoken at four industry conferences, including The NRWA (twice), where she received outstanding evaluations. Additionally, Kathy delivered numerous teleseminars / webinars for organizations including The NRWA. Kathy has also devised monthly programs for resume writers as the vice president of the Resume Writers Council of Arizona. Kathy's experience includes conducting numerous presentations to attendees at the Jobing.com Career Expos for job seekers. She owns “The Write Resume,” in Arizona, and her website is www.awriteresume.com

The Portable Resume?: Adapting Your Document
for the Global Job Search
With Danielle Savage

Given current trends, jobseekers are more and more likely to seek employment abroad at some point in their careers. Although each specific country has its own resume “rules,” there are a number of general questions that can help a resume writer working with an international jobseeker. What are the different parameters of resumes in different parts of the world? What are the questions to ask if the job target is located outside of the U.S.? Even for so-called American organizations based abroad, there may be issues which resume writers should be aware of. You'll come away with a better understanding of the cultural issues surrounding resumes and a series of questions professional resume writers should ask when working on an international resume project.

Danielle Savage is a career counselor at The American University of Paris, where she leads workshops for graduate and undergraduate students using interactive techniques and lively presentation styles. She has been invited to speak on French resumes for the Paris chapter of the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association and has been a guest on French radio. She has been based in France for 20 years and is a member of The NRWA.

10-Tweet™ Cover Letters: Write Tight & Grab Attention in Today's Chronically Distracted Business World
With Deb Dib and Susan Whitcomb

Do your cover letters pass the yawn-meter test? In a world of Web 2.0, the immediacy of social media, and the understaffing of a recession, the overwhelmed hiring manager's plea is: “So what? Make me care! Do it fast!” Today, many cover letters don't get read if they're too long, too copycat, or too self-absorbed. The seismic shift toward micro-messaged, Twitter-esque communications makes value-infused cover letters an essential practice. Your clients will get noticed in a sea of top talent with a tantalizing 10-Tweet™ cover letter that takes them from “yawn” to “Yes!”

Your takeaways:

• Learn the secrets of the short-form cover letter, how to create a lean and powerful structure, and finish with a magnetic call to action–all in just 150 to 300 words.

• Deconstruct the ruthless editing that transformed our cover letter samples from boring-and-old to brief-and-bold!

• Answer the hiring manager's “So-what-make-me-care-do-it-fast” mantra, and hear those coveted words, “Let's talk!”

Deb (Twitter handle: @CEOCoach) is coauthor of The Twitter Job Search Guide and director of The Academies' Branded CareerCom certification program. A careers industry trend leader, career communications expert, and one of the world's first Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategists, she is known for infusing ROI value into executive branding. Deb is the trusted, go-to coach for leaders and rising stars who want to land faster, earn more, have fun, and change the world, “without becoming a shark or a suit.”
 
Susan (Twitter handle: @SusanWhitcomb), “America's Career and Life Coach,” has helped thousands of job seekers find the clarity and confidence to claim career success and significance. Founder and Director of The Academies–the career practitioners' go-to resource for world-class credentialing programs–she has trained hundreds of certified career coaches and authored many best-selling books, including Resume Magic, Interview Magic, Job Search Magic, 30-Day Job Promotion, and The Twitter Job Search Guide.

Special Event

The Fort Worth Stockyards

The Fort Worth Stockyards is the history book of the livestock industry in Texas. Each chapter is represented by the original bricks and mortar, the wood corrals, the men, and the music that are all still a part of the the Stockyards today. Do you have a craving for a thick, juicy steak? There's only one place to go - internationally renowned Cattlemen's Steak House. Try line dancing at Billy Bob's, the world's largest honky-tonk. Free lessons start at 7pm and stay for the live band at 8pm. This evening, visit the many western attractions that showcase the true history and culture of Fort Worth. Also, check out the Stockyards Walking Map.