Key takeaways from the National Resume Writers’ Conference I attended last week in lovely Portland, Maine:
- The resume is just the beginning. We talked a lot about resumes – but just as much about LinkedIn profiles, online visibility and social networking, personal branding, and ways to beat the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that are used by just about every employer.
- It’s never too late to learn. I enjoyed seeing how some very talented colleagues gather information from clients and write powerful executive resumes. And yes, this old dog learned a few new tricks!
- Shorter, tighter, crisper, sharper … This is my new mantra. I need constantly to strive to say more with less, cut the clutter, and get to the heart of the matter.
- Industry rejuvenation. It was great to meet so many up-and-comers in our industry! I’ve been around “forever” and known many of my colleagues for 10, 15, or 20 years. It’s lovely to have those long-time relationships, of course, but I was jazzed by seeing the energetic newcomers.
Now, back to work …