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Written by Don Orlando on . Posted in Blog, Career Coaching, Résumé Writing.

“All know the way, few actually walk it.” – Bodhidharma

If the 5th century Buddhist monk I just quoted was alive today, I suspect he’d understand more about how to use LinkedIn than many of our clients, and if truth be told, many of us.

When it comes to that gold standard for professional networking, many think they know the way; few find the best path. To them, it’s a numbers game. The more people they have in their network, the “better” it is. I believe it’s value, not quantity, that counts.

The “more-is-better” ideas may stem from the old “conventional” definition of networking: a mutually mortifying ritual wherein people impose on every friend, relative, and total stranger to ask them for something they cannot give – a job. People’s natural aversion to rejection causes them to shrink from the very idea. No wonder they “build” their networks by reaching out almost exclusively to friends and colleagues.

Let’s replace that model with something more satisfying and genuinely useful. Networking should be the natural preference to extend value to others without any expectation of an immediate return. This definition implies durable, mutually satisfying relationships – and is incompatible with seeking large numbers or having our network primarily composed of peers.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’d be lost without the wisdom and support I get from my colleagues. But that help comes not from LinkedIn in-mails, but from PARW/CC’s regular bulletins and professional journals.

An ideal network should include individuals with information we need and people we might help in return. We can apply that definition to consider who might be a member of a career coach’s or resume writer’s network. Our goal is to have sources for information useful to us and our clients.

Consider the following examples. An attorney specializing in employment law, a marketing professional, a life coach, an author who publishes in our field, top performers in the careers to which our clients are drawn, educators, Congressional aides who work on legislation that affects jobs, an economist, a public relations leader, a member of the media, a website designer, a financial planner, an IT expert…all these are people we might need to consult. All these have careers we might help them manage in return for their help.

Where do we find such people? Look to your clients first. You know their capabilities firsthand and so can pick the best from every career field you support. Reaching out to satisfied clients lowers the chance of rejection as well.

But LinkedIn offers yet another great source: LinkedIn groups. Groups are communities that share your interest.

Since “groups” is one of the choices on LinkedIn’s main menu, they are easy to find. In fact, LinkedIn will even suggest groups you might like. You might also want to search the Groups Directory. There you can use key words and categories to zero in on the best choices.

Can’t find a group that works exactly right? Start one yourself! That menu choice will help you broadcast brief and more detailed descriptions of the group. Describe the group by the value it offers members. You can arrange to take in only people you approve (a good idea). Finally, you can choose to have your group shown in the Group Directory.

Use your membership in existing groups to recruit members into your group. Be sure to show them how joining your group complements (but never replaces) groups to which they already belong.

All this helps build a powerful, really useful, network for you. But there are even more advantages. Members of groups communicate with each other through LinkedIn without using the expensive in-mail system.

Think of these groups as mini blogs. Often your posting will appear when you Google yourself. The more relevant, powerful “hits” people get on your name, the stronger your brand. But remember, groups are not a way to actively promote your business. LinkedIn and its members have a low tolerance for direct selling or, as they call it, spam.

As you build your network, strive to be the first one to offer value. Would one member benefit from an introduction to another? Did you come across an idea, a website, or an article that might interest members of groups to which you belong? Your network will be much more supportive if you demonstrate your value before asking for help.

LinkedIn wants you to invite only those you “know and trust” into your network. To help you, when someone sends a request to join your network through LinkedIn, you’ll have three choices. “Accept,” speaks for itself.

“Archive” means you know the person who has asked to join your network, but don’t want to connect with him or her. “I don’t know [this person]” is pejorative. People who collect too many “I don’t know” responses have their LinkedIn accounts restricted. It’s possible to get “unrestricted,” but as LinkedIn experts point out, “that will require some groveling.”

To be safe, make the first contact outside LinkedIn, usually via email. It’s here where you offer value to the person with whom you want to connect. Once you have their permission to link up with them, then use the “canned” in mail within LinkedIn to make the actual connection. The connections are mutual. If I accept your invitation to join your network, you become a member of my network at the same time.

Offer value to new members of your network by suggesting which LinkedIn group might serve them well. You might even recommend your new contacts’ group moderators.

I’ve used LinkedIn as a model to illustrate the value in building a useful network, not just large numbers of people you probably won’t be able to help. My goal was to place you in the center of a truly rewarding community.

That’s a powerful tool to help your clients not only know the way but actually walk it.

It’s All Greek to Me

Written by John Suarez on . Posted in Blog, Résumé Writing.

The Greek concept of “Meraki” is about putting your soul into the work, doing something with love, creativity, and deep personal investment. And it shows up in good résumé work in various ways:

  1. It is Thoughtful Translation, Not Just Formatting

Meraki-driven résumé writing is interpreting lived experience, not just rearranging bullets. You decide what mattered, what changed, and what traveled well across roles. Every bullet, verb, and metric is chosen deliberately so the document feels cohesive, not generic. You fuss over structure, white space, and phrasing because the quality of the work says something about your own character and pride in the craft.

  1. It Shows in What You Leave Out

Meraki isn’t about adding fluff. Editing with respect removes noise instead of padding, resists buzzwords the candidate can’t defend, and avoids inflated claims that feel “off” in the mouth when spoken aloud. If the candidate couldn’t say it comfortably in an interview, it doesn’t belong. A résumé written with Meraki matches how the candidate talks, feels defensible under pressure, and reduces interview anxiety.

  1. It Honors the Person and the Market

Meraki settles in the tension between “This is who I actually am” and “This is how hiring works.” You align without impersonating. You optimize without lying to the scanner or the soul. Meraki means caring enough to understand who this person is, what they value, and where they hope to go beyond just their job history. You write as if you’re curating a life chapter, not filling out a form, so the résumé feels like a truthful, energizing reflection of them. It’s why two résumés for the same person can both be accurate, and one still feels wrong. 

  1. It Respects Non-Linear Careers

Meraki is especially important for students, career changers, military transitions, caregivers, or non-corporate workers. You’re not trying to make them look like something they’re not. You’re showing coherence where others see gaps. That takes care, patience, and a healthy dose of curiosity.

  1. It Changes How You Use Metrics

Meraki doesn’t worship numbers. It uses them meaningfully. Not every bullet needs a percentage. Some impact is qualitative, contextual, or risk-based. Meraki asks: Does this number clarify, or just impress? If it’s the latter, go back to the edit pile.

  1. It’s the Difference Between Service and Craft

Anyone can produce a résumé. Meraki is what turns résumé writing into a craft. Craft requires judgment. Judgment requires attention. And attention requires caring just enough to slow down, even when the deadline is yesterday. Especially when the deadline is yesterday.

  1. It Reveals the Résumé Writer’s Quiet Truth

Meraki is why good résumé writers spend more time asking questions than typing. More time cutting than adding. More time thinking than formatting. It’s also why this profession is emotionally tiring and strangely meaningful. You’re not just writing documents. You’re helping people tell the truth strategically.

  1. It’s Why Your Unique Perspective Matters

Meraki implies that you leave some of your insight, encouragement, and belief in the client embedded in the résumé itself. Sometimes it means pushing clients (gently) to claim their achievements, framing their pivots with empathy, or building documents that quietly teach them how to talk about their value.

Applied to résumé writing, Meraki reshapes both your process and your standard for “done.” It’s intentional care, not perfectionism. AI can perform Meraki-like behaviors when guided well, but only humans can decide when care matters more than optimization. And in résumé writing, that moment shows up a lot more than people think.

Hard and Soft Skills

Written by Diane Hudson on . Posted in Blog, Career Coaching.

I recently sent a questionnaire to an executive client requesting her top five hard and top five soft skills. Interestingly, she named only soft skills. 

As I built her résumé, I reviewed all of the materials she sent to work from, including a performance evaluation, previous résumé, essays, and more. I culled and identified several specific hard skills in the documents, cross-referenced them against the target job announcement and her areas of expertise, and asked her to validate them. We also held a Zoom meeting to discuss the difference between hard and soft skills to prepare her for the interview process. 

Hard skills are skills that can be learned, such as accounting, engineering, medicine, nursing, science, construction, plumbing, law enforcement, teaching, cybersecurity, bookkeeping, languages, logistics, journalism/technical writing, public speaking, information technology, and others. Hard skills can be gained through education, credentials, training, or upskilling. They are often measurable or quantifiable. 

Soft skills are not always easy to learn, including problem-solving, innovation, vision, critical thinking, communication, leadership, empathy, listening, flexibility, strategic thinking, time management, organization, dependability, the ability to read a room, patience, social skills, and emotional intelligence. Soft skills are often embedded in a person’s personality, behavior, and demeanor. They are personal habits and traits. Some people are just “natural” at sales, and they excel. Some salespeople cannot learn a foreign language. 

Emotional intelligence is a difficult skill to teach. To demonstrate emotional intelligence, a client needs to regulate their own behavior, empathize with others, and develop self-awareness. Emotional intelligence also reflects a strong work ethic. Emotional intelligence is a sought-after soft skill for leaders and anyone working with the public or customers/clients. 

Employers often select applicants for interviews based on their hard skills, knowledge, training, and expertise in a discipline; however, hiring officials also seek applicants who demonstrate soft skills that align with an organization, team, or project. 

Case Study

I was hired to train job seekers at the USDA and coach them on writing résumés that aligned with target job announcements. Because the résumés submitted to Human Resources were extremely basic, they hired me to deliver résumé-writing training and interview coaching to help the hiring officials make a hiring decision.  

Most candidates were well-versed in their roles. They had completed the required training for their positions, and they had several years of experience. Their hard skills were solid. So, this made résumé development much easier. We were not focused on transferable skills; rather, we were focused on building a strong résumé tied to the hard skill competencies in the target job announcements.

Next, I focused on the soft skill competencies: Attention to Detail, Decision-Making, Dependability, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, and Self-Management. I met with hiring officials to determine their pain points and ask why these specific soft skills were added to the job announcement. The hiring officials informed me that certain candidates were habitually late or called in sick and would not be hired, regardless of how well their résumés were developed/written. Poor attendance was costly, affected performance, and lowered morale.

I developed training on soft skills and explained the importance of demonstrating them on résumés and during interviews. To validate the soft skills, I asked the candidates to explain or describe scenarios where they provided Attention to Detail (perhaps referencing a specific report, or identifying and solving a problem), Decision Making (deciding to call management to the floor to discuss a specific issue or change the line speed), Dependability (list an award for no absences, arriving to work in a snow storm, always turning reports in on time), Flexibility (volunteering to work in a different plant for six months), Interpersonal Skills (volunteering to train a new employee or resolve a conflict between team members), and Self-Management (ensuring all reports were submitted timely or ahead of time each week). These examples on the résumé and in the interview demonstrated the soft skills the managers were seeking. 

People Skills

Research conducted with Fortune 500 CEOs by the Stanford Research Institute International and the Carnegie Mellon Foundation found that 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% on technical knowledge.

For example, if a candidate has the technical hard skills to manage accounting and payroll, the question is: Does the applicant have the soft skills of conflict resolution and gentle interpersonal communications to be able to speak to customers who may be upset over payroll issues? If not, the candidate may be better-suited to a behind-the-scenes role that does not involve direct customer contact.

If a hiring official is seeking a strong leader with expertise in a specific discipline, such as criminal intelligence, they may also be seeking soft skills, including vision, conflict management, and innovation. These soft skills will help the criminal intelligence expert form and lead a large team, energize the team to design new processes and procedures to improve performance, and effectively resolve conflicts and problems within the team, between the team and senior leaders, and with other stakeholders. 

Human Resources and hiring managers receive hundreds, if not thousands, of résumés, which often readily validate hard skills, such as a degree in criminal intelligence, 15+ years of experience in the field, development of new investigative processes and systems, and measurable accomplishments. The interview will allow the hiring official to assess soft skills and determine the right fit for the team and organization.

It is important for our clients to understand the difference between hard and soft skills to build talking points for each skill set/competency for the résumé and interview process. In particular, senior leaders should clearly distinguish between hard and soft skills in interviews and describe their leadership, communication, and management skills. 

More junior employees should be able to articulate their soft skills for the target role; for example, a CNA or caretaker should demonstrate time management and dependability.  

As a career coach, my job is to ensure my clients’ résumés align with the skills and competencies outlined in a job announcement, and to ensure they are aware of and well-versed in the distinctions between hard and soft skills. 

Scenario-based coaching can enhance a client’s skills in areas like customer service, conflict resolution, listening, vision, innovation, and other soft skills. 

News from PARWCC!

Written by PARWCC Leadership Team on . Posted in Blog, Weekly Newsletter.

 

 

 

Check out the blog below for CPCC Director Diane Hudson’s take on AI in the application process. Find effective strategies to help your clients master the art of narrative personalization to ensure their documents bypass rigid and predictable AI screening.

 

Keep any eye out for our upcoming LIVE series. Both Certified Digital Career Strategist and Certified Student Career Coach start LIVE cohorts in April – sign up now because seats fill fast for these in-demand programs.

 

Find member resources such as PARWCC’s video library and gearbox. Catch up on recordings you missed and find key resources to advocate for your credentials and services. You can also find white papers in our bookstore, our calendar of events, blogs, forums, learning center, and more.

 

In the “Things We Found Interesting” section below, find articles about the U.S. Jobs market after the blowout month, the bigger danger workers are missing in their fear AI will take their jobs, and what you need to prepare for the rapidly changing job skill needs. Also drop a “congrats!” message to Kerry Busniak – our Elite Circle Member of the week.

Webinars and Sessions

 

 

Featured Elite Circle Member

There’s new tier of membership at PARWCC – the Elite Circle! This designation is a showcase of members who have earned one certification from all three PARWCC Institutes.

Kerry Busniak is one of our first ever Elite Circle Members. She holds the CIC, CPCC, CPRW, CSCCC, and CDCS credentials. Send her a “Congrats!” message on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

 

Connect with us.

Or contact us directly at [email protected] for all your membership needs.

It’s Not the Plan: It’s the Pivot

Written by Doug Phares on . Posted in Blog, Business Development.

You’ve almost certainly heard the saying, “Man plans, and God laughs.” True as that may be, I’m still someone who appreciates a plan. I like my time organized, and if something happens during the day that I didn’t account for, I’ll go back and update my calendar to document the change in my schedule for my records. In other words, I have a lot of confidence that God finds me hilarious.

Over the past year, I’ve been working a lot on being more flexible. As I wrote in a blog a number of months ago, I’ve made a lot of efforts to get better at same-day rescheduling to address priorities. It has mostly been going well. These changes have given me the flexibility to be more respectful of people’s time and make last-minute alterations to my schedule that are often better-suited to my long-term goals than what I initially planned.

Which brings me to the crux of today’s gospel: the pivot. Plans are wonderful and necessary, but the pivot is what allows you to respond to ever-changing circumstances. I got this piece of wisdom from my training partner, who is always preaching the value of the pivot. She consistently and feverishly beats her drum about identifying a problem, getting in front of it, and pivoting in a way that allows you to control your circumstances and massage them into something more beneficial.

While I’ve made a lot of strides in coming around to her way of thinking, I can’t deny that I still enjoy having a well-organized schedule. A couple of weeks ago, I managed to craft the “perfect day” for myself: I would work on my own in the morning, pull in one team for a mid-morning work session, get together with another team in the afternoon, and then cap off my day with a desired volunteer opportunity in the evening. Both meetings were milestone sessions on two big projects I’d been mentoring.

Which is to say, I had a really good setup for the joke I was about to tell God. At 7:00 that morning, I had all my prep work laid out and I was feeling ready for the day—right when I got a text that my afternoon plans had been canceled.

I took a deep breath and chose to be okay with the alteration. I could always lean into another project in the afternoon and lean on my morning and evening plans to get me through the day. Not an hour later, I was notified that my morning meeting was also a no-go.

Suddenly, my day had two giant holes in it. I was still reckoning with what to do when I heard from the volunteer organizer that my plans for that evening were also null and void. At which point I stepped outside my home to look up for the asteroid that was surely coming my way, because even with a fairly rigorous yoga schedule, I’m simply not built for this much flexibility.

There was, much to my chagrin, no asteroid. So I went back inside to try and reconstruct something out of my day, and not too much later I got a text from a friend who was having a big personal issue and could use some help. I am, historically, never in a position to help people at the last minute because my schedule is so tightly booked. At most, you can get a five-minute phone call out of me, and that may or may not require a gun to my head.

But because of my various calamities, I could be there for him. I got to be a good friend that day, and the experience was as meaningful and useful as anything else I might have done instead. Everything else in my day? Punted to the next week or two.

My takeaway? You never know when you need the pivot. Because I chose not to lose it over canceled plans and took a couple of deep breaths to acknowledge we could still get done what I needed done—just later than I hoped—I was able to be there for a friend in need.

A pivot is not about avoiding all problems. It is about taking advantage of something you didn’t want or expect and making the best possible outcome.

News from PARWCC!

Written by PARWCC Leadership Team on . Posted in Blog, Weekly Newsletter.

 

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Join us tonight for Interview Insiders – a behind the scenes look with a recruiter panel gathered to answer your top questions. Get insights on how hiring actually works, how candidates are evaluated, and what really influences interview decisions. 

 

PARWCC is driving a new partnership to support career services in the GCC. Our first informational session is tomorrow at 1pm GST (note the time zone) to uncover opportunities and bridge the international gap in this rapidly growing market.

 

Don’t go alone, take your interview coaching community with you. This collaborative hive mind can help you with real-time industry intelligence, effective strategies, and adaptive coaching frameworks to help you guarantee superior outcomes for your clients. Check out the blog below for the tactics you need.

 

In the “Things We Found Interesting” section, find articles on how job seekers are paying to be recruited, how AI is fueling gains in jobs reports, and tips to calm your nerves before a job interview. Also find this week’s featured Elite Circle Member: Max Bronson. Send him a connection on LinkedIn!

 

Webinars and Sessions

 
February

 

March

 

Find Your Opportunity in the GCC

 

1:00 PM GST
Thurs., Feb. 19

 

Join us online (register through EventBrite) to uncover hot job opportunities and ace your career move in the GCC market! (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman)

As part of our new focused effort to support the career services ecosystem in the Gulf, we are excited to announce our inaugural GCC-focused webinar. Join us as we welcome Andrew Arkley, a global authority on CV standards and an expert in the Middle Eastern hiring landscape. As the owner of PurpleCV and a key architect of the PARWCC CCVW certification, Andrew brings a unique perspective on how to bridge international standards with local Gulf requirements.

 

Please note our GCC sessions are in GST time zone (EST+9) to include our international audience.

 
Register Here

Don’t Do It Alone: Build Your Interview Coaching Community

 

In this era of AI-driven hiring, transition from a siloed practitioner to a member of an elite intelligence collective, leveraging shared data to stay ahead of rapidly evolving interview trends. Your clients need you to master adaptive coaching frameworks and the learnable skill of educational scaffolding, ensuring they can speak with authenticity under pressure without relying on “scripting crutches.” Through this collaborative hive mind, you will gain access to real-time industry intelligence on high-stakes scenarios like AI-scored assessments and complex disclosure strategies. Ultimately, you will refine your ability to deliver behavior-changing feedback, transforming your advice into a structured learning arc that guarantees superior outcomes for every candidate who walks through your door.
Read More

Things We Found Interesting

 

Job Hunters Are So Desperate That They’re Paying to Get Recruited
Read More

AI Fuels Gains in New Jobs Reports Despite Warnings that It’s a Job Killer
Read More

So, Tell Me About Myself. How To Calm Your Nerves Before a Job Interview
Read More

Member News and Updates

 
There’s a new tier of membership at PARWCC – The Elite Circle! This designation is a showcase of members who have earned one certification from all three PARWCC Institutes/

Max Bronson is one of our first ever Elite Circle Members. He holds the CPRW, CIC, and CPCC credentials. Send him a “Congrats!” message on LinkedIn.

 

            

 

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
204 37th Ave N,  #112, St. Petersburg, FL 33704
Phone: (727) 350-2218
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://parwcc.com

If you would like to unsubscribe: @@unsubscribe_url@@

 

 

News from PARWCC!

Written by PARWCC Leadership Team on . Posted in Blog, Weekly Newsletter.

 

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Join us next Tuesday for insights into modern résumé strategies with Master Writer John Suarez. This monthly interactive session is your safe place to sharpen skills and ask those questions you really want answers to. Build your confidence and develop into a truly exceptional writer.

 

PARWCC is launching a dedicated initiative focused exclusively on the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) region. The Gulf is undergoing a historic workforce transformation driven by Saudi Vision 2023 and rapid private-sector expansion. So PARWCC is driving a new effort to support international career professionals in this region. Sign up here for the email list to stay in the loop and attend our informative session on the 19th!

 

Did you know we revamped the Certified Professional Career Coach program? It now includes LIVE coaching opportunities to hone your techniques while bridging the gap between theory and real-world application. Sign up now for the most comprehensive and hands-on path to becoming an effective career coach.

 

Read the blog below for strategies to master the art of investigative discovery through gentle interrogation of your clients. Turn their vague answers into high-impact business outcomes you can quantify in your résumé writing. Learn how to balance human-centric storytelling with rigid ATS requirements.

 

Check out the “Things We Found Interesting” section for articles on how AI is changing the job search, what an AI résumé builder recommends, and 4 simple tips to answer challenging job interview questions. Also drop a fast “Congrats!” message to our featured Elite Circle Member Heather Brown!

 

Webinars and Sessions

 
February

 

March

 

Get Direct Access to Reliable Guidance

 

1:00 PM ET
Tues., Feb. 17

 

If you’re working through the Fundamentals of Résumé Writing course or looking to strengthen your writing abilities, this monthly interactive session with acclaimed résumé writer John Suarez is your place to sharpen and elevate your skills. Bring your challenges, your résumé drafts, and your curiosity. You’ll find a supportive space to learn, troubleshoot, and build confidence as you develop into a truly exceptional résumé writer.

 
Register Here
There’s a new tier of membership at PARWCC – The Elite Circle! This designation is a showcase of members who have earned one certification from all three PARWCC Institutes/

Heather Brown is one of our first ever Elite Circle Members. She holds the CPRW, CIC, CDCS, and CVCS credentials. Send her a “Congrats!” message on LinkedIn.

 

Unpacking the Resume Writing Profession

 

As a résumé writer, you will master the art of investigative discovery, learning to transform your clients’ vague descriptions into high-impact business outcomes through “gentle interrogation.” Your clients need you to serve as a strategic translator, a learnable skill that involves balancing human-centric storytelling with the rigid requirements of ATS logic and narrative control. To ensure a sustainable practice, you will develop project management and emotional resilience, allowing you to guide anxious job seekers while maintaining the professional boundaries necessary for high-volume output. Ultimately, you will cultivate cross-industry pattern recognition, empowering your clients by identifying and articulating their unique value across diverse sectors from healthcare to finance.
Read More

Things We Found Interesting

 

I’m an AI Resume Builder Who’s Helped Hundreds of Recently Laid-Off Workers. Here’s My Advice for People Looking for Work in 2026
Read More

How AI is Changing the Job Search – and How to Make It Work for You
Read More

Challenging Job Interview Questions: 4 Simple Tips You Need to Know
Read More

Member News and Updates

 

Join the Discussion!

 

PARWCC Member Scott Gardner followed up in a LinkedIn post after attending a PARWCC session. Check it out!

“This came up in the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches webinar last week, so I wanted to address it again.

Not everyone has individual KPIs. That does not mean your impact is invisible.

If your role supports a team, department, or function, use shared metrics on your resume, just frame your contribution clearly.

Instead of claiming ownership, show enablement:
➡️ “Supported a 22% reduction in onboarding time by streamlining training workflows.”
➡️ “Contributed to higher CSAT by improving internal processes and cross-team coordination.”
➡️ “Maintained compliance systems that helped the department sustain 100% audit readiness.”

Hiring managers care less about who “owned” the number and more about how your work moved it.

Your resume should answer one question: How did 𝘺𝘰𝘶 help create results?”

 

Add your input here!

 

            

 

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
204 37th Ave N,  #112, St. Petersburg, FL 33704
Phone: (727) 350-2218
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://parwcc.com

If you would like to unsubscribe: @@unsubscribe_url@@

 

 

News from PARWCC!

Written by PARWCC Leadership Team on . Posted in Blog, Weekly Newsletter.

 

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Did you know all of our LIVE programs are available as self-study? That means you have a full year to go at your pace to develop your skills and get the credentials that boost your practice. These self-study programs are on the same intuitive learning platform with member-only resources and the videos from the live sessions. Check it out!

 

Read the blog below for insights on the developing 2026 job market. Help your clients master AI-integrated search strategies and evolve precision targeting with a data-driven approach. Learn how to provide the structure your clients need to survive the longer 71-day hiring timelines.

 

Join us on the 18th for Interview Insiders – a new interactive panel that takes you behind the hiring curtain. See the magic for yourself and get unfiltered views for what interviewers listen for, what raises red flags, how trade-offs are made, and why strong candidates still don’t get the offer.

 

Check out the “Things We Found Interesting” section below for articles on 12 entry-level but high-earning careers built for AI in 2026, how the use of AI in the workplace has continued to rise, and an opinion piece on 5 strategies to take advantage of the new year. Also celebrate our Elite Circle Member of the week – Kevin Bottino!

 

Webinars and Sessions

 
February

 

Get Direct Access to the Interviewer’s Side of the Table

 

1:00 PM ET
Weds., Feb. 18

 

Recruiters, hiring managers, and other decision-makers step out from behind the interview table to share how hiring actually works. You will get unfiltered insight into what interviewers listen for, what raises red flags, how tradeoffs are made, and why strong candidates sometimes still don’t get offers.

Interview Insiders moves beyond theory and best guesses. It replaces assumptions with firsthand perspective, helping attendees understand how value, fit, and presence are interpreted by the people doing the hiring.

 
Register Here
Celebrate Our Elite Members

 
There’s a new tier of membership at PARWCC – The Elite Circle! This designation is a showcase of members who have earned one certification from all three PARWCC Institutes.

Kevin Bottino is one of our first ever Elite Circle Members. He holds the CPRW, CERW, CIC, and CVCS credentials. Send him a “Congrats!” message on LinkedIn.

 

Help Your Clients Succeed

 

In this selective 2026 market, empower your clients to master AI-integrated search strategies, to help them navigate the reality where over 80% of applicants use automation and 63% are screened out by algorithms. Develop the learnable skill of precision targeting, shifting away from broad applications toward a data-driven approach that documents specific differentiators for every target role. Learn how to provide the structure your clients need to maintain strategic momentum over longer 71-day hiring timelines, ensuring they remain resilient and adaptable until they secure an offer.
Read More

Things We Found Interesting

 

12 Entry-Level, High-Earning Careers Built for 2026 AI
Read More

Frequent Use of AI in the Workplace Continued to Rise in Q4
Read More

5 Career Strategies for the New Year
Read More

Member News and Updates

 

Discover the industry’s evolution and master the art of “selling people on paper” with this instructive tale of an evolving industry from John Suarez, director of PARWCC Fundamentals of Résumé Writing Program. This 150 page book includes samples and examples, many of which are timeless and applicable today. 

            

 

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
204 37th Ave N,  #112, St. Petersburg, FL 33704
Phone: (727) 350-2218
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://parwcc.com

If you would like to unsubscribe: @@unsubscribe_url@@

 

 

A Tale of Two Companies

Written by Doug Phares on . Posted in Blog, Business Development.

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

Written by Lili Foggle on . Posted in Blog, CIC.

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

Written by Jay Block on . Posted in Blog, CEMP.

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

Written by Diane Hudson on . Posted in Blog, CPCC.

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.