News from PARWCC!
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News from PARWCC!
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The ROI of Interview Coaching: Continuous Learning that Creates Client Wins
Clients don’t pay interview coaches to help them get to the next round of interviews. They hire us to help them WIN.
That win is the real ROI of interview coaching. For clients, it’s a new job, a new paycheck, a new future. For us, it’s the glowing testimonial, the referral, the reputation boost that makes people say, “That’s the coach you need to work with.” The more our clients win, the more our own ROI grows.
But here’s what we can’t forget: every client is playing a different game with different rules. If we coach them all the same way, they might make it to the final round, but they won’t walk away the winner. And second place in interviews doesn’t come with a silver medal. It comes with a rejection email.
I learned that fast. When I was hired by the Fulbright program to coach a cohort of their post-doctoral researchers, I knew I was out of my lane. Academia has its own quirks, its own priorities, its own politics. So I went straight to my network. I zoomed with professors and tenured faculty from Ivy League schools, small liberal arts colleges, R1 research institutions and community colleges. I asked what hiring committees actually look for – and some of the answers I got really surprised me. Those conversations gave me what I needed to coach my clients to compete and win on that stage.
Then there were the medical residency interviews. Thanks to my husband John, an emergency physician (and my number one cheerleader), I get a steady stream of referrals to work with graduating med students on their residency interviews. These interviews are brutal. One conversation can decide whether a student matches at their dream hospital or does not match at all and cannot complete their specialized training. Again, I had to lean on my network. I asked residency directors and the docs that conduct residency interviews what mattered most in those rooms. Their feedback shaped how I prepared my clients for one of the highest stakes interviews of their life.
And then came tech. In 2021, Topcoder hired me to train their members for gig interviews: I knew that I did not know enough about how tech hiring really worked. So I went back to my network. I spoke with senior engineers and hiring managers. I asked them what made candidates stand out, what made them crash and burn, and what turned a good interview into a great one. Their insights became the backbone of my coaching.
Three industries. Three totally different games. Same takeaway every time: you cannot coach in isolation. Our clients do not win if we do not know the rules. And the only way to know the rules is to keep learning and to have a network you can tap for answers.
That is why I am so excited about the new PARWCC Interview Institute. None of us should be trying to figure this out alone. The Institute is our hub, the place where we share insights, stay on top of trends, and sharpen our skills together. We keep our ROI strong by building a professional home base for expertise.
And right now, the game is shifting again. AI assessed interviews are moving from the edges to the center of hiring. These are not human conversations. They are timed recordings scored by algorithms with literal rubrics. Different rules. Different pressures. And if we do not understand the game, our clients will not win. (For everything you need to know about those types of interviews, join me for the October Interview Institute Master Series “Preparing Clients for AI-Assessed and Asynchronous Interviews”)
As interview coaches, our ROI is not about how many hours we coach or how many sessions we sell. It is about how many of our clients walk out of an interview with an offer. Wins create testimonials. Testimonials create referrals. Referrals create reputations. And that cycle only works if we stay curious, stay connected, and keep learning.
Our clients don’t pay us to help them get better at interviewing. They pay us to help them land the job. When we know the game, we can coach clients to win. That is our responsibility. And the best investment we can make, in them and in ourselves, is continuous learning.
Business & Financial Planning for 2026
Financial planning is crucial for operating a business. A business needs a written business plan. This plan should be accessible to anyone who may need to manage the company in the owner/manager’s absence.
The financial piece of the business plan should include the following:
- Budget
- Costs/Expenses
- Income
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Designated checking and savings accounts for the business (even if a sole proprietor)
- Designated credit card for the business
- Possible Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan (401)
To prepare a financial plan for 2026, review 2025’s financials and business, including products and services, pricing, and ROI. Specifically, look at those areas that brought in less income, cost more than you planned, or created flatlines between income and expenses. Also, look at areas, such as services and products, that generate a steady income.
For example, consider factors such as marketing, which may include expenses for advertisements, exhibit booths at conferences or job fairs, or conference attendance. Look carefully at each expense and compare the cost to the ROI. Suppose there is no ROI or minimal ROI for a specific marketing ad, for example. In that case, you must decide whether the marketing ad is valuable enough for you to invest dollars into it during the following calendar year. Review the expense and choose to shift marketing dollars to another category or delete the expense.
Perhaps you can speak to the ad owner and determine a less costly marketing campaign, or decide to discontinue the ad completely. Then you can compare the ad cost and any associated loss of ROI in the 2026/27 review period.
Consider where else you may allocate funding, including items such as new education, credentials/professional development, dues and memberships, conference attendance, transportation, a new website, conference swag, and more.
For areas that generate ample income, review the services, products, and marketing streams to bolster these income streams for 2026. If you decide to stop an ad that did not deliver ROI, analyze the market and determine a new advertising course that will further promote those services and products that did deliver high ROI.
Flatlines
If your business is flatlining, analyze the reasons to determine the cause. Consider the following:
- Marketing costs more than revenue
- You are not charging enough for the services provided (increase your fees and income; if you complete a new credential, increase your fees; if you attend a conference or obtain professional development, increase your fees). Charge based on the value you deliver
- You are targeting the wrong market/client population – reevaluate your target market and marketing messages
- The economy has changed – and you need to change with the marketplace
Budget
To build your budget, include the following:
- Capital expenses like a computer, website development, smartphone, and office space
- Maintenance expenses like website maintenance, computer maintenance, software maintenance, QuickBooks (or similar platform)
- Recurring expenses like state LLC renewal fees
- 1099 expenses like a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, tax accountant, résumé writer, attorney, or creative artist
- Office expenses, including a printer, desk, ink, paper, pens, notebooks, or swag for conferences
- Savings
- SEP contributions
- Taxes
The Coffee/Fast Food Factor
Just a side note for comparison – if you drive through your favorite coffee house 5 days a week at $5.50 a day per cup ($1430 a year), or $8 for fast food at lunch every day ($2080 a year), that adds up fast. I am not saying don’t do it – I am saying look at the numbers. Do the math and determine priorities. Where do you want your money to go?
Calculate Your Actual Hourly Rate
This is an interesting exercise. Many of my CPCC coaches ask me how to charge for services. They want to know the best hourly rate to charge. To calculate a good rate, consider the following:
- Create a family budget and determine how much money you need to live on each month at a minimum. Include mortgage/rent, food, utilities, car insurance, car payment, gas, extras, credit card payments, eating out, savings, lawn service, security service, and vet bills. Write down every expense (or use a budget tracker).
- Create a business budget.
- Combine the two bottom lines of expenses. This number represents the minimum monthly income required to sustain yourself and your business. Divide that number by 4, and divide that number by 40. That is your hourly rate. For example, if your bottom-line income requirement between family and business is $5000 per month, then your hourly rate is $31 at 40 hours per week. (Some people find that they are only making $15 an hour – it is a very revealing exercise.) Therefore, you will want to double that amount to $62 an hour (or more) to effectively double your income for savings, paying off debt, planning to purchase a new car, taking a vacation, or adding to the business budget for professional development or a new computer.
- Don’t forget that for every hour you spend face-to-face with a client, you are working several hours in the background to write a résumé, review an assessment, conduct research for the client, prepare for interview prep, write after-action reports, and more. So, 40 hours of face time may equate to 80+ hours of actual work time – be sure to schedule your time carefully.
A Comment About Taxes
Don’t forget to save 30% of every dime you make for taxes. Taxes come along every March/April and quarterly, depending on your sole proprietor, LLC, 1099, or payroll status. If you save 30% of your income at the beginning, then you will most likely never get hit with a large, unexpected tax bill. And, if you find yourself in a lower tax bracket, then any savings above your tax bracket are savings for next year’s taxes, and for use in investing in marketing, business expenses, purchases, or the SEP as needed.
Annual Review
Schedule a time to review your 2025 financials and prepare for 2026. Determine your best income streams and ROI, and enhance those services; remove services/products or budget items that do not provide ROI, and speak to your bookkeeper and or accountant to make decisions for purchasing capital equipment and spending marketing dollars for 2026.
August 2025 Jobs Report: What We Should be Watching
The August 2025 jobs report confirms what many of us in the career space are hearing from clients: the job market is cooling, confidence is slipping, and our role as coaches and résumé writers has never been more critical.
The August Snapshot
- Job Growth: The economy added just 22,000 jobs in August — down from 73,000 in July (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
- Unemployment: The jobless rate rose to 4.3%, the highest since 2021 (The Guardian).
- Job Seeker Confidence: Workers’ perceived chances of finding a new job after a layoff dropped to 44.9%, the lowest level since tracking began in 2013 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York).
Taken together, these figures paint a picture of a labor market losing momentum.
Beyond the Numbers: Why It Matters
For most job seekers, these stats aren’t abstract – they show up in longer job searches, fewer callbacks, and tougher competition. Confidence is particularly fragile right now, and that has a ripple effect: candidates undersell themselves, hesitate to apply, or accept less favorable offers out of fear.
For career coaches and résumé writers, this is where we step in. Our work isn’t just about crafting documents or prepping for interviews – it’s about reframing a client’s value in the face of discouraging headlines.
Implications for Coaches and Résumé Writers
- Coaching Mindset in a Low-Confidence Market
When clients see the 4.3% unemployment rate, they may assume their chances are slim. As coaches, we need to help them separate macro trends from individual opportunity. A national slowdown doesn’t erase the fact that industries, companies, and roles are still hiring.
- Positioning Transferable Skills
With the biggest August slowdowns hitting leisure, retail, and professional services (BLS/The Guardian), clients coming from these sectors may need help repositioning their skills. Résumés that highlight adaptability, customer engagement, leadership, and problem-solving can open doors in industries still growing.
- Grounding Strategy in Data
Clients feel more confident when they see that their coach is data-informed. Citing reliable sources like the BLS or New York Fed in conversations reinforces that we’re not just “cheerleading” – we’re helping them navigate with facts.
Industries Still Hiring in Late 2025
Even as the August 2025 numbers show a cooling labor market, some industries remain resilient and continue to add jobs. Career coaches and résumé writers can help clients pivot toward these opportunities by emphasizing transferable skills and industry-aligned keywords.
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Aging populations and ongoing public health needs keep demand strong.
- Roles: nurses, physician assistants, behavioral health specialists, clinical trial managers.
- Strategy: Highlight adaptability, patient engagement, compliance, and data management.
- Technology & Cybersecurity
- Ongoing digital transformation and rising cyber threats fuel hiring.
- Roles: cybersecurity analysts, cloud engineers, AI/ML specialists, IT project managers.
- Strategy: Stress problem-solving, analytical thinking, and project delivery in résumés.
- Green Energy & Sustainability
- Federal incentives and corporate ESG commitments continue to drive growth.
- Roles: solar technicians, sustainability program managers, supply chain analysts.
- Strategy: Emphasize leadership in process improvement, regulatory compliance, and innovation.
- Advanced Manufacturing & Skilled Trades
- Reshoring efforts and infrastructure projects keep demand high.
- Roles: machinists, robotics technicians, quality assurance specialists, construction managers.
- Strategy: Highlight precision, safety, collaboration, and efficiency.
- Education & Training
- Demand for workforce reskilling and online learning remains robust.
- Roles: instructional designers, corporate trainers, L&D managers.
- Strategy: Show measurable outcomes in course design, adoption rates, and learner engagement.
Looking Ahead
The August numbers remind us that career coaching is as much about resilience as it is about tactics. We can’t control macroeconomic headwinds, but we can help clients:
- Reframe their story to emphasize impact and outcomes.
- Build confidence to pursue opportunities despite uncertainty.
- Stay agile by targeting industries less affected by slowdowns.
Our role is to help job seekers see possibilities where they only see scarcity – and in a month like August 2025, that perspective is the most valuable tool we can give them.
Results Are the Name of the Game, and Numbers Tell the Whole Story
Your blood pressure. Your pulse rate. Scores displayed after Olympic competitions. Box office revenues. Albums sold by Beyoncé. Your income. My expenses. Climbing Mount Everest. Just about everything in life comes down to results. And most of the time, the best way to measure results is to look at the numbers.
The kid’s name was Bruce – true story. He bought a delicatessen called, ‘What’s Your Beef,’ in Peabody, Massachusetts. He knew nothing about the business and, apparently, had little interest in learning it. Perhaps he thought he knew it all. Here’s the thing, he’d purchase a side of ham for $100, divide it into 10 equal sellable slices, and sell each slice for $9.95. I told him, “You’re paying $100 for the ham and selling it for $99.50 – you’re losing money. As a ‘result,’ he did not address and fix the numbers, and eight months later, my youngest brother closed the business. The result of not knowing his numbers was three-fold: 1) He lost $65,000. 2) He could have earned $50,000. 3) The time lost can never be made up.
Budgeting Time and Money
Chanel lost her job, it doesn’t matter why. What does matter is how Chanel plans to spend her time and money to get a definite result… a job within 90 days. She said, “I used to spend 50 hours a week at work and work related activities like commuting. So I budgeted 50 hours a week to conduct a transition campaign. I had limited financial resources, so I made sure 50% of my campaign was going to be aggressive networking. That’s 25 hours a week, five hours a day, Monday through Friday.” The other 25 hours were invested in target marketing (15 hours a week) and working online venues (10 hours a week). Chanel knew the results she wanted (a job within 90 days), and developed a measurable strategy to meet those goals with timelines and a financial budget, as small as it was.
Most Resume Writers and Career Coaches Undervalue Their Value
In the three decades I’ve been coaching resume writers and career coaches, if there’s one constant that rings true almost every time is that 1) they do not get paid for the full value they offer their customers, and 2) they do not know how to optimize their resources of time, money, and energy to ensure they optimize their sales and income – to get paid full value for the services and products they offer.
In attempting to correct this, most resume writing and career coaching pros, as well as most business coaches, would begin to address this “undervaluement issue” by budgeting. This is the time of year where most will begin to explore how best they can maximize their value and income. What do I anticipate my sales (income) to be and should I increase my prices? Can I add any new services to improve sales? What do I expect my expenses to be? How much money do I need to spend on upgrading my technologies? What are my fixed expenses? What are my variable expenses? What are my inevitable expected-unexpected expenses anticipated to be?
Then there’s budget methodology itself, because different methods work for different people and different enterprises, and selecting one that works best for one’s short and long-term success is important. This would include the 50/30/20 strategy, Zero-based budgeting, the Envelope system, and the Pay-Yourself-First method. The goal, again, is to optimize potential sales, earnings, income, reputation, and value.
But that’s not where we begin. In a profession where most resume writers and career coaches are undervalued, earn less than they are worth to those they serve, and fail to achieve the level of respect they deserve, the transformational process to reverse this, and earn the money and respect we deserve, begins with evaluating and changing our own job search processes.
Start with Your Processes and Systems
Sue’s Questionnaire
I have written before of a highly successful resume pro who hired me to help reduce the time it took her to write C-level resumes. I knew Sue’s process and knew I could help her. She had a 3-step process: 1) clients completed a detailed questionnaire, 2) Sue spent two hours with each client to review and discuss their responses to the questionnaires, and 3) she spent significant time with clients on the final ‘review, edit, revise, and complete’ portion of the process.
I asked her, “When was the last time you thoroughly reviewed and updated your questionnaire, as this is one-third of your resume writing process?” We had just discussed the strategy of asking higher quality questions, because asking higher quality questions results in getting higher quality, more focused and precise answers. Sue’s answer was, “Never.” And she had been in business for over 10 years. Once we totally revamped her questionnaire, she was able to knock off almost two hours per client.
From a budgeting standpoint, consider that in 2025, the process of writing a C-level resume took Sue 7 hours, but in 2026, armed with new tools and strategies, she will be able to do the same high quality job in 5 hours… and this will have a substantial impact on her budget!
Rachel’s Free Advice
Rachel had a resume writing company and 100% of her income came from writing resumes. Before she put together her next year’s budget, she reflected on every aspect of her business, and how she spent her time. And she had a major breakthrough. Rachel realized she was spending a lot of time giving away too much “interviewing” tips to her resume clients – for free! She realized if she could change her process, she could get paid for the free hours she was giving away. With a new component in place, Rachel added a new income stream to her budget, and sold interviewing services to 30% of her resume clients.
By investing time reviewing, evaluating, and revising our processes before we begin budgeting, we’ll find unique and easy ways to reduce expenses, increase sales, and earn more money in ways we otherwise would not have considered. Rachel said, “I knew what my rent was. I knew what my cell phone bill was. I knew what my car payment was. But I didn’t really know what my hourly rate was, when I thought about all the free time I gave away and didn’t charge for. I thought I was making $125 an hour, but I now realize that every minute counts, and when I think of all the additional free stuff I gave away, I realized I have been making less than $90 an hour.
TMR – Saves a Lot of Time and Aggravation
In hidden circles it’s called TMR (Test Marketing the Resume). For every resume I wrote over the years, I saved between 60-90 minutes per client by never taking final responsibility for proofreading. Like a printing company, I delegate this to my clients. Believe what you want, but I wrote 12 books for McGraw-Hill, and had five editing proofreaders for each one. You can’t believe what is missed. My personal belief is that the writer cannot be the final proofreader.
When my client and I are pleased with the final resume, we then go into TMR mode – I ask them to test market the resume. I ask them to show it to four or five people whose opinions they trust for feedback, typos missed, or any other potential changes. When they return, they know exactly what changes they want to make – and are more confident in their resume because others were impressed with it. Using the TMR method, you can reduce final proofreading time by as much as 85% with less stress and hassles. This will affect your budget and provide more time to earn more money, or to spend with your family.
Bottom Line
Whatever your overriding objectives are, whether it be more income, free time, less stress, working with ideal clients – or all of the above, before you can do a budget, you first must review, evaluate, and improve all of your systems and processes – like the iPhone does every year. What improvements can you make that can justify higher prices? What new services could you add that you don’t want to perform yourself, but can offer by creating a colleague referral system? What new upgrades and AI advancements do you need to integrate to be more efficient, productive, and to operate optimally? Once answered, then create a budget based on your new, revised processes, systems, and strategies. It makes a significant difference to how you budget and how you achieve your bottom line goals.
News from PARWCC!
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Brute Force Rarely Works, But It Can Be Satisfying
I, like many people, identify as a Wordle Person. If you’re not familiar, the New York Times hit game released in 2021 and gives you six chances to guess a five-letter word. You get hints as you go — a green letter means it’s the right letter in the right space, yellow is the right letter in the wrong space, and grey means that letter isn’t in the word.
It’s a simple enough game, but I became completely addicted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, because I’m me, I approach it methodically every day with the same approach. I start with my designated Opening Word, which has some statistically popular consonants and vowels. Then depending on how many hits I get, I choose from a few different second-round words that will help fill in the gaps.
Most days, this process is enough for me to get the right answer in three to four guesses. But some days, things just don’t work out that way. I stick to my system, and after all my thought-out, well-educated guessing, I’m left with one yellow letter and no idea where to go from there.
Which is when my methodology goes out the window, and I start to brute force it.
When Your System Doesn’t Work…
It’s not pretty. I start playing words that I know couldn’t possibly be right just to try and get more information. I make dumb guesses just so I can get to the next step with, hopefully, an extra scrap of information. Most often, this “strategy” doesn’t work out, and in a pique I end up blowing all of my guesses just trying to make something happen.
I still get the Wordle in 3.6 guesses on average, so I can’t be too upset that sometimes I flame out. But one day I was stomping down this familiar spiral, getting heated up as I stared down row after row of grey on my third guess, when I suddenly received a horrible splash of cold water right to the face with a chilling realization: This is exactly like my management style.
The Epiphany
Through a mix of experience and research, I usually know what to do when it comes to managing people and money. I can recognize the patterns and plan 3-5 moves ahead to get where I want to be.
But sometimes, the patterns simply don’t appear the way I expect them to. When that happens, I can start making moves that I know aren’t going to get me there. But I do them anyway, because I’m frustrated with the situation and insist on moving forward just to try and hope something works and shakes loose an answer.
This was revelatory for me — I’ve had a long career, and I’d never noticed this behavioral pattern. Using trial and error comes naturally to me, but it had never occurred to me that I could get locked into ineffectual behaviors when the patterns in the world around me don’t do what I expect them to.
Still Learning
I’d love to leave you with a pithy answer about how to break this cycle and get out of your own bad habits, but I’m still grappling with the realization that I’ve done this behavior for X-odd years and never realized it. I hope to break this cycle one day, but I’m not at that point yet.
Instead, I leave you with a question: Could you be stuck in a box without seeing it? I certainly was, even when this pattern was manifesting in different areas of my life. Whether you’re a Wordler or not, it could be worth it to critically examine your thought process in some areas not related to how you manage. You may be surprised by the patterns that unveil themselves and how much they overlap with your approach to problems in your profession.
Finish Strong: Why Q4 Deserves More of Your Energy than January
We kicked off September talking about the Back to Biz reset, the post-summer, post-Labor Day energy that gets clients (and us!) back into work mode. That reset isn’t just a seasonal shift; it’s an opportunity.
Now that we’ve dusted off our inboxes and kicked the sand out of our work shoes, it’s time to build. And October, my friends, is go time.
Welcome to Q4: the most overlooked and important strategic window of the year.
The Power of Q4 Planning
There’s something about a new year that makes us feel like everything resets, like we’ll finally have the time, energy, and headspace to make the changes we’ve been putting off, but we all know how that usually turns out…
While January gets all the attention for fresh starts, truly setting yourself up for success in 2026 starts now.
72% of small business owners say the final quarter of the year is their most strategic planning period and more impactful than January goal setting (QuickBooks Annual Survey, 2023).
So, why wait?
The final stretch of the year can often be treated like a wind-down, when in reality, it can be your warm-up. Your runway. Your pivot point.
Whether your summer felt slow, your year got away from you, or you’ve been stuck in reactive mode, this is your reminder:
You have time. You have tools. You have a whole quarter left.
Let’s use it.
Why Most of Us Get Q4 Wrong
We typically enter October in one of two modes:
- Frantic Mode: Trying to deliver what we promised ourselves in January.
- Floating Mode: Waiting for the holidays to pass so we can “start fresh” next year.
Neither leads to great momentum.
But what if we shifted from scrambling to strategizing?
Q4 is prime time for intentional reflection and business refinement. It’s a season of clarity if you let it. You don’t need a new year. You need a new plan.
You’ve probably heard the stat that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February, but did you know:
Businesses that create quarterly plans are 33% more likely to hit their annual goals than those that don’t. (U.S. Bank Small Business Survey)
Let’s ditch the someday mindset and create your 90-day runway with these five steps:
1. Set a Q4 Focus (Not a Finish Line)
Forget big resolutions or full-year catch-up. Choose one thing to move forward:
- One service to promote.
- One project to launch.
- One new routine to build.
This isn’t about adding pressure—it’s about channeling your energy where it counts.
Try this: Block off a 90-minute “sprint session” each week for this priority. Name it. Protect it. Act on it.
2. Refine What You’re Selling Before January
Your Q1 clients are already out there; they’re just not raising their hands yet. Use this time to clean up your offer suite:
- Update the language about your services.
- Clarify pricing and process.
- Repackage something small into a seasonal mini-offer.
Try this: Ask yourself, “Is my website/LinkedIn ready for who I want to serve in 2026?” If not, make the update now, before you’re buried in January inquiries.
3. Reignite Relationships (Without Pitching)
Q4 naturally lends itself to reflection and gratitude, which makes it a great time to rekindle authentic connections. Hey, it’s one of the reasons we tell our job seeker clients to network during the holidays! Take our own advice and:
- Share a behind-the-scenes look at your year on LinkedIn.
- Send a note to past clients or collaborators with no ask—just a thank you or update.
- Invite someone into a co-working day, podcast, or creative brainstorm.
Try this: Make a short list of 5 people you’d love to reconnect with and set a simple goal: one meaningful message per week until Thanksgiving.
4. Start the Year Before It Starts
January success doesn’t come from thin air. It’s built now. Carve out time for planning, not just doing.
Try this: Block a solo “CEO Day” in late October or early November to:
- Review what worked in 2025.
- Brain-dump new ideas for next year.
- Map out Q1 content, offers, or themes.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but having a plan in motion means you enter January proactive instead of reactive.
5. Show Up with Value
Momentum isn’t just about planning; it’s about visibility.
Whether it’s publishing a thought leadership post, hosting a mini workshop, or sharing behind-the-scenes progress on your Q4 sprint, showing up with something useful builds trust, credibility, and momentum before year-end.
Try this: Choose one way to show your work before Thanksgiving: share a resource, a client win, or even a lesson learned. Keep it real, not perfect.
The Bottom Line
Q4 isn’t your last chance. It’s your launch pad.
You don’t have to squeeze a year’s worth of progress into three months, but you can make moves that carry you into 2026 with clarity, confidence, and momentum.
As the saying goes:
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
Whether it’s refining an offer, sending that email, or finally putting your CEO day on the calendar, this is your moment to put you and your business first.
Your Challenge This Month
Take one hour this week and answer these three questions:
- What unfinished idea or project am I ready to prioritize?
- What connection or collaboration would re-energize me right now?
- What small shift would make my business feel more aligned in Q4?
Pick one. Schedule the next step. Make it real.
You don’t need to do everything. You just need to start.
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie Callen, PCC, CPCC, CERW, CPRW
How to Handle Clients Who Just Want You to “Fix It”
If you’ve worked as a career coach or resume writer, you’ve likely had a client slide their resume across your desk and say, “Can you just fix this for me?” Sometimes it’s just a resume or cover letter, and other times it’s their whole career direction. The request often comes from a place of stress, and while it’s tempting to wave a magic wand and solve everything, doing so leaves you carrying the whole load. Not only does this risk burnout for you, but it also robs your client of the chance to learn, grow, and build confidence. The key is finding balance. How can we stay supportive, set healthy boundaries, and still guide our clients toward real growth?
Your Path
Start with empathy.
When a client says, “I can’t do this, you do it,” it usually comes from stress, anxiety, or discouragement. Acknowledge their feelings to ease resistance and show compassion. Simple responses like, “I hear how stressful this feels for you,” or “I get it—resumes and job searches can feel overwhelming” validate their emotions without taking on their burden.
Clarify your role and set clear boundaries.
Position yourself as a guide, not a fixer. For example: “I’ll create a strong draft for your resume, but I’ll also need your input to make sure it reflects your voice and experiences.” Boundaries can be supportive when delivered with care: “I can revise this section for you, but I’ll need your accomplishments, so it truly represents you.” This helps clients understand you’re a partner, not a replacement. This sets limits while showing you’re invested in their success.
Shift the focus to teamwork.
Frame the process as a collaboration: “We’ll work on this together, you bring the details, I’ll bring the strategy.” You can also invite small contributions: “How about you give me your top three accomplishments, and I’ll help shape them into strong bullet points.” This empowers clients and reminds them they’re capable of meaningful input.
Use small, doable steps.
Large tasks feel overwhelming, so break them down into manageable parts. Instead of saying, “Rewrite your whole work history,” try: “Today, let’s just focus on your most recent job.” This keeps progress moving while building the client’s confidence.
Teach, don’t just tell.
Rather than handing over a finished product, explain your edits and the reasons behind them. Showing why you adjusted phrasing or formatting helps clients build skills for the future and feel more ownership of their career tools.
Protect your own mental health.
It’s easy to carry clients’ stress home with you. You can be caring and professional without overextending yourself. Protecting your time and energy ensures you can keep serving clients well without burning out.
Coming Home
Remember: Your job is not just to “fix it.” It’s to empower. When clients participate in the process, they leave with confidence, not just a polished resume.
Here’s to mindful moves,
Felicia A. Shanklin, M.Ed., CPRW
Licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor (Adult)
Balanced Harmony Master Series Director
Budgeting Skills & Resume Space
When it comes to financial planning, one golden rule is “every dollar needs a purpose”. The same is true with the résumé. Every line should add value to the story. Just as a smart budget reflects spending priorities, a smart résumé reflects the right mix of skills and experience that will help clients reach their next career goal.
Make the Plan
If you think of the résumé as a career capital spending plan, here is how to allocate wisely:
- Identify Career “Income Sources”
In financial terms, income often comes from multiple streams. In career terms, “income” refers to things like technical expertise, leadership experience, industry knowledge, or certifications. By showcasing the top skills that align with the target role, you’re building a budget on a solid foundation.
- Avoid “Overspending” on Outdated Experience
Overspending in a budget usually means paying for things you don’t need. On a résumé, it means giving too much space to old or irrelevant roles. That summer retail job from 15 years ago may only need a one-line mention, while your recent project leadership deserves several bullet points. The goal is to cut out “luxury expenses” that don’t support future career goals.
- Prioritize High-Value Skills (Essential Expenses)
Just as your financial budget prioritizes rent, utilities, and groceries, your résumé should prioritize the skills employers value most. Job postings will reveal clues. If employers consistently list data analysis, project management, or client relations, those are the “essential expenses.” Make sure they appear prominently throughout the résumé.
- Allocate Wisely Across Résumé Sections
Think of each résumé section as a budget category: The Professional Summary expresses the financial goals of the career target; the Core Competencies showcase the top 8–12 skill categories, just like budget line items; the Work History provides a detailed record of where the client invested their time and how it paid off; think of the Education section as a long-term savings account, adding credibility and future growth potential. Balanced allocation ensures that no one section “blows the budget.”
- Track Career ROI
Just as financial planning always comes back to return on investment (ROI), career budgeting means highlighting measurable outcomes wherever possible. Helping clients quantify the impact of their work is the link between skills acquired and results delivered, just like an investment report provides concrete proof of performance victories and financial growth.
The Bottom Line
A well-structured résumé works just like a smart budget: it cuts out waste, prioritizes what matters, and clearly shows where value was created (or at the very least…COULD be created). A cluttered or unfocused résumé might require a budget reset to better allocate space for maximum career ROI. That’s where we come in.
Think of career financial planning as making sure that every word and every line of the résumé is working hard on your client’s behalf. The tighter and more purposeful the allocation, the stronger your results.
Is Your Practice Running You?
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
̶ Karen Lamb
In our fast-paced world, it is so easy for activity to distract us from accomplishment. Every day you do so many important things. The work you do affects the lives of your clients and their families, often for years to come. We just never seem to get around to planning. But we must for this compelling reason. You are as important as your most important client.
Please read that sentence again. If you don’t take it to heart, you lose the ability to support your practice.
Right now, while you are thinking about it, write the answer to this question: “If my practice was the best it could possibly be, what would it look like?” Some of the goals can be measured objectively, some subjectively. But list every single one.
Compare and Plan
Now compare your practice today with what you want it to be. Find the differences. Fixing those are now your goals. You’ll get there…but only if you have a business plan.
There isn’t room for telling you everything you must know about your business plan. However, I urge you to build this indispensable tool.
Of course books, the web, and AI can help you. But, just as you tailor every résumé to a client’s unique needs, your business plan must be fitted to your requirements. Just as you update your client’s résumé as he or she grows on the job, your business plan must be updated to do the very same things.
The analogy can go even further. Most clients think a résumé is a “magic” document, a necessary evil “…to get the interview.” You know better. Your résumés serve as clear proof your client will make the next company lots of money. They are also career development tools, helping your clients prepare for the interview in-depth and getting paid what they are worth in an uncertain economy. So it is with your business plan.
Business plans began as a way to convince banks to lend for new ventures. But, just like a résumé, a good business plan does so much more, especially if you finance your practice. The best plans are constantly, but logically, changing, guiding your practice today to shape it for tomorrow.
Get the Right Questions
A good business plan is really a series of right questions and answers, written as clearly as possible. I’ll explore some of those questions in a moment but first let me comment on the word “right.”
A question is right when it is so specific that you cannot misinterpret it. Fuzzy, generalized, “buzzword”-loaded questions are a recipe for disaster for a simple reason: if you don’t know what’s being asked, almost any answer will seem to fit the bill.
Speaking of answers, the “right” ones are based on solid research, never on wishful thinking. Said another way, if the right question gives you an answer you don’t like (but you know is true), count your blessings. The outcome may disappoint you at first, but it sure beats pursuing a course that isn’t—and likely will never be—right for you.
The first “right” question is this: which business do you want to be in? Getting the right answer will involve asking more questions so you can focus everything you do on everything you want. This approach keeps you from making instant, profit-robbing, everybody-loses decisions that can easily slip into everyday operations. So, which clients do you want to serve? What value will you offer them?
Many career professionals never ask those questions. They say “yes” to every client, regardless of the client’s needs…or their own abilities to meet those needs. Your business plan can refocus that desire into long term success. If you are new to the industry, lay out a period in which you will help people in many fields so you may gain broad experience as a writer and a coach. Then set a deadline when you will draw on all you’ve learned to find which occupations you enjoy helping most.
Boundaries Help Decisions
Through it all, don’t forget to draw the boundaries that will focus your efforts. Some of these limits are temporary, dropping away as your business develops. Here’s an example: As I seek broader experience, I will not work with clients who want positions that require me to understand, capture, and transmit advanced ideas about a field I know nothing about at the moment. Other limits need to be sturdily practical: I will not try to work with the lazy, the stupid, or those with expectations divorced from reality.
As you write out who you will and will not serve, you’ll describe not only what your business should look like now, but the direction it will take. Imagine the insight when you write the answer to this query: How will helping today’s clients help me serve tomorrow’s clients? That sentence leads to defining your brand powerfully.
No matter how your business develops, you are part of an industry—a group of competitors. Don’t let that word frighten you. So many job seekers need what we offer there are never enough potential career professionals to go around.
Nevertheless, it’s helpful to know how successful practices run. Visit many sites, ask other PARWCC members questions. Take time to truly read The Spotlight. Check out the article on the PARWCC website https://tinyurl.com/57dft5du. “Mystery shop” to research prices. Your goal is to build a business that matches your excellence with your market’s needs.
You’ve identified the kinds of clients with whom you want to work. You know what services you will offer and how to price them. You even have an estimate of how you want your business to grow. Now it’s time to see if your plan meets your needs. You must estimate revenues and costs.
Don’t Forget You
How far into the future do you estimate those numbers? One or two years are all that is necessary as long as you review your projections every six months. It’s a wonderful surprise when you exceed your targets; it’s a worrisome thing when you don’t.
In fact, here are two suggestions that will keep you on track. First, estimate revenues before you decide how much profit you can expect your business to generate. Second, estimate both your current costs and the cost of investments you must make to reach your goal.
Keep your estimates conservative. That’s particularly true as you introduce new services because you must learn as you go. But your business plan will spur you to do more than just learn how to do something new. After you master the new skills, you will concentrate on learning how to do them better and faster—thus controlling costs and building revenue.
You will also spend time and energy becoming digitally visible. It’s after you’ve written your tenth article, after you presented at your fourth convention, after you’ve worked your third job fair, after you’ve built a powerful LinkedIn profile, after your posts start appearing on the best blogs, only then will potential clients remember who you are and why they should reach out to you.
Now you have a model of your company today and in the immediate future. You know who your customers are, what kind of work you will be doing, about how much it will pay, and about how many hours you must give it each month.
But suppose the costs are just too high and the revenue too small. Suppose your dream of being a career coach doesn’t work for you. That’s a personal success. You can use your career coaching skills to guide your most important client, you, to a new and rewarding career in a different field.
If, on the other hand, you find the challenge irresistible, promise yourself you will always measure your success against your business plan. Resist the urge to compare your efforts based on a single bank statement or on how others seem to be doing.
Your clients succeed not because you control what other job seekers, or employers, do. Rather, your clients’ success rests on a solid plan—and you keep them focused. You deserve no less consideration than your best client.
Bottom Line
It should be clear by now: business plans aren’t sold “off the rack.” You tailor your own by stating your goals, measuring your progress, keeping what works, and discarding what doesn’t. Moreover, you do that every six months.
Let me leave you with an even more enticing prospect. Years from now, take out the very first copy of your business plan and look at projected profits. Then calculate how much money you made last year. You’ll take justifiable pride in more than just the money.
Because you built a solid plan and stuck to it, every dollar represents a happier, more successful client. That happened not just because you wrote wonderful résumés or coached people very well. It’s because you care about your career at least as much as you care about your clients’ careers. You will be navigating toward great success, not second by second, but step by confident step. And each destination you arrive at will be better and more rewarding than the last.