Last September, I attended one of the premier résumé writing conferences in the country. The National Résumé Writer’s Association (NRWA) has an annual conference where practitioners share their knowledge and expertise in their commitment to excellence in the field. The majority of the attendees were professional résumé writers in private practice, with a few from the public and non-profit educational sector. Becoming an NRWA certified professional résumé writer is no easy task and there are fewer than 75 in the United States. Résumé writing can be a very lucrative business; a writer can earn between $250 and $1,500 for a single résumé, depending on the background and experience of the writer and the individual’s career level (recent graduate/entry-level to executive).
In the course of the three day conference, I asked the question of several attendees…. “Do any of you do résumé coaching?” and they would turn to me and respond repeatedly…”Is there a market for résumé coaching?” implying there was not or at least they had not tried to find out. Upon reflection of the industry standards, I found myself leaving the conference both impressed by the caliber of the professionals I met but with a deeper commitment to the values and philosophy of what I/we at the Center for Advising and Career Services (CACS) call résumé coaching.
A résumé and cover letter, along with a LinkedIn account, are the primary tools for a student to use to step into their new career identity and envision themselves in their respective professional careers. Résumé coaching is working collaboratively with a student for the student to learn to articulate and write their own accomplishment-based statements; not just the “what I did” of previous experience but “why was it important” and “how I performed the skills” an employer is looking for in a candidate. It is digging deeper to tell a more compelling story and honestly and accurately describing their unique constellation of knowledge, talents, skills and abilities, thereby putting themselves in the best possible light using the language of their industry to the targeted employer. I view this coaching model as a way for a student to build their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to the “expectations or beliefs concerning one’s ability to perform successfully a given behavior” (Betz, 1994, p. 35). I see students initially approaching the challenge of marketing themselves with tentativeness and in the process I witness them building their self-efficacy. This is what personally drives me as a career counselor and advisor. I am more interested in teaching the skills than feeling a sense of pride for my own personal résumé writing ability. Maybe someday I will reconsider and start my own résumé writing business but for now I plan to remain a résumé coach.
For ideas on building one’s self-efficacy related to job and career success, I suggest watching this Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy: http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
~ Edy Rhodes
Career & Academic Advisor
hrhodes@miis.edu