Greeting
by Amanda Brandon, NCOPE – NRWA Newsletter Editor
Hi NRWA friends!
Welcome to Spring! It’s fun to see the early signs of growth in the plants. In my neck of the woods, this means tiny tree buds and hints of green coupled with copious amounts of snow. However, this moisture sustains us during the dry summer months. As we say in the Rockies, “we’re thankful for the moisture.” |
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And I’m thankful that I will get to meet some of you this fall! I live just “up the hill” from Colorado Springs, where we’re hosting the very first “hybrid” NRWA conference. If you do come in person, you’re in for a real treat. The Antlers Hotel is amazing, as is the downtown area of “The Springs.” I’d love to connect with anyone arriving early. Drop me a line at my email below.
A couple of housekeeping notes:
- I need more writers to rotate into the Perspective column. Eustacia has asked that we add some more team members to the rotation. If you are passionate about DEI, please drop me a line.
- I’d like to ensure we’re featuring news about the changes to technology in our industry. If you are passionate about the AI conversation, I’d love to speak with you about it. Please email your contact info to the email below.
As always, if you have ideas, want to contribute, or be added to the Member Spotlight list, please drop me a line at newsletter@thenrwa.org.
Thanks for reading! |
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Perspective: Black History Beyond February
By Eustacia A. English - NRWA DEI Columnist
March is one of my favorite months because it’s Women’s
History Month in the United States, and we celebrate International Women’s Day
during the second week of the month. International Women’s Day reminds us to be
even more mindful and welcoming of women from all continents, countries, and
communities.
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International Women’s Day is
an inclusive and diverse celebration devoted to celebrating women's achievements while
fighting for gender equality across the globe. This day aims to honor the
impact of women worldwide and encourages people to challenge gender
stereotypes, discrimination, and oppression.
For International Women’s Day in 2023, the official
International Women’s Day organization will run a campaign on the theme of
"Embrace Equity.” Meanwhile, this year, the United Nations’ official theme
is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”
Women and girls face many overlapping and intersecting
challenges, like reproductive injustice, economic inequality, and ongoing
discrimination. Historically, women of color, transgender women, and queer
women have been subjected to even more harmful and isolating oppression than
their White, cisgender sisters in America and beyond. However, on International
Women’s Day, it’s important to learn more about the experiences of women all
across the globe.
Here are some resources and learning materials for your
educational pursuits:
- Read good news about women.
- Donate to organizations around
the world that support women and girls.
- Help improve women’s health
around the globe.
- Check out local and virtual
event calendars for International Women’s Day events, fundraisers, or
service projects near you.
- Have a women filmmakers movie
marathon.
- Watch a documentary about
women’s rights.
- Read books about gender
equality.
- Learn about the challenges
women and girls face around the world.
- Turn your good intentions into
real change.
Former
First Lady Michelle
Obama once said, “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
Celebrate women's achievements. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take
action to drive gender parity. International Women’s Day belongs to everyone,
everywhere.
I implore you to
approach all of your celebrations with intersectionality and intention.
Eustacia
English writes the Perspective column, which examines Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion (DEI) in resume writing and career strategy. She is a 20-year HR and
talent acquisition veteran and started Resumes on Demand
last year. She also writes on DEI for The Black in HR e-zine. She
lives with her husband and two children in Cherry Hill, NJ. Find her online at LinkedIn.com/in/ecampbell05. |
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The NCRW Corner: How to Expertly Present Accomplishments
Tips from the NCRW Certification Commission
Editor’s Note: We will review essential sections from the NCRW Study Guide for the next several months. Members can access this guide for free at this link.
As we mentioned last month, accomplishments are the cornerstone of a strong resume. Let’s continue reviewing the NCRW Study Guide Section III, Professional Experience Accomplishments and Contributions.
- Compelling resumes are sales focused. They convey a brand message to differentiate a client by emphasizing their unique, relevant qualifications and value offered. Effective accomplishment statements (aka, bullets) are concise, relevant, and each limited to two or three lines of text.
- Strong accomplishment statements are front-loaded, beginning with descriptive, unrepeated active verbs. If your bullet points begin with “Responsible for” or “Duties included,” or can be inserted into another client’s resume, you may be listing tasks instead accomplishments.
Impactful accomplishment statements capture attention quickly, beginning with a result followed by the “why” and “how,” quantifying the result by number, percentage, or dollar amount when possible. (Examples on page 14 and in Appendix A-e of the SG).
Pro Tip: When quantifying a result, write succinctly by omitting the preposition “by.” (Incorrect: Increased sales by 25%; Correct: Increased sales 25%).
- Write accomplishment statements with the reader’s needs in mind. Because resumes are quickly scanned, accomplishment statements should not be lengthy paragraphs or blocks of text.
- Keep accomplishment statements to no more than five bullets. If you need more than five bullets to validate a client’s competence, segment the bullets by category headings or sub-bullets. (See the example on page 14 of the SG).
- Integrate keywords into the accomplishment statements. It’s important to incorporate industry and occupation-targeted information, keywords, and keyword phrases sought by a hiring manager throughout the resume, including in accomplishment statements, to rank highly in a job search and ATS system.
Keywords can be found in 1) job descriptions, 2) Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 3) LinkedIn profiles of industry professionals, 4) company mission statements and/or websites, and 5) professional and technical organizations.
Pro Tip: Use the U.S. Department of Labor’s 0*Net OnLine database to find more compelling keywords for your clients’ resumes.
Compelling accomplishment statements strategically sell the client’s relevant qualifications and are the cornerstone of a strong resume. |
Need more tips on writing compelling job descriptions? Review Section III of the NCRW Study Guide (free for members) and Resume Writing 101: Module 8: Dynamic Writing that Pops (free to anyone). Module 8 helps you position your clients with competencies and metrics-driven content to place the individual ahead of the crowd and how to showcase results-focused accomplishments.
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NRWA:
How did you get started in resume writing?
Kaljah: During
my junior year of college, I started working at the career center as a career
coach, helping students create resumes and cover letters for internship
opportunities. After a month in my role, I noticed a lot of buzz on campus that
I was the “go-to” career coach for those serious about landing the “internship
of their dreams.”
My
supervisor was so impressed with the quality of my resumes and the feedback
from students that after a year, I began training other career coaches on my
resume-writing techniques. Through this experience, I realized how much I
enjoyed helping people jumpstart their careers, and I decided to officially
start my resume-writing business in December 2019 to help job seekers stand out
in this competitive job market.
NRWA:
What is your current business focus? Where do you see yourself growing?
Kaljah: My current business focus is helping entry-to-mid-level job
seekers stand out in this competitive job market by crafting career documents
that showcase their value proposition with a modernized approach.
NRWA:
What educational opportunities have you explored to help you grow?
Kaljah: When
I first started my business, I enrolled in a six-week social media course to
learn how to grow my social media presence and gain clients organically. I was
able to take the information from the course to create my own social media plan.
This was the best investment I made for my business because I learned new
strategies to build trust among my followers, create engaging content, and grow
my following.
I
also became more confident showing up on camera and creating video content,
which was initially very intimidating. After a year of consistency, dedication,
and trial and error, I was able to significantly grow my Instagram page to over
20K followers, which is one of my proudest accomplishments as a business
owner.
NRWA:
Why did you join the NRWA?
Kaljah:
I learned about the NRWA from my friend and business
accountability partner, Chelsea Jay, who is also a member. After researching
the organization, I was very impressed by all the resources the NRWA provides
its members to help enhance their resume-writing skills and grow their
businesses. I decided to join in 2022 and significantly benefited from the live
webinars and recordings.
NRWA:
Your resume(s) are published in resume books. How cool!
What has this done for your credibility and business?
Kaljah: It is an honor to have four of my resumes published in the Resume
and LinkedIn Strategies for New College Graduates. When I first announced
that my resumes would be published in an industry-leading career development
book, I received many messages from potential clients, and I noticed an
increase in followers. I know that with the book launch, I’ll see an increase
in followers and clientele, which is exciting!
NRWA: Have
you attended a conference/was it helpful in your work?
Kaljah: Yes, I attended the 2022 NRWA conference in New Orleans, and it
was a fantastic experience. Through the conference, I gained so many wonderful
connections and learned so many useful tips and strategies to help grow my
business. The conference was an experience in itself, and I can’t wait to
attend more in the future!
Kaljah Adams, ACRW, NCOPE, is a resume writer and LinkedIn
strategist based in New York, NY, and owner of The Career Advising Hub. She
graduated from NYU as a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Politics, and
Advocacy in 2020 and holds a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Dickinson
College. Connect with her at LinkedIn.com/in/kaljahadams.
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New & Renewing Members
Welcome to our new and renewing members for the month of February 2023!
Click here to view the full list.
By the numbers for the month of February:
- 14 new members.
- 6 new members from Northeast.
- 40 renewing members.
- 6 Renewing Members from the state of California
Feel free to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself via our members-only networking forums:
You can find colleagues in your area by searching here.
Not yet a member of the NRWA? Click here to join!
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The NRWA offers live and on-demand webinars, a self-paced Resume Writing 101 course, teleseminars, and more opportunities for learning throughout the year. |
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Visit our public-facing companion site to access our directory of resume experts, learn more about how we help job seekers, and read our Ask the Experts blog. |
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