Move mountains BEGIN BY CARRYING AWAY SMALL STONES - April 2021
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THOSE WHO
move mountains
BEGIN BY
C A R R Y I N G AWAY
SMALL STONES
April 2021
Dear PARWCC Friends,
In This Issue
Happy Spring! This time
of year always feels like
a “fresh start” to me, a Director's Note 3
time I use for personal
development. Register for PARW/CC 4
Certifications or Education
How can you employ
Congratulations New
a “fresh start” for your
career? Is it more Certificate-Holders 5
networking? More
From HQ training? More clients?
More productivity?
For Whom Do You Write?
Margaret Phares Use the resources by Don Orlando 11
PARW/CC Executive Director included with your
membership to explore
mphares@parwcc.com
options for yourself.
If you haven’t already, Breaking News: AI Analyzes
checkout the Member Library to review past issues of the Emotions in Interviews!
Spotlight Magazine,, recordings of webinars like Member by Jay Block 14
For Member and Spotlight on You. It also includes the
monthly discussions from the Rising Professionals group.
Take a look, there might be something there that will speak
Federal Resumes
to you what you need to help you find your MORE!
& Career Coaching
Here at PARWCC, we are working to bring MORE to by Diane Hudson 17
our first ever virtual conference, “THRIVE! Developing
Opportunities/Advancing Excellence.” We’ve approved the
design of our virtual conference space and we can’t wait to Human Lives Matter
meet more of you there.
by John Suarez 21
Check out the rest of this issue of the Spotlight magazine
for more information about the conference! Registrations
are still available at www.thrive.show. Best Practices for Video
Conferencing like a Pro
Also make sure you read Diane Hudson’s phenomenal by Heidi Scott Giusto 23
column this month on some truths about Federal Resumes
and Career Coaching!
The Funnies 25
As always, we are stronger together!
April 2021 | PAGE 2
Director's Note
I can’t wait to MEET you at THRIVE!
When you ‘arrive’ to our first ever virtual conference, THRIVE! Developing Opportunities/Advancing Excellence,
make sure you come “find me” so we can connect! A great thing we can do during this conference is actually
talk live to one another, meet peers and have discussions about issues, presentations and tools we all use. And
that’s on top of the great speakers and presentations!
Remember, signing up soon will get you not just the conference, but the opportunity to access the recordings
of the conference - so you can go back to a session that resonated, or catch one of the concurrents you were
unable to attend. We will be announcing the the Mastermind Table Topics soon. One of our most popular
features from the last conference, participants have a chance to dive deep into a topic with their colleagues and
enjoy some ah-mazing conversations about specific topics of interest to you in your own career.
See you soon!
Margaret
Branding for Y ou have a lot to say to your clients
as you help them reach their next
Career career milestone.
Say it more clearly, in any medium.
Professionals. Let’s work together to strengthen
your brand and content, making your
Like You. messages stand out.
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ariw.com/CareerPro
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April 2021 | PAGE 3
Register for PARW/CC
Certifications or Education
CPRW™ CEIP™ CEMP™ CPCC™ CDCS™ Fundamentals
Certified Certified Certified Certified Certified of
Professional Professional Digital
Employment Empowerment
Career
Résumé
Résumé Interview & Motivational Career
Writer Strategist Writing
Professional Professional Coach
PARW/CC Membership and More Board of Directors
Your Member Listing: The PARW/CC Membership Directory is a steady source
2019 - 2023
of new business for you. You can control your listing by modifying your profile on
parwcc.com Maryann Riggs, CPRW
Certifications: PARW/CC offers certifications in Résumé Writing (CPRW), Interview
Levittown, NY 11756
Training (CEIP), Career Coaching (CPCC), and Career Empowerment & Motivational mriggs@optonline.net
Professional (CEMP). These three credentials represent the majority of a client’s
career needs. Certification demonstrates that you have tested and met the industry’s
standards to provide these services. As you add these certifications, members tell
CPRW
us that they book more client business and can also charge a higher fee. Carol Heider, CPRW
Résumés by Professionals
The Spotlight: This monthly publication is full of excellent educational articles,
written by experienced professionals. You will receive a reminder at the e-mail you Tampa, FL
provide on the website when the Spotlight is released to the website. heider@résumésbyprofession-
als.com
Submission Guidelines
CPCC
Article Topics: Any subject related to résumé writing, interviewing, and/or career
coaching, including: Sales & Marketing, Management, Pricing, Formats, Interview Diane Hudson, CPRW, CEIP, CPCC
Techniques, Profit Centers, Internet and Technology Resources and Techniques, etc. Boise, ID
diane@cpcc-careercoach.com
Feature Article Length: 1,000 word maximum.
Submissions Format: Set in Word or Pages. Please do not apply any formatting CEIP & CEMP
(no tabs, indents, bullets, lines, forced spacing, etc.). You may use the return key
Jay Block, CPRW, CEIP, CPCC
and bold to differentiate paragraphs and headings but please keep the font and
size the same throughout. Avoid using ALL CAPS. Salem, MA
jayblock@jayblock.com
IMAGES: We will happily source relevant images, but if providing your own, they
must be a minimum of 1MB in file size. Include them as attachments, not embedded
in the document. Embedding in the document reduces their quality. Images with a Fundamentals
file size of KB are not acceptable. Note: All images become the property of PARW. in Résumé Writing
The PARW/CC Spotlight is published monthly by The Professional Association of
John Suarez
Résumé Writers & Career Coaches. All contents ©2020 Professional Association jsuarez@parwcc.com
of Résumé Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC). We invite our readers to submit
articles and materials pertinent to the industry for publication in The Spotlight. Send
correspondence and article submissions to:
PARW/CC
204 37th Ave. N, Suite 112 Spotlight design by:
St. Petersburg, FL 33704 ginatracy.com
or via email at association@parwcc.com. Available for hire
April 2021 | PAGE 4
Congratulations New Certificate-Holders
Raven Andrews, CPRW Jennifer Meservey, CPRW Keith Annis, CPCC Lee Kelley, CEMP
Huntersville, NC Glenside, PA 19038 Pleasonton, CA Macon, GA
Kevin Bates, CPRW Kelsey Orchesky, CPRW Jennifer Barbour, CPCC
Altoona, PA Jefferson City, MO Vandenberg AFB
Emily Boykin, CPRW Deborah Schummer, CPRW Jennifer Butcher, CPCC
Belmont, NC Midland, MI Harrogate, TN
Audrey Chang, CPRW Tanaya Silcox, CPRW Lori Cole, CPCC Brooke Glover CDCS
Durham, NC Wooster, OH Angola, IN Chicago, IL
Whitney Dominiack, CPRW Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW Robert Cunningham, CPCC Kenya Sabbat, CDCS
South Bend, IN Bloomington, IN Gulf Shores, AL Elkridge, MD
Gavin Estey, CPRW Alicia Skipworth, CPRW Dawn Davenport, CPCC Jan Gholson, CDCS
Franklin, MA Evanston, IL Angola, IN Orange Village, OH
Joannemay Estoesta, CPRW Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW Joannemay Estoera, CPCC
Armed Forces Pacific Bloomington, IN Armed Forces Pacific
Devona Faulk, CPRW Sonda Rocchio, CPRW Christen Mazura- Morris, CPCC
Accokeek, MD West Palm Beach, FL Lemont, IL
Michael Gaudio, CRW Sharron Northcott, CPRW Wayne Morris, CPCC
Miller Pines, NY Perth, Australia Lexington, SC
Dionne Gray, CPRW David Waicek, CPRW Karen Sharp-Price, CPCC
Hanover, MD White Plains, NY Williamsville, NY
Celeste Jennings, CPRW Carmen White, CPRW
Anaheim, CA Cary, NC
Maria McIntosh, CPRW Talene Zadekian, CPRW
Suisun City, CA Anaheim, CA
Are You Interested In Attending THRIVE! But It’s Just Outside of Your Financial Reach?
An anonymous member of PARW is generously offering a conference
scholarship to any member who is in good standing.
To apply, submit a short essay on “How Attending THRIVE! Will Positively
Impact My Career.“ After the conference, the recipient of the scholarship will also
be asked to write a follow up column for publication in the Spotlight to share what
they learned at THRIVE! and how they will put that knowledge into action.
Please direct your application to THRIVE@Subject of Thrive Scholarship.
April 2021 | PAGE 5
BE IN THE ROOM
REGISTER NOW!
APRIL 20 & 21
Hear from leading experts on topics like:
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Building and Managing your Business
- Marketing your Services and Business
- Résumé content, format and strategy
- Working with clients in “these” times
And More. . .
See the schedule and speaker
information here
www.thrive.show
April 2021 | PAGE 6
DAY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
ONE
10:00 Conference Room Opens Tables open for networking, Vendor visits, General information
11:00 Conference Opens Welcome
Speaker: Executive Director Margaret Phares
Main Stage Session Oops I did it again!
Overcoming Work Burnout with Resilience
Speaker: Joyel Crawford
Description: Self-care and self compassion and REST are things that we typically
don’t discuss while building our coaching practices. This presentation will
provide tangible takeaways on how to build a sustainable life and business
without losing yourself in the process. You’ll learn how to identify the warning
signs of work burnout, understand the value of self-care and self compassion,
learn resilience building tools that will help you work smarter not harder while
increasing your visibility, and identify the role health and wellness plays in
creating a strong professional brand. I was able to recover from work burnout
twice! Once from a six-figure corporate job and the second time during the
pandemic! I am still able to create a fabulous coaching and training practice
that drives results and increased my work/life harmony. This presentation
will ultimately help you get your personal and professional life to RISE to the
next level!
12:15 Concurrent Sessions Write A HVCL (Human Voice Cover Letter),
start your conversation before the interview
Speaker: Tom Powner
Description: A cover letter is your “First Impression,” and it also provides a look
into how well you communicate.
Cover letters are just and if not more important than they have ever been. You
take the time and money to get a great resume together and don’t put any
thought into a cover letter. It’s like having a Corvette with an empty gas tank, an
amazing automobile, but you can’t drive it anywhere. Learn from Tom how to
put together a cover letter that will open doors.
Concurrent Sessions More Clients, Less Marketing: How to Create
More Leads and Income by Doing LESS
Speaker: Mary Cravets
Description: Client generation is the lifeblood of your business. But with so
many marketing options, how do you cut through the noise and find your
best strategy for growth? The good news is that by strategically doing LESS,
your marketing can be MORE effective. The good news is that by strategically
doing LESS, your marketing can be MORE effective. In a no-hype environment,
participants get immediately implementable tools
April 2021 | PAGE 7
DAY
1:00 Concurrent Sessions Make Your Resume Pop with ATS-Friendly Designs
Speaker: Stephanie Renk & Vera Savany-Hughes
Description: Learn simple, creative techniques in Microsoft Word to upgrade
ONE
your traditional resume. These techniques will give your current documents an
artistic flair that catches the eye of readers while also getting through ATS. You
can help your clients land that job even sooner.
Concurrent Sessions Relaunching Careers: Clients Who Have Had ‘Breaks’
Speaker: Anne Barnwell
Description: Write resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles to help job
seekers return to the workforce after an extended break.
2:00 Concurrent Sessions Playing the LinkedIn Algorithm to Maximize Lead Generation
Speaker: Matt Warzel
Description: How to master LinkedIn and how LinkedIn should work in your
day-to-day business While there are plenty of “influencers,” you can navigate
the nooks and crannies of LinkedIn by successfully utilizing it for your business
and clients. Learn advanced profile components and tips on how to optimize
the initial view of the profile through your headshot, a background image that
reinforces your brand, and the content in the About section. Learn branding
strategies including post volume, time of day, cultivating relevant relations, and
maximizing your profile’s brand identity and unique selling proposition.
Concurrent Sessions How Coaching Can (and Should) Support Diversity and Inclusion
Speaker: Candi Jones
Description: If you feel like you have tried everything to foster diversity, equity
and inclusion in your workplace, but you are unsure of what actually works and
is successful and sustainable, one answer that is proven to work, is investing in
and nurturing a coaching culture. Your teams should not just receive training,
they should receive the tools to take intentional action. DEI training and tools
coupled with coaching = accountability! Also coaching can and should elevate,
encourage, support and engage underrepresented employees because it can
address those unique struggles and offer the support that is needed for talent
to thrive.
3:00 Concurrent Sessions Technology for Career Services Business - Tools to Make Your Business
and Work Easier, Faster and More Profitable.
Speaker: Robin Reshwan Moderates Panel of Experts
How to Build, Grow, & Manage a Six-Figure
(Solo) Resume Writing Business
Speaker: Wendi Weiner
Description: Most small businesses fail in the first 5 years. Starting a solo
resume writing business and growing it with consistent clients, revenue,
and optimization requires a specialized strategy, especially in an ever-
changing economy.
Learn from Wendi Weiner, a resume industry leader, who grew her business
from a part-time side hustle and transformed it into a full-time, profitable
venture, enabling her to more than double her six-figure salary she earned as
a lawyer. Wendi will teach you strategies on how to drive leads to your website,
how to organically grow your social media following, how to optimize and
automate aspects of your business, and most importantly, generate revenue
while serving a full roster of clients.
4:00 Main Stage Formal sessions end for the day, networking room, topic tables
and vendor stations open until 5 pm.
Cocktail Hour? Tables open for networking, Vendor visits, General information
April 2021 | PAGE 8
DAY
10:00 Conference Room Opens Conference Open
11:00 Conference Opens Welcome
TWO
Speaker: Executive Director Margaret Phares
Main Stage Session Power Communications to Win Job Offers -
and Achieve Success In All Areas of Life
Speaker: Jay Block, CEIP and Panel
Description: For Job Coaches in Organizations, Military Transitions,
and Solo/Entrepreneurs
Casualness leads to casualty. And most people, including job seekers and
employment professionals, treat the communications process far too casually—
on résumés, LinkedIn profiles, websites, social media, and in networking and
interviewing situations. Even self-talk.
The panelists are diverse industry leaders who join Jay and discuss
breakthrough strategies to communicate more precisely and effectively to
achieve extraordinary success. The centerpiece of the presentation is the
Organizational Message Chart - a 22-year success model to communicate key
emotional messages that influence a desired outcome – like a job offer. And Jay
will introduce his newest concept – the EVP for building job seeker confidence.
There is never a dull moment when Jay presents – especially with the 3 notable
guests he has invited. You can’t leave this session without powerful ideas and
concrete tools to better inspire client/student success.
Panelists:
Shalanda Wilder – entrepreneur and business owners: TookesWilder Guidance
Troy Johnson – military transition leadership,and head
of TAP program at MacDill Air Force Base.
Susan Corey – Former Department of Labor (CareerSource) manager
in Michigan; Past National Board Member of NAWDP
12:15 Concurrent Sessions View from the Other Side, a Silicon Valley Recruiter
Speaker: Pam Hart
Concurrent Sessions 5 Leading Edge Strategies for Coaching the Entrepreneur,
Consultant, or Gig Worker Client
Speaker: Danielle Dayries
Description: The world of work today is much different than it was even one
year ago. There are now many different ways to create a career that suits your
clients desired work/life balance needs that are non-traditional. More people
than ever are looking at entrepreneurship as a way to generate income in a
flexible and/or remote work environment, pursue their passion or fill a void
in a disrupted marketplace. Learn the top five strategies to coach clients on
exploring and executing an entrepreneurial path. In this workshop we will cover
specifics around resources,, branding, and coaching your clients to achieve
success in whatever venture they pursue.
1:00 Concurrent Sessions Main Room Mastermind Topic Tables
Speaker: Various
Description: Discussion topics organized by interest,
topic and speciality.
April 2021 | PAGE 9
DAY
Concurrent Sessions Strengthen Your Writing to Accelerate Job Campaign Success
Speaker: Dr. Heidi Scott Giusto
Description: “Write like your life depends on it. Write like everything is at stake.”
TWO
These words from author Sarah Sentilles point to the trust job seekers put in
career service professionals. For a job seeker, it might feel like everything is at
stake when they entrust us to work on their professional documents. In this
session, you will learn strategies to level up your writing skills. We will discuss
Gendered language and how you might be unconsciously
weakening the resumes and cover letters you work on
Simple steps to edit your writing for clarity and conciseness
Proofreading strategies to catch even the tiniest of errors
2:00 Concurrent Sessions Is That The Right Company For Your Clients?
Speaker: Don Orlando
Description: Most clients—and many career professionals—have only limited
knowledge of how to find the best companies for our clients. Participants will
learn a way to anticipate clients’ needs better than the competition, greater
insights into how networking can truly help our clients & a strategy that
motivates an employee of a target company to recommend a member’s client.
3:00 Main Stage It’s not a ‘Rejection Letter’ – It’s a ‘Letter of Opportunity
Speaker: Diane Hudson
Description: In career management and job search, the glass is half empty or
half full. You choose. Our clients choose.
To Thrive! Means to prosper; be fortunate or successful; to grow or develop
vigorously; to flourish. With every lesson learned, we have a new opportunity to
advance the culture of excellence in the career management industry.
Success means hard work; commitment, determination, and courage. It takes
determination and courage to look for a job and engage in a video interview – it
can be very intimidating. Before Covid-19 and the new requirement for most
interviews being conducted virtually, only 50% of job seekers offered a video
interview would accept. If that same job seeker wants a job today, he will have
to somehow overcome the fear and engage in the video interview.
Let’s take the lessons learned from 2020 and seek opportunities to grow our
businesses, client services, and brands – so we flourish as career management
coaches, and our clients flourish with their career management plans.
Let’s take a look at 3 top takeaways to grab opportunities and Thrive! as a career
management practitioner:
• Learn to Tell Your Unique Compelling Story:
My ‘Elevator Pitch’ won me a cash bonus!
• Stay ahead of the competition: With so many new websites
and services available, sometimes it can be overwhelming.
• Learn a new skill set: Learn about federal résumés (since the federal
government has 2.7 million employees – the largest employer
in the USA.
The so-called “Rejection Letter” – is really just an opportunity to shine,
rethink, adjust, and move forward. I see every “Rejection Letter” as a “Letter
of Opportunity” – a chance to learn, accept, and drink from the half-full glass.
4:15 Cocktail Hour? Conference Closes
Formal sessions end for the day, networking room, topic tables and vendor
stations open until 5 pm.
April 2021 | PAGE 10For Whom Do
You Write?
Each new client presents a wonderful
opportunity, and not just to make money, as
important as that is.
Think of each new client as your report card. Did he or she love what you did?
That’s good. But there is more value if you look for it.
Analyze every tenth client, the last one of the month…the choice isn’t
important. The process is. Consider these questions:
Don Orlando
Did you capture each client’s unique style?
MBA, CPRW, JCTC, CCM,
We never want a hiring decision maker to say to our client: “Wow! What a great
CCMC, CJSS, MCD
résumé! Who wrote it?”
Yes, it can be a balancing act if the client isn’t very articulate. However, what
The McLean Group
you write should prove your client has the “good communications skills
Montgomery, AL
”hiring officials want but can’t really define.
dorlando@yourexecutive
careercoach.com You must make your client’s thought visible. That goes a long, if subtle, way
toward building the hiring decision maker’s confidence your client can think
through problems she’ll be asked to solve.
Did you write in the appropriate tone?
Career fields and organizations have their own personalities. A cover letter seeking an interview with the
principal of a leading law firm reads very differently than a cover letter from an Episcopal priest seeking a
rector’s position with a 200-year-old established church.
That was brought home to me vividly when I worked with a chief of staff for a senator’s office on the Hill in
Washington. She meant business all the time. The Senator came across exactly the same way. That’s why I
remember that letter almost verbatim even today:
“Dear Senator X:
Your search for a Chief of Staff is over. Tell your secretary
to expect my call at 11:00 EDT on Tuesday, 05 August.
I need 12 minutes of your undivided attention. If, during that time,
I cannot convince you I can get your bills out of committee, I shall
leave under my own power. But if I can, I intend to start work
the following Monday.
Sincerely,”
She loved it! He loved it!
She got the job…in under 12 minutes.
April 2021 | PAGE 11Did you write for every audience? However, if it is written with exceptional power and
It is so natural to think of the audience as a single precision, hiring decision makers will read every,
person. That isn’t true at two levels. single word and more than once. They must!
First, surprisingly, a key “audience” is the client! The immediate hiring decision maker must champion
Remember one of the roles and missions for every your client. That means he must use the résumé you
résumé is to entice interviewers to ask questions wrote to convince the leadership team from finance
both your client and the interviewers must explore. to operations to sales to marketing that your client is
the best choice.
Most interviewers aren’t well trained for the task. If
we leave it in their hands, our client experiences an Did you reflect the client’s philosophy?
interrogation. What’s wanted is a collaboration. Particularly in the cover letter, but also in the résumé,
you must show what the client believes and how she
You make that happen smoothly when the words you thinks. Hiring decision makers want reassurance
write are jumping off points for those discussions. they aren’t hiring a toxic person.
Clients must be able to do more than just parrot the
CCAR stories you wrote. They must enliven them, There are “managers” who consistently get powerful
expand upon them, tailor them to the situation. results. They have a proven approach. They drive
their people into the ground. They never miss an
The second audience are, of course, the hiring opportunity to threaten and micromanage. They do
decision makers. Unless your client’s career field is get results. But no company wants them.
in HR, an HR professional doesn’t fit that category.
Please don’t misunderstand. HR professionals do On the other hand, there are leaders who get
many wonderful things. But if your client is a senior more than results. They deliver great returns on
defense program manager, an HR person, even a investment. They do that by engaging with their
highly experienced one, isn’t qualified. teams so well, everyone strives to outdo others in
excellence. Team members’ personal goals align
The HR professional knows as much about what it perfectly with corporate goals. No wonder groups
takes to be excellent in that field as your client knows like that are unstoppable.
about Section 432 (b) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
of 1937 (as amended)! Do your words offer value?
Networking is the natural preference for extending
Remember, there are “hiring decision makers” who value. That’s not lost on hiring decision makers.
will pass judgement on what you write. The potential Consider this too typical closing to a cover letter:
supervisor, their bosses, and perhaps several “Many thanks for your consideration and hoping to
members of the C-suite. Each comes with their own hear from you soon.”
agenda. If what you write is too narrowly focused,
they may well believe your client can’t perform well The reader will be forgiven for wondering why he
on a team. has to call the applicant. Will that person follow up
on his own stuff? He certainly won’t follow up on the
46
tasks his boss gives him. That’s not networking with
The time an average people; that is imposing on them.
résumé is read for.
If it’s average, that’s Now read this closing:
“When it comes to something as important as GE’s
seconds all it deserves.
public relations programs, words on paper can’t
replace people speaking with people. I would like
I agree. to hear about your unique PR needs in your own
If it is an average résumé, that’s all it deserves. words. May I get on your calendar briefly and soon
for that purpose?”
April 2021 | PAGE 12Notice how the client offers value. He’s performing A good example is a Senior Executive Service
like a team member even before the first interview! application. Each applicant must address, in some
detail, five specific Executive Core Qualifications
Did you use jargon correctly? (ECQ). These must be CCAR stories on steroids.
Does the reader expect jargon because it makes One ECQ focuses on building coalitions. Another on
communication efficient? leading change. Nevertheless, the reader must see
your client consistently meeting all those standards
My client is a COO in the airline world. You can be in each story, no matter which ECQ is highlighted in
sure the cover letter and résumé that went to the the document she reads.
CEO mention the ETOPS standard. The CEO expects
any applicant to know what that term means and That’s the approach you use when you decide in
why it is important. which order your CCAR stories appear. That pattern
(which reflects your client’s brand) should also
I once made the mistake of not considering jargon be visible in the cover letter. In fact, that order
in my package for a warden at a maximum-security even helps decide whose names will be on the list
prison. I used “inmate” and “convict” interchangeably. of references.
My client was quick to point out the difference. An
inmate wants to serve his time and get out. A convict If we regularly take time to find out just how good
will kill you any chance he gets. we were, we’ll have the tools we need to know how
good we should be.
The intended audience knows that difference very
well. If they suspected my client doesn’t share that Do you think you are only
distinction, he won’t even be offered an interview, as good as your last client?
let alone the job. You can do better.
Is your work coherent?
Does your material follow a pattern that makes it Make it your
easy for every reader? At a deeper level, do the CCAR
stories reinforce one another? business
to always be as good
as your next client.
April 2021 | PAGE 13Breaking News: AI Analyzes
Emotions in Interviews!
What You Need To Know About Interview
Coaching In the Post-COVID Workplace
Like we haven’t had enough of “Breaking News” throughout the past year,
right? But it was recently reported that a Hong Kong startup company
launched an artificial intelligence (AI) software product that identifies and
analyzes emotions – including exuberance, sorrow, stress, overwhelm; even
disinterest. It was first created during the pandemic to “help teachers gauge
how children were responding to home schooling. It helps teachers read the
room when students are not in the room – but at home.”
Jay Block
In CEMP, we advocate that mindset drives skillset. And now, at a time
CPRW, CEIP, CPCC, JCTC
where most schooling and coaching are online, new technologies have
been developed to help educators and coaches to better understand their
students’ state of mind… in real time! This only confirms the obvious: Mindset
really does drive skill set. And this is especially true when you must partake
The Jay Block Companies in an activity you’d rather not partake in - like tax preparation, dieting, or
Salem, MA conducting a job search.
jayblock@jayblock.com
AI Identifying Emotions is Here
to Stay—And Will Expand
AI-based interviewing and recruiting technologies is not new. Artificial intelligence has been transforming the
interviewing and recruitment process for years now. And it’s growing in popularity as costs come down and
make it more affordable to all size companies.
Why? Because AI interviewing platforms theoretically allow businesses and organizations to greatly reduce
the time it takes to identify and hire top talent. New-hire-productivity and return-on-investment contribute
more rapidly when using AI. Thus, AI interviewing and recruiting reduce hiring costs, while increasing output
quicker than traditional human led interviewing and recruiting processes.
However, the most popular selling point of AI interviewing being touted around the business and legal world,
is the assumption that AI interviewing can reduce or even eliminate “human bias” in the hiring process. Right
up until the pandemic, AI interviewing and recruiting software used algorithms to assess job seeker skills,
abilities, experience, education, and even personalities.
April 2021 | PAGE 14But 4 Little Trees is taking it over the top! And soon, students’ emotions as they learn, and believes the
this technology will be available to the employment technology’s benefits will outlast the pandemic. In
industry. In other words, in the very near future, addition to the emotions analysis characteristic of
AI interviewing technologies will have the ability the software program, the technology’s platform
to probe a job candidate’s emotional mindset – to and capabilities also reduce the administrative
help identify attitude, disposition, and temperament load teachers must bear, by creating and reviewing
during the interview. Yikes! personalized classwork, quizzes, tests, and
students’ overall grasp of the subject matter. And,
A Little Background unlike teachers who cannot see and evaluate each
student’s mindset and emotions simultaneously,
The company that created the software is a startup 4 Little Trees expression-reading AI can - even in a
company, Find Solution AI. The school in Hong Kong large class.
that first integrated Find Solution’s AI software is,
True Light College. And the AI software goes by the How Will This Impact
name of, 4 Little Trees. Employment Interviewing?
While the use of artificial intelligence that analyzes You can count on this software being integrated
emotions in schools and other settings has initially into the hiring and interviewing process sooner
caused some concern, founder Viola Lam says it can rather than later. So we must, today, ask the
make the virtual classroom as good as - or better question: What ramifications will this have on the
than - the real thing. hiring, and in particular, the interviewing process
tomorrow? Will you have to coach clients/students
Students work at home on class assignments, tests, on how to manage, not only their verbal responses
and homework on the AI platform. While they work to questions, but nonverbal, facial, and reactionary
on their studies and assignments, the AI measures responses as well?
muscle points on their faces (via the cameras on
their computers or devices), and identifies emotions Technology that monitors people’s faces has
—including happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, continually raised concerns about privacy - in
and fear. fighting crime as well as in fighting a pandemic.
Additionally, the AI platform monitors how long Founder, Lam, says that 4 Little Trees records facial
students take to respond to questions, records muscle data. This is how the AI interprets emotional
grades and performance history, generates reports expressions. However, it does not video students’
on their strengths, weaknesses, and motivation faces. Of course, the question is how does one define
levels, and even has the transparency in China? And one would suggest the
capability of forecasting same question be asked wherever the AI platforms
Facial Expression future grades. And even are employed. If used in an employment interview
Recognition AI more impressive, the in the US, will the same be true? Will the AI software
Identifies emotions with program can adapt to be able to interpret emotional expressions without
human-level accuracy each individual student, video and without bias?
targeting knowledge
gaps and offering But bias remains problematic at this stage of
edutainment-style tests, designed to make learning development. The biases that AI are supposed
more enjoyable and sustainable. Studies show that to alleviate or eliminate in the hiring process,
students perform 10% better in exams when using particularly when it comes to analyzing and
and learning from 4 Little Trees software. measuring emotion, is imperfect; actually flawed
in its current state. Why? Because at this time in
Viola Viola Lam says the technology has been its development, racial bias is a serious issue for
especially useful to teachers during the pandemic AI because the emotional analysis technology has
because it allows them to remotely monitor their difficulty identifying the emotions of darker skinnedfaces. It is important to know that if used today, the It is important to realize that AI is already being
technology’s algorithm is developed with a human used. The only question is… when will the emotional
predisposition – because it pretty much can only algorithms kick in and work accurately and without
identify emotions from mostly white faces. bias? AI developers believe soon – 2022 for sure! So
yes, it is best we begin to pay close attention to AI in
Lam programmed the AI with facial data to match all facets of the hiring process. If we can land a rover
the students’ demographics, and it has worked on Mars and create multiple COVID-19 vaccines
well in Hong Kong’s predominantly Chinese society. in a matter of months not years - you can bet this
The AI’s emotion recognition works with 85% - technology will be advanced and perfected in short
95% accuracy in Hong Kong, studies show. But order. More and more, artificial intelligence will
she admitted that they were fully aware that more come to dominate the employment process – and
ethnically-mixed communities could be a bigger job coaches must be prepared to advise their clients/
challenge for the software. So more work still needs students on how best to master communicating
to be done. with machines.
And at this time in its development, AI is often
Can AI Outperform Humans?
not sophisticated enough to recognize cultural
differences in expressing and reading emotions,
Results in Hong Kong indicate that the emotional AI
making it difficult to draw accurate conclusions. For
software is more accurate in identifying emotions
instance, a smile might mean one thing in Germany
than human interpretation, Lam suggested. And she
and another in Japan. In CEIP, we cover CCM’s (Cultural
said that this is a great start because “most people
Communication Miscalculations) due to distinct and
can’t identify complex emotions with any greater
often conflicting non-verbal communication patterns
level of accuracy. As a rule, human beings are not
among cultures. Confusing these meanings can lead
good at reading facial expressions. We can train
businesses to make incorrect hiring decisions.
machines to be ... better than the average human.”
With the pandemic and post-COVID-19 workplace,
As AI emotions recognition technologies improve,
do we shake hands, arm bump, fist bump, bow, or
business applications are in the works, in an attempt
head nod when arriving at an in-person interview?
to better understand participants’ emotions and
And on Zoom and other video platforms, how are
attitudes, to increase engagement in all online
facial responses and nonverbal communications
communications… including interviews.
interpreted by AI when technology or, better yet,
problems associated with technology (audio or visual
AI is becoming a reality of life, where human
problems, time delays, etc.) cause facial responses
communication is striving to facilitate improved
misinterpreted as communicative problems. In
interactions and outcomes – with more accuracy,
other words, is a job candidate’s problematic facial
with less bias, in less time, and at a reduced cost.
response due to their skills and abilities, or reactions
to the technology – having nothing to do with a
Are your clients/students
candidate’s value and ability to perform well?
ready for this
technology pivot?
Are you?
April 2021 | PAGE 16Federal Resumes
& Career Coaching
The Federal government employs about 2.7 million people – the largest
employer in the United States, after Walmart, which employs about 1.5
million people. Approximately 150 million people are employed in the USA in
2021 according to the Department of Labor.
The landscape of jobs has shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic with jobs
in certain sectors being curtailed – like food service, events (concerts,
conventions, amusement parks, hotels, car rentals, airlines, and others).
Diane Hudson Those jobs that remined included the Federal government, shipping (Amazon,
CPRW, CEIP, CPCC, CCMC UPS), Walmart, Home Depot, grocery stores, some manufacturing, and
others. The housing market skyrocketed in some areas; personal recreational
industries boomed (motor homes, boats, jet skis, and decking and swimming
pool builders).
Director, Certified Professional
Career Coach Program PARW/CC receives scores of calls each month asking about Federal resumes.
These callers want to know if there is a Federal resume certification or
diane@cpcc-careercoach.com training that they can complete to learn how to write a Federal resume or
if there is a Federal resume expert – or identified Federal resume writers in
the association. Many of these requests come to my attention, as I specialize
in Federal resume writing and Federal resume career coaching. It is a subset
of resume writing and career coaching, like being able to write for executives, English as a Second Language,
college graduates, MBAs, military transitions, or other specific populations.
Different Type of Resume
The Federal is different from the traditional industry-style resume.
The reason that it is different is because it is scored. The resume is
written in such a way and scored in such a way as to prevent bias.
Federal resumes are to be scored based on fairness.
For Department of Defense (DoD) contractors, they often
must go through a similar scoring process as the Federal
government. They must be able to document why a candidate
was selected ahead of another equally qualified candidate.
Industry-style resumes are read and a determination as to
whether a candidate is qualified for a position can be based
on the reader’s decision in many cases. In industry, a referral
can recommend someone for an open position – and if the hiring
official agrees, the person can be hired.Interested in Writing Federal Resumes?
If you are interested in writing Federal resumes, this article will provide some general information and explain
the hiring process, usajobs.gov, and the Federally formatted resume – as I call it.
Why Does it Take so Long to Hire? Hiring Authorities
Federal announcements include competencies, Hiring authorities / preferences can control the
duties, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs), and hiring process. In many cases, Veterans and disabled
other requirements, e.g., education, credentials, will go to the top of the resume pile. Candidates for
and clearances, for example. Some of these position Federal positions need to be persistent, resilient,
descriptions – are Purple Squirrel-like – they want and patient. They can get in eventually, however, it
the candidate to be near perfect with myriad skill may take time.
sets (Unicorn). The expectations are often too high.
And, to state on a Federal announcement that a Top Shoop, editor of “Government Executive”
GS-7 (General Schedule 07 – entry level) needs a magazine in 2015 stated that “the American
master’s degree or PhD is very intimidating for a political and governance structure was created to
candidate (however, it possible that the candidate be inefficient. The checks and balances from the
did not read the entire announcement – or look for Founding Fathers were meant to ensure that it was
the “ands” and “or’s”. Federal announcements have never too easy to do anything in government … which
many ands/or’s – meaning if an applicant does not means the Federal personnel system will never be
read the announcement very carefully – a candidate as efficient as world-class private sector systems.”
may miss an opportunity. An announcement may Why is the Federal Resume so Long?
say: Educational requirement: Master’s Degree / or
/ two years of experience and 24 credit hours; / or / Federal resumes are about five pages long on an
four years of experience and no education). average. Industry-style resumes are about one to
two pages long.
Because a computer scores the self-assessment
questionnaires in many cases, hiring managers often A Federal resume needs to include enough
receive a list of candidates that are not qualified or information for the computer, human resources
do not meet the requirements for the position (thus, specialist, and / or hiring manager / panel to
the reason that the resume needs to be a near- score the resume and make a hiring decision.
perfect-match with the job vacancy description). A Federally formatted resume, ready for copy
Hiring authorities receive resumes for a nurse when and paste from a Word document into a usajobs
the job title is for an engineer. builder resume, is required to include such
information as the full address for each employer;
March 2021 | PAGE 18a supervisor’s name and phone number / contact information – or indicate that the supervisor may not be
contacted for each employer; full dates for each employer with months and years; salary for each employer;
a full duty description and specific accomplishments stories. The resume also needs to include education
including school, major, date of graduation, credit hours, and GPA; relevant credentials, security clearance, job
related training, presentations, publications, patents, and other KSAs that are relevant to the position.
Each job block within the usajobs resume builder holds 5,000 characters – or about three-quarters of a page
of writing. The accomplishments stories for each job needs to validate and bring value to the target position.
All this information combined equates to a longer resume. Some announcements specify a page length for the
Federal resume; others do not specify a page length. I prepare for my clients, a master Federal resume – that
is more than five pages and pare it down at five pages, so that we are prepared for both types of applications.
The Federal resume should not contain any information that will cause bias, as such, the Federal job vacancy
announcements often state, do not submit a photograph or any additional information like awards, evaluations,
or other written documents unless requested.
How to Build a Federal Resume video, and marketed the CPCC program. Speak
with individual CPCC students, grade the CPCC
Gosh, at a PARW/CC conference in Las Vegas – a long tests, and certify that CPCC requirements
time ago – 2003, I delivered a presentation on career are completed.
coaching. Part of career coaching is asking clients
the right questions to draw responses to help them Accomplishment
develop their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, develop Grew the CPCC program to
responses for interviews and networking, and make 1,700 participants globally.
“Ah HA” decisions. One of my techniques is to ask
my clients to list the “hats” they wear to work each BOOK AUTHOR: Composed the content for the
day. At this conference, I brought a stack of hats – “The Senior Executive Service Application” with
baseball hats, cowboy hats, and teatime hats. As co-author. Developed case studies and drafted
I moved through my presentation – I changed the complete chapters. Worked with the co-author,
hats. publisher, and editors through myriad iterations
across nine months.
As a career coach and business
owner I wear a lot of hats: Accomplishments
Resume writer Article author Published the “The New Senior Executive
Service Application” in 2011 with an update,
Career coach CPCC Director
second edition in 2015. Sold 10,000 copies on the
Book Author Web content developer
first run.
Presenter Bookkeeper
Trainer So much more! Train the curriculum at military bases with
general officers and admirals across the USA and
I use these hats with my clients to build their Federal in Europe, and at government agencies across
resumes. For example, I develop several short the nation.
topical duties paragraphs based on their hats, and
then I validate the duties with accomplishments: I used the hats for the short topical duty paragraphs;
and the accomplishments to validate the duties.
CPCC DIRECTOR: Developed and wrote the
CPCC curriculum of 600+ pages and resources,
wrote the scripts and taped six hours of
April 2021 | PAGE 19USAJOBS.GOV
To learn about usajobs.gov – open an account and look at the tutorials. Explore the job vacancy announcements
– read them in their entirety – and highlight key competencies and KSAs to identify themes – to be used as
keywords / “hats” as you develop the resume. Prepare a resume in usajobs – just to see the requirements. Use
the format above for resume content.
By going through this process – you will be prepared to answer questions for clients that may be interested
in pursuing Federal jobs. The Federal government is always hiring in some capacity. The Federal government
offers excellent health benefits, retirements, and other perks.
April 2021 | PAGE 20Human Lives Matter
I can name this tune in just a few notes:
• One employer.
• Two jobs.
• Three lines of summary material and Core Strengths.
• Four-line job descriptions.
• Five bullets for each job.
• A graphic element at the top that takes up space
and adds visual appeal for someone in a creative field.
• A “lively” font choice (Candara).
And that’s it.
When I deconstruct a résumé sample, those are the kind of things I look for.
John Suarez We like to say that “content is king”—and it is—but other variables obviously
MBA, CPRW contribute to the overall impression.
A 2018 study done by TopResume confirmed that professionally written
résumés are perceived differently by recruiters and achieve better results for
their clients…no surprise there. To me, the most interesting thing about the
Career Ready study was that the professionally written résumés scored highest in this key
area— How “polished” do you consider this candidate to be?
CareerReady15@gmail.com
For those of you who skew toward writing for an ATS audience first, this is a
real area of opportunity. ATS doesn’t measure polish…that’s a human thing.
And apparently it makes a difference.
In the study, 157 talent acquisition professionals/recruiters rated the professionally written résumé as “highly
polished” nearly twice as much. One of the participants was quoted as saying “A polished résumé is clean,
consistent, and easy to understand. It clearly articulates what you do, what you want to do, and, essentially, tells your
story ... This is important because your résumé is likely in a stack with many others. If it’s not clear and easy to read,
it’s very easy [for recruiters] to just flip to the next person.”
While it’s easy to absorb and understand those words conceptually, the second part of that quote reveals once
again how the humanity of job search shows up in a behavioral sense.
They’ll just flip to the next person. Let that sink in for a second.
When your job is to scroll through a non-stop feed of candidates—kinda like scrolling your Facebook newsfeed
in search of intelligent life—polish makes a difference.
While working with this client, I was convinced that I had all the information I needed to make a strong argument
on paper. The colored ribbons across the top were the last elements I created, not the first. They represent
polish, not substance.
The study concluded that a “polished” résumé “does a good job of balancing the visual elements within your
document so readers can quickly scan it and understand your career narrative…How the information is
formatted on a résumé is just as important as the information itself.”
Almost as if the human reader suddenly matters again.
November 2020 | PAGE 21Steven Tyler
West Jordan, UTAH 84088 | (801) 655-6554 | Styler999@gmail.com | LinkedIn
MARKETING MANAGER | SPECIALIST IN DIGITAL & PRINT MEDIA
E-Mail & Social Branding & Identity Graphic, Media, &
Media Campaigns Management Web Design
Eight years of leading successful creative and strategic campaigns for commercial/military accounts. Highly skilled at managing
teams, deadlines, and projects; recognized for exceptional contributions to marketing efforts resulting in expanded
engagement with target audiences, stronger conversion rates, and measurable improvement to bottom-line profitability.
Core Strengths:
Marketing Collateral | Campaign Management | Demand Generation & Partnership Marketing | Banner/Signage Projects
Content Creation/Strategy | Logo Design | Video/Editing | Demographic Analysis | Lead Generation | Art Direction
Brochures | Online Advertising | Photography | Catalogs | Posters | Color/Theme/Functionality Improvements
Technical Skills:
Intuit QuickBase | Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Premiere Pro)
Microsoft Office | Instagram | Facebook | Technical Illustrations
Professional Experience
UTAH ARMY NATIONAL GUARD RECRUITING & RETENTION, Draper, UT | 2013 to Present
(The top entry-training battalion in the nation)
Marketing Manager | 2016 to Present | Oversee content and video teams tasked with maintaining the visual appeal
and professionalism of the organization's online presence in social media forums. Publish quality original content via
advertising on specific social media networks. Collaborate with marketing team to unify the messaging strategy.
Manage E-sports recruiting program; create additional materials to enhance social media training.
Major Contracts:
Utah Broadcasters Association | Utah Jazz | Tour of Utah | Megaplex Movie Theaters | Utah Public Transportation
Championed the first national strategy exploring marketing/branding partnerships with high-profile influencers.
Trained new hires on best practices and social media protocols, effectively reducing process gaps.
Wrote and implemented a social media “basics” book and training program for the National Guard recruiting
program; drove a 15% lead generation increase during the first six months (currently used nationwide).
Developed >50 campaigns yielding 300% increase in social media presence.
Launched a highly effective e-mail marketing program, allowing recruiters to reach >250,000 local students with
branded messaging upon Covid-related cancellations of high school visits.
Digital Media Manager | 2013 to 2016 | Generated digital image files for use in digital/traditional printing. Prepared
branding packages for event displays, marketing materials, and promotional packages. Developed engaging marketing
and promotional advertisements to generate leads and promote Utah National Guard. Formatted print, web application
designs, and media to deliver production-ready graphics. Designed and implemented artwork for all clothing prints.
Modernized branding message for National Guard advertising; incorporated current design trends to improve
storefronts, print media, overall organizational image, and $150,000 worth of promotional items over two years.
Overhauled request system for recruiters, slashing production time for marketing requests by 1-2 weeks.
Built a recruiting marketing program that generated >120,000 impressions among target demographic, boosting
enlistments by 20% YoY.
Created a shareable content library for the region, providing multi-state access to branding campaigns.
Recognized by top ranking officer for exceeding performance standards in the marketing department.
Previous: Soldier in Training, Fort Jackson, SC and Fort Lee, VA | 2012 to 2013; Distinguished honors graduate
Education
Social Media Management Program | 2020 | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, Washington, DC
April 2021 | PAGE 22Best Practices for Video
Conferencing like a Pro
The year 2020 brought many work changes, including the widespread use
of video conferencing software. By now, most people are familiar with the
various platforms—such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet—but I
still see quite a few goofs. Regardless of the platform, good video conferencing
etiquette is crucial, so here are some tips you can share with your clients and
students to help them polish their skills.
Dress for the Occasion
Don’t let standards slide when it comes to video conferencing. Professional
conversations require appropriate attire—although I’ve found there is no
Heidi Scott Giusto need to overdress for casual conversations with work colleagues.
PhD, CPRW, CEIP
For formal interviews, I always recommend erring on the side of caution,
which includes dressing for the occasion from head-to-toe. For routine work
calls, I won’t suggest that everyone needs to wear formal clothes below the
waist because I know that is simply not the world many of us are living in right
Career Path now. The point is to know when dressing well really matters. When it does,
Writing Solutions encourage job seekers to hit it out of the park.
Have the Right Lighting
I advise my clients and student to make sure they have good lighting that
shows their head and shoulders clearly, and in a way that doesn’t make them
blend into the background. This topic could be an article all on its own! Let
clients know that it might take experimentation and time to set up effective
lighting. Slow but steady progress is still progress.
Avoid Clutter during Video Interviews
Clutter can be both visual and audible; both should be limited as much as
possible. Visual background clutter is not only distracting but also can
reflect poorly on the interviewee because they might appear disorganized.
This perception can then be extrapolated by employers, interviewers, and
potential clients: Will the candidate represent the company brand well? Can
the company put them in front of a client? Job seekers shouldn’t take the risk
of having a messy space plant seeds of doubt about their abilities.
Audible clutter can be more difficult to control, but measures should be taken
to do so. Advise your client to conduct the interview in a quiet space. If they
can’t, they should give the other person or people on the call advance notice.
Not long ago, I had a person tell me, in case I heard it in the background
during our call, that sometimes a train goes by and it gets loud. This level of
professionalism is appreciated.
April 2021 | PAGE 23You can also read
