Click here to access the August 2020 Newsletter

Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of June 2020! Feel free to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself via our members-only networking forums: the Member Forum on our website, Facebook group, and LinkedIn group.

You can find colleagues in your area by searching here.

• Betty Arntson - Achieve Career Consulting in East Troy, Wisconsin
• Lori Barnes - ACCU-WORD in Bakersfield, California
• Brittney Beck-Ripley - Vocamotive in Lombard, Illinois
• Graham Caulfield - ExpertResumeMan in Pottsboro, Texas
• Sara Chappel - Rocky River Public Library in Rocky River, Ohio
• Ashshanae Chew - Resumes By Ashshanae in Lorton, Virginia
• Eileen Davis - University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky
• Dianne Donovan in Fairfax, Virginia
• Jo-Ann Fair - The Run-Away Resume LLC in Jersey City, New Jersey
• Jane Fontaine in Attleboro, Massachusetts
• Stephanie Franco - Resume Envy in Guilford, Connecticut
• Rachel Horan - Career Cultivation in Saint Louis, Missouri
• Phil Hurd - Catalyst Resumes LLC in Lexington, Massachusetts
• Jalynn Jones - Adrenne. The Business Boutique LLC in Los Angeles, California
• Wendy Jung in Los Angeles, California
• Donna Lampke in Pawleys Island, South Carolina
• Charnelle Lewis in Miami, Florida
• Arriana McLymore in New York, New York
• Stacy Mehler - Next Level Career Coach in Miami, Florida
• Richard Mongiovi in Saint Petersburg, Florida
• Louriann Patterson in Breckenridge, Colorado
• Magdalena Pharres in Saint Petersburg, Florida
• Robert Prock - A Preferred Career & Resume Service in Greenville, South Carolina
• Annette Richmond - Career Intelligence Resume Writing and Career Services in Norwalk, Connecticut
• Alexandra Rodriguez - Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Alexia Scott - A Winning Resume, LLC in Montgomery, Alabama
• Paula Scott Gross in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Laura Spawn - Virtual Vocations, Inc. in Eugene, Oregon
• Ngoc Tran - COAON LLC in Boston, Massachusetts
• Amber Vecchio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Jennifer Veras in Holbrook, New York
• Kevin Wilhelm - Oakland Private Industry Council in Brentwood, California
• Yvonne Williford in Oak Harbor, Washington
• Regan Wilson - Best Play Consulting in Chicago, Illinois

Click here to access the July 2020 Newsletter

Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of June 2020! Feel free to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself via our members-only networking forums: the Member Forum on our website, Facebook group, and LinkedIn group.

You can find colleagues in your area by searching here.

The results are in – the 2020 Annual Conference is going VIRTUAL

Coronavirus has proven to be an unexpected health crisis and has caused many changes to short and long-term plans for us all. After much research and discussion, we have made the official decision to transition the NRWA 2020 Annual Conference to a virtual format. 

I know this format will not replace the experience of attending in-person. However, I am optimistic that we can all use this as an opportunity to embrace change and adapt with emerging technology to keep us all connected. What I am most excited about is the opportunity to reach more members by removing the burdens of travel and lodging, while increasing conference accessibility to all. The virtual format will also allow us to provide registrants access to all education session recordings for three weeks following the conference.

Using the results and feedback of our membership survey, we are redesigning a conference experience that will deliver the quality content and interactive networking that we all enjoy and expect from our beloved annual NRWA event. We have already reached out to all our selected speakers and confirmed 95% retention of our original line-up. Click here to see the results of membership survey. 

We are working hard to bring you a seamless and engaging virtual conference and are excited by the overwhelming interest of our members to join us for this inaugural event. In the meantime, I would like to personally thank the Conference Planning Committee, Stringfellow Management, and most of all our amazing membership for everyone’s valuable input and support. I am grateful for our NRWA community and look forward to seeing your smiling faces at our upcoming conference. 

Click here for more details on the virtual conference. Registration is now open, and we will share more details in the coming weeks on our virtual conference platform, schedule of speakers, and more.

All the best,

Nancy Grant, MS, NCOPE
2020 NRWA Conference Chair

P.S. Fortunately, we were able to renegotiate our contract with the Royal Sonesta without penalty and are excited to confirm that we will be hosting our 2021 conference in New Orleans, September 12th – 14th. Save the date!

Good news—if you have been thinking about taking on a leadership role on the NRWA Board of Directors in 2021, there’s still time to submit your nomination. We have extended the deadline to accept nominations to Sunday, June 21, 2020 at midnight, ET (11:00 p.m., CT / 10:00 p.m., MT / 9:00 p.m., PT).

Are you a leader with vision and ideas for moving the organization forward? Do you have a passion for helping others succeed? Do you have a specialized skillset or expertise you can share to advance the resume-writing profession as a whole?

If so, then the NRWA needs you. Nominations are open for the following positions on the 2021 NRWA Board:

For details about qualifications and responsibilities for each of these positions – and to nominate yourself or a fellow NRWA member – visit our Election Headquarters page on the NRWA website.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact President-Elect Kathi Fuller, at president-elect@thenrwa.com.

Each candidate must submit a nomination form by midnight, ET, on Sunday, June 21, 2020 (11:00 p.m., CT / 10:00 p.m., MT / 9:00 p.m., PT). Elections will be held in July.

Dear members,

As the first step of a member-driven effort to address issues of racial injustice and inequality, the Board of Directors of the National Resume Writers' Association is sharing this statement. The board will meet this week to discuss a further plan of action and next steps toward the goal of a more inclusive organization.

Our clients, our friends, our families, and our colleagues are hurting. If the events of the last few days have taught us anything—it is that.

It is also clear that many of our members looked to NRWA leaders to take a public stance against racism, and we did not. Many of us assumed it went without saying that we abhor racism in any shape or form.

Through your comments and actions, we have seen how our assumptions were incorrect and added to your pain—and for that we are profoundly sorry.

Let us now be clear. The NRWA stands against racism and violence. We stand with our colleagues, clients, and communities of color and believe there is no place for racism in our organization, our industry, our workplaces, or in the world around us. Black lives matter!

We believe everyone deserves to be judged on their merits, talents, skills, and character, and not the color of their skin.

Please know we are listening to you, and we will keep listening. We vow to continue learning. We vow to be more inclusive. We vow to do better.

Individual and unconscious bias and – as an extension – diversity and inclusion are important issues that we must unpack and discuss. These issues, and systemic racism, affect people of color throughout their job search and beyond. Conversations are taking place and awareness is now heightened that prejudices still exist in 2020. Unchecked actions and glossed-over, biased comments got us here, but accountability, deep introspection, hard conversations, and specific actions will help us move forward.

As career practitioners, we must learn as much as we can so we can help our clients navigate and succeed in these murky waters, and we as an organization support messaging that challenges the status quo and will use our industry influence to directly affect change through initiatives that are being developed in real time. We are a volunteer-led organization, and in this capacity, we are holding discussions regarding our best path forward. We value your feedback as members during this process.

Black lives are getting a long-overdue spotlight, and we must play our part to amplify the message that systemic racism must end. Then we can begin to heal.

Sincerely,

The NRWA Board of Directors

Click here to access the June 2020 Newsletter

Click here to access the May 2020 Newsletter

In one of our recent Virtual Business Talks, NRWA Past President Mary Jo King, provided some great advice for new business owners during these unpredictable times. Click here for more information on our weekly Virtual Meetings. Here is some of the information she shared:

What would you advise a new business owner, or one who is seeing a dramatic drop in business, to do?

a. Don’t give up! People will get their feet underneath them again and business will return. It always does. Our industry can thrive in recession, too.

b. Offer a resume update or LinkedIn profile service to previous clients.

c. Apply for unemployment or other government assistance as eligible.*

d. Reduce your overhead. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but cut all services you don’t absolutely need. Renegotiate debt and contract terms.

e. Increase your sales average with add-on products or services (LinkedIn SEO, mock phone interview, tip sheets).

f. Raise your visibility by freshening website content, blogging, posting helpful information on LinkedIn/social media, and updating your Google My Business (GMB) page.

g. Use the time to upskill by preparing for your NCRW or taking other NRWA training.

h. Build your local network by volunteering your copywriting skills to your favorite nonprofits, who are adjusting a lot of their messaging right now.

i. Prepare for more disruption in the fall. Ask your insurance agent about business interruption insurance.

j. Consider using retirement savings to get by for now if you have the intestinal fortitude for it. I did, back in 2010 and I’ve never been sorry.

* In addition, the Treasury Department is deferring tax payments without interest or penalties for certain individuals and businesses negatively impacted. Those who are self-employed get paid sick leave in the form of a tax credit.

Across America, various cities are offering financial aid to specifically help small businesses. Cities like New York will offer no-interest loans to small businesses with fewer than 100 employees that show a reduction in sales since the coronavirus outbreak. Certain cities are also providing grants of up to $6,000 for businesses with fewer than five employees. Freelancers can access this information and see if they qualify through their city’s Small Business Administration office.