News from PARWCC!
| View in browser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
News from PARWCC!
| View in browser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
News from PARWCC!
| View in browser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A Tale of Two Companies
Many years ago, I found myself in the position of running about a dozen units fulfilling similar roles. Most of them did well, but two of them were struggling and needed restructuring. So we sat down and made the hard decisions that involved reducing staff and reorienting the local organization. The changes we made weren’t exactly the same across the board, but they were quite similar and had the same broad strokes.
Of course, nobody involved was excited about this process. But the numbers were clear and so was the solution, even if we didn’t like it. My job throughout this was to help create the plan, and it was on the local team to implement those ideas successfully.
I visited all of my divisions, but when I got to these two units in particular I noticed very different energies. Both of them had seen a small tick down as the changes settled in, which was to be expected. But where one started to crystalize and regain performance in both sales and profitability, the other was just continuing to limp along.
I visited the recovering unit, and I was struck by their strong executive who had accepted the painful cuts and decided to move forward. His attitude was clearly one of, “Here’s what we need to get done, this is what we can do, now let’s focus on what we can achieve.” With his hands-on leadership, their numbers continued to trend upwards for another 2-3 years, and that unit was a glowing success stories about resurgence after making difficult decisions.
The other unit did not have that same kind of leadership. Over the next year, they never recovered even to their prior performance. And I noticed when I visited that there was this somber air of sadness hanging over the office. Desks were still filled with former employees’ equipment, workspaces were never reorganized to account for the new size and makeup of the team, and people would lament about employees who had gone and comment that they missed “the good ol’ days.”
That unit was covered in a palpable malaise. There was a begrudging acceptance that they’d been in a bad place and had to make changes, but nobody wanted to move on. Leadership allowed them to wallow in that feeling and ossify. Nothing changed because they were doing the same old work with fewer resources, and local leadership implemented no changes that would have made them more agile or efficient. The executive had accepted the cuts as necessary, but he never looked for a path forward.
I believe that the tale of these two companies hinges on their respective executives. The first unit’s exec acknowledged the hard thing, did it, and then moved on to help his unit thrive and grow in a new direction.
The second executive struggled to make peace with the hard decision and never moved forward. That team was so reticent to accept the difficult thing and the change that follows that a year later they had to be further restructured, which proved to be the only way to fix their downward spiral.
In retrospect, I realize that my own error in this tale is that I didn’t realize the second executive was unwilling to embrace the future and didn’t resolve that problem myself. Had I done that, perhaps these two units could have had similar positive endings instead of one of them performing so poorly that further cuts were necessary.
As you take stock at the beginning of this year, are you where you want to be? Is your company performing well, or do you see difficult changes on the horizon? Now is a good time to look ahead and prepare, rather than being caught unawares at a critical point. There are two paths forward: one is begrudging, and the other is understanding and effective. Which are you going to choose?
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone: Building Our Interview Coach Community
As coaches, we spend most of our days in one-on-one sessions. We hear a tip from a recruiter here. Read a valuable study there. But the work itself? It’s siloed. I’ve long craved a dedicated, trusted space to stop being an isolated practitioner and start operating as part of an elite interview intelligence collective. So tough client questions don’t have to live only in my head anymore.
Not an echo chamber. I’m talking about community. And I’d love for you to be a part of it.
That’s why I’m excited to introduce PARWCC Interview Insights, a monthly meeting designed to solve the network gap interview coaches quietly feel every day. It’s where we can turn to a room of experienced, engaged professionals and ask questions focused specifically on interviewing. Because interview coaches are more than coaches. We are experts who must stay current. We are skill instructors who need better tools. And we are educators responsible for building learning arcs that lead to real client outcomes.
Interview processes are evolving fast as AI automates more of the hiring pipeline. The questions being asked, the skills being assessed, and the way clients need to prepare to succeed have all shifted quickly and dramatically. Being an expert today requires a constant pulse check on what is actually happening in interviews across every industry right now.
And because we teach skills, not just share advice, we are always looking for better strategies, better frameworks, and better ways to help clients speak with clarity and authenticity under pressure. The most effective source for that learning is not theory. It is other coaches doing this work every day, experimenting, adjusting, and seeing what actually holds up in practice.
And as educators, we are responsible for how learning unfolds over time. We decide what to introduce first, when to push, when to pause, and how to give motivating feedback that actually changes behavior without undermining confidence. That kind of teaching improves when educators learn from one another about what works, and what does not.
Just imagine what happens when you take 20 interview coaches, each having worked with 100 clients, and put them in a room. That is 2,000 unique client experiences and data points. We stop coaching only from our own experience and start coaching from shared intelligence, so we can better serve every type of client who walks through our door.
We can tap into an interview-focused hive mind for current intelligence on the interview landscape in different industries:
- What should my client expect in a FAANG interview?
- Are the Big Four consulting firms using AI-scored skills assessments?
- What is the best prep for Superday interviews for a new MBA grad?
We can get adaptive strategies for unique client challenges, like:
- I have a client who got some press for suing her former employer for wrongful termination, and it shows up when you Google her. Should she proactively address it?
- My client has a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to fulfill the role. Should they disclose that in the interview?
- My client won’t let go of scripting answers and reading notes. What strategies have you found successful for weaning them off the writing crutch?
We can be part of an interview coaching community of resources from:
- Experienced interview coaches.
- Recruiters and HR professionals working in the career services space.
- Professionals with industry backgrounds spanning tech, finance, education – and so much more.
- Newly certified coaches who bring fresh, growth-minded energy.
There is no other gathering like this for interview coaches. But PARWCC has never been afraid to be the first. This commitment to community is the very heart of the PARWCC Interview Institute. And we’re just getting started. If you’ve been craving a place where your interview work, questions, and expertise actually belong, you just found it.
Starting February 11, 2026, join us the second Wednesday of every month at 4:00 PM ET to build your interview insights advantage. Sign up through the PARWCC website.
Putting Your Whole Heart and Soul into Ordinary Moments is What Creates Workplace Magic
Career coaching and résumé writing have traditionally focused on tactics: keywords, formatting, workplace responsibilities and achievements, interview answers, and networking scripts. These matter. But anyone who has worked closely with job seekers knows a deeper truth – that two candidates with nearly identical credentials can experience wildly different job search outcomes. One lands a job quickly and confidently. The other struggles, stalls, and burns out.
And it’s been my experience that the difference is rarely the résumé, interviewing, or intelligence. The difference is presence.
Thirty-five years ago I realized that putting one’s whole heart and soul into ordinary moments of a job search – like drafting a résumé, practicing an interview answer, sending a follow-up email is what creates workplace magic. Let me assure you, teaching this way of operating isn’t just motivational voodoo. It measurably shortens time-to-employment, and dramatically reduces job search stress – on both job seeker and coach!
The Hidden Variable in Rapid Employment – Performance Mindset
Most job seekers approach the search mechanically. They “apply,” “network,” and “prepare” while mentally checked out, anxious, or just going through the mundane motions – allowing fear and discomfort to rule the process. This shows up everywhere:
- Résumés that technically qualify but are flat and uninspiring
- Interview responses that are correct but forgettable
- Networking conversations that are uncomfortable – akin to begging
- Follow-ups that sound polite but desperate or bland
This is not motivational fluff. It’s developing a performance mindset applied to career transition. And some of us have been integrating this into our practice for decades… with beyond stunning results. But now, all résumé writers and career coaches will have to integrate this into their coaching – because this is the one area AI is incapable of doing well, if at all.
Ordinary Moments Are the Real Interview
Career coaches often focus heavily on the “big moments:” the interview, the offer negotiation, the final presentation. But it’s putting one’s heart and soul into the seemingly little, ordinary things that influence successful outcomes. Teaching job seekers how to embrace and be fully engaged in those seemingly little, ordinary things is key. Consider the ordinary moments:
- Writing a résumé bullet point
- Answering a screening email
- Preparing a one-minute introduction
- Updating a LinkedIn headline
- Asking a thoughtful question during a call
When job seekers slow down and fully reflect on what they’re doing, they stop sounding like everyone else. Their language becomes more human. Their stories become more relevant. Their self-confidence becomes unstoppable.
For résumé writers, this means moving beyond the traditional (“Tell me your accomplishments”), and toward presence-based questioning:
- Why did this work matter to you?
- What problem were you genuinely proud to solve?
- What moment made you realize you were good at this?
- What results do you deliver that would lead to a bonus or promotion?
- What does success mean to you?
The answers to these (and other similar) questions, help coaches better engage their job seeking clients/students. It’s a powerful way to inspire job seekers to be present in all activities – and to enjoy the ordinary tasks to confidently influence job offers.
Why This Approach Reduces Job Search Stress
Stress in a job search comes from uncertainty combined with emotional discomfort. Job seekers feel powerless, judged, and constantly waiting for validation – or luck; out of control emotionally and strategically. Teaching presence and full engagement flips the experience 180 degrees!
Instead of measuring success solely by responses from employers, job seekers begin measuring success by how they show up. Did they prepare with intention? Did they leave it all on the field at the end of the day? Are they proud of what they intended to accomplish daily? This creates emotional control, which reduces fear and anxiety. And when clients feel grounded and intentional, several things happen:
- They procrastinate less and work harder for their better futures
- They don’t over-apply for jobs, they become much more selective
- They stop chasing roles that don’t align with their values
- They recover faster from rejection and setbacks
- They’re MORE FUN TO WORK WITH !
Coaching from Presence, Not Pressure
For career coaches, this means shifting the coaching mindset. Instead of:
“You need to apply to 20 more jobs this week.”
Try:
“Let’s make sure the 6-8 you apply to feel right and are fully aligned with your values.”
Instead of:
“Your answer needs to be stronger.”
Try:
“What do you actually want the hiring manager to understand about you – in your own words?”
In PARWCC’s Certified Empowerment and Motivational Professional (CEMP), presence-based coaching teaches job seekers to invest emotionally without attaching emotionally. They care deeply about the quality of their effort, but ‘not’ the outcome they can’t control. They know that when they take good care of the ordinary – good things will happen in good time.
Résumé Writing as a Confidence-Building Act
A résumé is often the first place job seekers emotionally disengage. They rush it. They AI replicate it. They delegate it. When résumé writing pros slow the process down (or change it completely) and invite job seekers to embrace their emotional presence, the résumé itself becomes therapeutic.
In other words, the process (not the résumé) builds sustainable self-confidence. This is because job seekers are present (engaged) with their coach, and pour their energies into the ordinary, to create a growth-driven journey to land the right job.
Teaching Clients to Bring Heart and Soul into Interviews
Interviews are not performances. They are economic meetings (what can you do for us that we would pay you for?) Job seekers who try to “get it right” often sound rehearsed or guarded. Those who bring their whole heart and soul into ordinary interview moments like listening deeply, answering honestly and confidently, pausing thoughtfully, and mirroring the interviewers communication style – nail it!
Simplicity is a coaching artform. I teach that there are usually 6-8 things that make 90% of the difference on resumes, when networking, in interviews – to land the right job. The challenge for coaches is to help job seekers identify those 6-8 things, and then for job seekers to pour their heart and soul into 1) believing them and, 2) communicating them expertly.
Faster Employment Comes from Fewer, Better Moves
For more than 35 years, one of the biggest myths in job searching is that volume equals speed of success. In reality, intention equals speed of success. When job seekers are fully present and engaged:
- They target specific roles that actually fit
- They prepare more efficiently and productively
- They build stronger more meaningful relationships
- They don’t go into funks and question their value
- They don’t waste time procrastinating or majoring in minor things
The Coach’s Role: Modeling the Magic
It’s been my personal experience that career coaches and résumé pros cannot teach this approach unless they embody it themselves – walk the talk. When I am enthusiastically and confidently engaged with my clients, listening intently, and maybe even integrating a little humor – I inspire them to embrace the ordinary disciplines required to achieve the results they desire.
When I bring my whole heart and soul into ordinary coaching moments, my clients mirror (copy) that behavior in their job campaigns. Even when the inevitable setbacks and rejections take place, there is a sense of calm and confidence. This is because they know if they work the process (the ordinary) the process will work for them (results). That is how transformation happens. This how the magic is created.
The Real Outcome: Employment That Feels Right
Perhaps the most powerful result of this approach is not just faster employment, but the right employment. Job seekers who learn to operate with presence and engagement don’t just accept the first offer out of fear. They choose roles that align with who they are becoming – and how it best serves them, their families, and, of course, their employers.
They honor the ordinary because they know that to reach the summit (job they want) – you have to climb. There are no free rides to the top. And here’s what’s exciting. When job seekers genuinely put their heart and soul into every step up Job Search Mountain – the easy and the tough – they won’t just reach the summit – they’ll go over the top!
Final Thought
Putting one’s whole heart and soul into ordinary moments is not a soft skill. It is a strategic advantage. For career coaches and résumé writers, teaching this approach elevates your work from transactional to transformational. AI does transactional expertly. Only transformational career coaches and résumé pros can teach and inspire a transformational approach.
It’s magic.
AI in the Application Process
In the past couple of months, I have seen several job vacancy announcements cautioning against or forbidding the use of AI in résumé development and/or the job application.
AI is a useful tool for developing résumés, LinkedIn profiles, and responses to application questions, such as mini-narratives; cover letters, salary negotiation letters, and more. However, clients must be coached to thoroughly review every job vacancy announcement and cautioned to use AI thoughtfully in the application process.
AI and the Hiring Process
Here are sample caution statements I pulled from a few job announcements (bold is Diane):
-
- We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews.
- Your application package must be in your own words.
- Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement, or other reference material constitute plagiarism and may result in disqualification and loss of consideration for the job.
- Company/Agency prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tools in drafting application and assessment responses.
- We value authenticity, accuracy, and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences.
- While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.
- Please review the company’s guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.
Some applications require the candidate to sign an oath or to certify that they have not used AI in the application or résumé-writing process.
Recruiter Comments
I have also spoken with many recruiters to inquire about their recommendations for using AI in résumé writing or the application process. Below are some of their comments:
- If you use AI, be sure to read the résumé and adjust the language, grammar, and punctuation. Replace words that do not sound like you.
- Ensure the résumé is in your own voice so that you can tell me about your accomplishments in the interview. The interview should align with the résumé.
- Make certain that you can speak to the résumé in an interview easily.
- Developing a résumé is not just about listing keywords; I still need to know what you can do for my company. Tell me about the value you offer my company, the money you can make for my company, and any efficiencies you can contribute.
- Include accomplishments with metrics and comparisons.
- Make your résumé different from all other applicants’ résumés. Personalize your resume.
- I do not know how to know if your résumé is accurate.
AI does not know a person’s personal career journey. It may not identify time gaps or properly describe accomplishment statements. It uses information available and reframes it. Sometimes it is spot on, and other times, there are gaps.
Job seekers must be coached to hand-review a résumé, LinkedIn profile, or any other written documents before submission in line with Diane’s Whole-Person Theory and the human touch.
The Interview
Oftentimes, AI-generated interview scripts do not sound like the candidate. For example, a recent client developed responses to potential interview questions with AI. The problem was that when he practiced responses for an asynchronous interview, he struggled to use them because they did not “sound like him.” He found the AI scripts difficult to speak aloud.
This is the AI “Tell Me About Yourself” (TMAY) response:
My lifelong passion for the industry, coupled with years of dedicated practice and a deep understanding of both the technical and mental aspects of the game, has led me to pursue opportunities in golf instruction. I believe my commitment to excellence and proven ability to achieve high standards would make me a valuable asset to ABC company. ABC’s comprehensive player development program, especially its cutting-edge technology, strongly interests me. The structured teaching approach and personalized game plans are impressive. ABC company offers a complete package deal to optimize every golfer’s true potential. I’m eager to contribute to your students’ success and excited about all the amazing opportunities that lay ahead.
A more natural and realistic response might sound like this:
I am passionate about the game of golf. With more than 10 years of experience, including direct training I received from a PGA golfer, I understand the technical and mental aspects of the game. I have traveled across the USA attending golf tournaments at various courses. As a golf instructor, I can contribute to your students’ success at the game and impart my knowledge. As you can see on my résumé, I also have a degree in golf club management and recently completed a golf certification from XXX University. I am excited about the opportunity to implement your company’s cutting-edge technology to help players reach their potential.
This version is much more natural and true to the client. He was able to use this version much more easily than the AI version, which did not “speak like” him.
I realize that the AI prompt can use the client’s voice for golf instruction; however, it is not always as natural as the client would like.
New Coaching Strategy
As part of my career coaching program for some clients, I am now including an AI/Human Touch comparison and talking with them to ensure their résumés, LinkedIn profiles, and interview scripts/responses sound like them and make them feel comfortable.
I begin by asking if they created their résumé in AI. If the answer is yes, then I turn the sentences on the résumé into questions.
- I ask them to tell me about their accomplishments and the value the résumé offers an employer in their own words.
- I ask the client to read the résumé aloud to me. If the client experiences any stuttering or difficulty reading words, I ask them which word they would use to replace the one causing the difficulty, so it sounds more natural.
- We engage in a pre-interview using the résumé to determine how comfortable the client is with his responses.
This new human touch mini-coaching session provides my clients with great insights and self-awareness. It also gets us on track early in the process, rather than waiting until after several interviews to adjust course.
The Current Job Market in 2026: a Career Coach’s Guide for Helping Clients Succeed
As a career coach, you’re used to helping clients make sense of uncertainty. Yet the current job market in 2026 continues to evolve in ways that can feel confusing for even the most experienced job seekers. Recent labor data and hiring trends reveal a market that’s stable but selective, where strategy matters more than ever.
Below is a data-informed overview you can share with your clients – along with clear coaching takeaways rooted in what employers are actually doing right now.
Where the Economy Stands: Slow Growth, Ongoing Opportunity
Recent government and labor-market reporting show the U.S. job market is still adding roles, but at a slow pace compared with recent years:
- Employers added roughly 50,000 jobs in December 2025, capping a year with one of the lowest annual job gains on record outside of recessionary periods.
- Job openings have dipped, with job postings falling to about 7.1 million in late 2025 – a sign that hiring demand has softened.
- Economists and hiring labs expect unemployment and job openings in 2026 to stabilize but not grow dramatically unless key economic headwinds – such as policy uncertainty and skills mismatches – shift significantly.
Takeaway for clients: Job opportunities still exist, but the pace of hiring is slower than job seekers might expect. Patience and strategy are critical.
What Recent Job Search Data Shows
Understanding how people are finding work right now gives clients realistic expectations:
- Most job seekers now wait 55–71 days before receiving an offer – reflecting a lengthier process than many expect.
- Around 81 % of job seekers use AI tools to find positions – and 63 % report being screened out by AI systems before a human ever sees their application.
- Daily AI use in job search is common (56 %), highlighting that job search process efficiency matters more than ever.
Takeaway for clients: Job search timelines are longer, and technology is a core part of the process. Help clients set realistic expectations and incorporate tech fluency into their strategy.
What Hiring Trends Mean for Job Seekers
- Employers Are Becoming More Selective
Across industries, hiring is cautious. Employers may not be reducing staff dramatically, but they are slowing hires, extending decision timelines, and seeking very specific skills, ideally ones that deliver immediate value.
Coaching cue: Encourage clients to narrow their focus rather than applying broadly. Specificity improves conversion.
- Skill Mismatch Remains a Barrier
A range of forecasts point to continued skill mismatches between employer needs and candidate capabilities, especially in tech, healthcare, and data-driven professions.
Coaching cue: Help clients identify and close skill gaps (e.g., through micro-credentials, upskilling, volunteer projects).
- Soft Skills Still Matter
Global trends highlight human-centered skills – such as resilience, leadership, self-awareness, and adaptability – as among the fastest-growing competencies employers value.
Coaching cue: Support clients in articulating soft skills with concrete examples – not generic statements.
How Clients Can Navigate the Current Job Market
✔ Refine Targeting
Encourage clients to define their target roles with clarity – what they want and what they can prove they deliver. Coaches should have clients document:
- Target industries
- Target roles
- Top 3 differentiators per role
This precision signals fit to both humans and algorithms.
✔ Align Branding With Market Reality
With AI screening prevalent:
- Use role language that mirrors job descriptions where authentically applicable.
- Balance keywords with human readability to satisfy both systems and hiring managers.
Resume and LinkedIn profiles should tell one consistent story.
✔ Prepare for a Strategic Job Search
Because most job seekers today engage AI tools and face longer timelines:
- Build a weekly job search plan with measurable actions
- Track applications, responses, and outreach
- Maintain momentum through networking touchpoints and referrals
Longer searches are normal – not failure.
Coaching Clients Through Current Market Realities
Discuss the “current job market” as a behavior environment, not an obstacle. Help clients:
- Separate how the market works today from what they can control
- Use data as confidence, not discouragement
- Treat job search as product development: test, iterate, adapt
Quick Stats You Can Share With Clients
- 50,000 jobs added in late 2025 – showing hiring is slow but not absent.
- 7.1 million job openings – real opportunities still exist.
- 55–71 days to offer on average – set realistic timelines.
- 81 % reliance on AI tools by job seekers – tools are common, strategy is required.
Final Thought
The current job market in 2026 isn’t shut down – it’s selective, nuanced, and more data-driven than at any time in recent memory.
For career coaches, this means helping clients not just apply for work but navigate the mechanics of hiring systems, labor demand shifts, and skill expectations. Clients don’t need optimism or pessimism – they need clarity, structure, and an actionable game plan.
Know What You Are “About”
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools you can use to have our clients move their careers forward. It’s also a considerable paradox. On the surface, it seems straightforward. It is anything but.
Consider the “About” section. How natural for uninformed users (that’s most of them and nearly all of our clients) to think they should use this section to tell readers about themselves. They narrate their history with perhaps a smattering of keywords.
If only things were that simple.
Writing the “About” section can be the most difficult writing you’ll ever do. Earnest Hemingway called good writing “more difficult than anything else that I have ever done.”
This key section spells out what your clients offer recruiters, hiring officials, and potential members of their network. Those are the people who will determine our clients’ success. Said another way, it isn’t so much about the clients as it is about the value they offer others. Their “About” sections must be irresistible statements of your clients’ brand.
You must write concisely. Consider this approach. Begin by striving to get the words on paper. Your first proof is just to be sure the key ideas are present. Your second proof is to be sure your writing follows a pattern. Typical patterns include problem-solution, chronological, topical, reasoning, cause and effect, and general-to-specific.
The last proof strives for conciseness. Use the simplest words that work. Cut every single word that doesn’t carry its own weight.
Your stories must show how your clients’ skills can be used in other industries, other companies, and other markets. Quantify results whenever you can. The person with the number often wins. And above all everything you write must fold in, seamlessly, the key skills your client offers.
Scan applicable announcements. Consider making AI queries. Here’s an example:
“I am an experienced career coach. My client is a senior program manager. It’s important I illustrate his ability to employ the key skills associated with the best in his field. Please tell me what those skills are. Use simple wording and active voice. Include how someone can prove those skills.”
The results you will get will be general, overall skills. But those are the very capabilities leaders in the field need.
To capture the more specific capabilities you should include in the LinkedIn profile, see how skills are described on the websites of professional organizations tied to your client’s industry.
As you capture the skills include examples of your clients using them very well. Yes, recruiters and the like are looking for named skills, but they value proof.
While your clients may tell you which skills are involved, you must go beyond that. They think like a practitioner. But your writing must appeal to the way your readers, employers, think.
Here’s another example. My client was transitioning from sales into public relations. When I asked her what skills were required, she said PR people should be organized. If I used her words, I would inadvertently document the minimum standards. Nobody would ever hire someone who wasn’t organized.
When we talked to a PR mentor the skill required became vivid. He said PR people cannot organize what’s happening today. They must be able to “organize” what most likely will happen in the future. That’s the key to finding the difference between a fad and a trend. Leadership values the latter and doesn’t want to be distracted by the former.
Of course, you must go beyond trotting out a collection of skills-related words in the “About” section. Be sure you include them in the skills portion of the LinkedIn profile just as you did when you wrote the résumé. You’ll get even more impact when skills are natural parts of the Services, Activity, Experience, and Project sections as well.
Even before you proof your work, may I suggest you ask these key questions? What do you want readers to do as a result of what you wrote? Have you given them clear and compelling proof your client will make them a great deal more money than it takes to hire them?
What do you want your clients to do as a result of what you’ve written? The short answer is: be active. They must capture those skills in what they write (or you write for them) in the articles they submit in trade newsletters and publications, in their contributions to their own and others’ blogs.
Skills make all the difference in authentic networking. Most clients think networking is a mutually mortifying ritual as they impose on every friend, relative, and total stranger to ask for something that none of them can give: a job. You, of course, know genuine networking offers value to those most likely to reciprocate, but without any anticipation of results.
LinkedIn should be your clients’ key networking platform. Since so few of their competing jobseekers use it well, your client’s efforts will stand out.
Your client can add valuable potential members of their network. LinkedIn’s search engine and its filters can uncover specific names of those who can truly help.
Here’s an example from one of my clients, a marketing executive seeking to broaden his knowledge of AI. His search uncovered an expert named Jon. Jon’s a rising star exploring new ways to use AI to grow market segment. Here’s the invitation he sent:
“Jon:
When I came across your profile, I think I’ve found opportunities for mutual benefit.
Let me say right away I am not selling anything.
I would value your thoughts on this opportunity for mutual benefit.
I have ten years’ marketing healthcare products. I’m happy to give you insider information on how to forecast those customers’ needs quickly and accurately.
You’re at the forefront applying AI in new markets. I could use some advice in that area.
When it comes to important things, emails just can’t replace people speaking with people. Could we arrange a ten minute conversation to see how we might help each other?
Mike”
I hope you now have insights on how to use the “About” section to transform LinkedIn from the “file and forget” approach most members use, to the active and forceful networking tool it should be.
While I concentrated upon one section, the basic ideas apply to every part of your clients’ LinkedIn profile.
I am indebted to Robin Reshwan, the Program Manager for PARWCC’s new Certified Digital Career Strategist (CDCS) program. She’s done more than the deepest dive into all the value LinkedIn offers. She integrates the key ideas smoothly into a body of wisdom that will serve your clients better than ever. And there’s an added value: you can apply what you learn to your own profile.
Unpacking the Resume Writing Profession
“This is why people get so brain-constipated when they try to choose a career, and why they often pick the wrong one: they don’t understand the craziness that they have to offer, nor the craziness that will be demanded of them, and so they spend their lives jamming their square-peg selves into round-hole jobs.” ~ Adam Mastroianni
One reason our industry is so diverse is that we all transferred in from different schools. I came from the school of journalism and creative writing; others come from the school of engineering, the school of HR, the school of English, and even the school of IT. As a profession, résumé writing accepts all transfer credits and says, “No matter where you’ve been, there is a place for you here.”
As attractive as that is from a career planning standpoint, anyone on the fence should probably know a few things about how résumé writers actually spend their time. In real life, it’s closer to investigative journalism mixed with therapy and applied linguistics. These things might not be included in the brochure.
- Client intake is a big time sink. You will spend a lot of time on intake forms and discovery calls before you ever write a word. Writing is the last step. First, you’ll be probing vague statements, reconstructing timelines, and translating experience into business outcomes. If you dislike interviews, ambiguity, or gentle interrogation, this work will exhaust you.
- Clients don’t speak in bullet points. They rarely say, “I reduced churn by 18% through lifecycle redesign.” They say: “I answered emails.” Your job is to extract impact without inventing it, which requires patience, pattern recognition, and restraint. As a career archaeologist and translator, you thrive on this process.
- Writing Is the easy part. The hard parts are deciding what not to include, choosing the right level of assertiveness, balancing the overselling v. underselling scale, and navigating human readability with ATS logic. This is judgment-heavy work. No formula or algorithm replaces that experience.
- Marketing and sales never really stop. Independent writers spend significant time generating leads through networking, content, referrals, or platforms. Consult calls are also sales calls. You learn to explain your process, handle objections, and close packages at a price that makes sense. Or you don’t.
- You provide emotional labor. Clients are often anxious, laid off, or burned out. Listening and reframing their stories is a big part of the work. You need boundaries and resilience so their stress does not become your constant stress. If you don’t like people’s feelings showing up uninvited, proceed with caution.
- It’s a business, not just a craft. Juggling multiple active projects means tracking deadlines, drafts, calls, and payments like a project manager. Profitability depends on how well you scope projects, manage time, and control revisions, not just on how good your writing is.
- You must understand many industries. You don’t need to be an expert, but you need to recognize how success is measured in different roles. Bouncing between the worlds of healthcare, tech, trades, education, nonprofit, and finance is routine. A healthy dose of curiosity is not optional.
- Results are often indirect. You don’t control hiring managers, timing, internal candidates, ghosting, budget freezes, or algorithms. A brilliant résumé may still not produce interviews immediately. You must be able to separate work quality from outcomes. Seasoned writers obsess over process, not guarantees.
- Tools matter…but less than thinking. ATS scanners and AI tools are useful. But the great résumé writers understand things like pattern recognition, ethical framing, strategic omission, audience awareness, and narrative control. If you’re looking for a plug-and-play skill, this isn’t it.
Did I leave out anything important? Let me know at [email protected]. Résumé writing is intellectually demanding, emotionally-involved, ethically nuanced, quietly high-impact, and weirdly addictive if it fits your brain. If you love meaning-making, precision, people, language, and problem-solving, you can do great things here. If you want fast wins, applause, or tidy inputs, prepare to be humbled daily.
News from PARWCC!
| View in browser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
News from PARWCC!
| View in browser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
