Certified Resume Writers Blog

Playing the Inner Game to Win

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:50:00 +0000

The weather guys were right this time around. We Michiganders got around 8 inches of snow! And, my girls finally got their first snow day this school year and enjoyed every minute of it. Kids like to play games because it's a fun way to challenge one another and there's always a winner!

When it comes to our business, many of us play a game with ourselves. Unfortunately, fear and apprehension gets the best of us. But it doesn't have to be that way!

You've been running your own business for a few years now and you know you do a great job at meeting the career coaching and/or resume writing needs of your clients. Your clients tell you so.

Perhaps you've been thinking about raising your prices, adding more to your coaching services, resume writing packages, or overall service offerings. Maybe you've been thinking about subcontracting some of your workload. You've been thinking about it, but haven't acted on it yet because it just never seems like the right time to take action. At least, this is what you keep telling yourself. [Read more...]

Money Talks... But People Don't

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Doesn't it seem like the majority of clients who contact you want to know how much it's going to cost for them to work with you FIRST rather than wanting to find out how working with you is going to help them achieve their goal?

Here's a quick quiz about one of the major issues most individuals struggle with these days.

What do you think are the two most frequent points of conflict that recur in relationship after relationship?
Name the biggest fear people have about their future.
Guess the secret we hold dearest, beyond even our most intimate relations.

If you said... [read more!]

Creating Systems for Success

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:41:00 +0000

The holiday parties and gatherings are over and it's time to get back to business. Ringing in the "New Year" means thousands and thousands of people are ready and willing to make changes for a happier and healthier new year.

People will be trying to make the most of 2010 by either finding or making more time to spend with their family and friends, looking for ways to make their lives less stressful, and enjoying what they do for a living. And when it comes to their job or career, you are part of the solution.

Everyone deserves to be successful to enjoy ALL that life has to offer. In my article today, discover how creating systems can contribute to your success.

Most of us run our lives on a handful of systems. Between our cell phones, electronic planners, and email inboxes, we have organized ourselves, and our time. If you ever doubt the importance of these systems, recall your panic the last time you lost your planner or BlackBerry!

Yet, as important as these systems are, most of us don't take advantage of what systems can do to improve our businesses. [Read more...]

Time Out !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Christmas is just three days away and if you're like me, you can't wait to get a few days off to rest and enjoy some well-deserved time with family and friends.

Make it a point to enjoy yourself and take a "time out" from work knowing that you're actually setting yourself up for success at the same time.

Rest to Success

Come January, it will be the beginning of a new year and thousands of people will once again strive to lead healthier lives, spend more quality time with their family, or find higher paying jobs.

As career professionals, this is music to our ears because these people are potential clients! But, let's not over do it.

As the pace of business as well as modern life accelerates, the need for rest sometimes gets pushed to the bottom of our to-do list—when rest is exactly what we need to perform at our peak. [Read more...]

Adaptability: How to Survive in Today's Business Climate

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:56:00 +0000

As small business owners, you and I both know our time can get away from us quickly if we're not careful. Family is very important to me and keeping up with my three girls as well as being there for my oldest daughter (who just became a first-time mommy) time is even MORE precious to me than ever before.

I love being my own boss and owning my own business because it allows me to be home for my family AND I get to call all the shots at work. After all, isn't this why we went into business for ourselves?

However, being in business for ourselves means that we face the same challenges when it comes to attracting clients/customers, marketing our business, and surviving when times get tough just like larger companies do.

Adaptability: How to Survive in Today's Business Climate

It's tough for everyone these days in one way or another. There's no getting around the news--foreclosures, bailouts and breathtaking stock market swings. It's real. It's upon us. It can be scary.

Though we can't control the economy, we can control our perception (and reaction) to it. Every crisis creates a positive by-product--opportunity. It's more important than ever to think creatively and adapt "on-the-fly" to seize those opportunities. Companies that do so will thrive, even during the most challenging times. Here are some survival strategies for tough times:

Don't Panic. Be a Leader. Fear plays a role in the ups and downs of the stock market. Don't let it create the same anxiety in your business. Plan ahead based on facts, not fear.

Think of yourself as captain of the ship. With stormy seas, the passengers (your clients) look for leadership. Define flexibility with your actions. Don't sugar coat any problems. Use clear, consistent, and confident communication when having discussions with clients as well as potential clients. Demonstrating your leadership and confidence establishes a positive mindset.

Make "Recession" Your Call to Action - Hard times breed efficiency. Take the time to fix the inefficiencies you've been putting off. Also, re-evaluate your direction. Be realistic about the situation as it is now, not what you projected months ago that it would be. [Read more]

Finding Opportunity in Difficult Times (How Do You Do That?)

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Dear friends and colleagues,

It's great to be back! A lot has happened over the past several months, both personal and business wise, making for a very BUSY summer and exciting fall. In October, my husband and I became first-time grandparents! Our grandson, Jace, was born on October 4th and what a joy he is to all of us - we just love him to pieces!

Business wise, this has never been a busier time for career professionals. There are countless people facing career change and they are desperate for qualified help. To make sure those people can find the expert career professionals they need, we've been working tirelessly to improve our search engine rankings for career coaches and resume writers with excellent results.

CertifiedCareerCoaches (CCC) and CertifiedResumeWriters (CRW) ranks #1 with Google, Yahoo, BING, Ask, and AOL for key search terms such as certified career coaches, career coaches, certified resume writers) and ranks in the Top 10 for other key career related search terms with the same major search engines.

So... what else is new? I re-launched my CareerExpertsOnline eZine--yea! Also, last month, I updated the Get Found Online special report which includes a bonus section on social networking and how to add that to your online marketing mix. With the upcoming holiday, I'd like to wish you and your family a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. ~ Maria

Here's today's article...

Finding Opportunity in Difficult Times (How Do You Do That?)

Remember the Chicken Little story when you were a kid? Chicken Little was in the woods one day, an acorn fell on her head, and she cried out "Help, help, the sky is falling! I must go tell the king."

When a person jumps to an irrational conclusion and works everyone they meet into a panic, the expression "the sky is falling" comes to mind.

It can be argued that this is happening with the current economic situation--the public is being whipped into mass hysteria.

Whether or not you believe the economic "sky" is falling (or that it's already crashed around you), tough times have always provided great (and lucrative) opportunities. The trick is to know what to look for. So, how do you find opportunity during these tough times? [Read more]

Creative Ways to Invest in Your Development, Without Spending a Fortune

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:28:00 +0000

However long you've been in business, there's always something new to learn. It's essential to keep up with the trends of your industry and not get left behind. You'll not only provide better service to your clients, you'll also find new ways to grow and improve your business.

Formal professional development events such as conferences are the perfect springboard to take your business to the next level. They offer many ways to expand your horizons, learn new ideas and recharge your batteries. Plus you get the opportunity to meet face-to-face with people you've only known "virtually."

If you’re in the financial position to attend as many conferences as you want and are able to get away from the office for 3-5 days to attend each of them, kudos to you! But for some, the cost of travel, registration and accommodation just doesn't make sense, especially when you consider the additional cost of the missed time at your desk.

Don’t let a shoestring budget hinder or stop you from developing professionally, just get creative. Conferences certainly aren't the only option. Here are some simple and low-cost ways to invest in your own professional development:

1. Read – Your library card can be your best friend; how else could you browse through all of the latest and greatest business books without spending a dime? And if you haven't actually bought the book, you'll be less tempted to keep reading if you're not getting anything out of it. When you read online, use a feed reader to keep track of the bloggers you like to follow, and bookmarks that remind you to return to websites where you found good information.

2. Listen – Some experts publish podcasts or other audio recordings that you can download and take with you on CD or your MP3 player. You can also call in to free or low-cost tele-seminars. Tele-class directories such as www.teleclass.com publish bi-weekly updates full of learning opportunities. Subscribe on their site to have them delivered to your Inbox.

3. Leap – Explore some of the networking events that happen in your area. While it might be intimidating at first (a "leap" out of your comfort zone), these are often combined with professional development (such as a featured speaker). You also never know who you will meet and what juicy business-building tidbit they'll have to share with you.

4. Share – Join or form a group of peers who are all committed to continuing education. Meet on a regular basis, with a loose agenda to share any of the learning you've done since the last meeting. By pooling together all of your efforts, you'll create a powerful body of collective knowledge. Apply that in a brainstorming session to solve a specific business issue that one of you is having, and look out, world!

Building Your Network of Experts

noreply@blogger.com (Maria Hebda, CCMC, CPRW) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:39:00 +0000

One of the most important things I did to grow my business was to step out of my comfort zone and begin to expand my professional network.

It was a stretch for me to transition from being a certified career coach and resume writer to being a resource for my career expert peers. My certifications gave me the confidence in my coaching and writing skills, but when it came to marketing or other business-building skills, I needed help!

It was challenging to ask for help and learn to delegate, as I'm sure you can relate to. After all, expanding my network meant getting out there and making myself more visible, representing myself as a career expert and following through with the contacts and commitments I was making. I had to face a lot of fears.

Hiring a virtual assistant and a professional editor were just two of the ways that I stepped out of my comfort zone and committed to the growth of my business.

Business opportunities are everywhere, but you can't expect them to just drop in your lap. Here are the three top reasons I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to expand my network of experts, and why I encourage you to do the same:

1. While you're reaching out for support and guidance from experts in other fields, you're establishing yourself in their minds as a career expert. You may very well be building long-term, supportive and trusting relationships that can result in referrals (in both directions) for many years to come.

2. Experts in other fields bring a whole new world of business-building strategies, ideas and experiences that just may not exist in our own industry. Keep your eyes and ears open for both professional and personal development opportunities.

3. When you take consistent action, you see consistent results. Whether it's an action that resulted in immediate gains or whether it was a learning opportunity for what to do differently next time, the more you try, the further ahead you get. So try again and keep trying; soon enough you'll starting seeing your efforts pay off.

As I tell all four of my girls, "Don't ever say that you can't do something. The only thing you can't do is the thing you don't try."