Finding yourself looking for a job can sometimes be a pretty tricky place to be, right? So many details to consider, and each company is probably asking you to go about providing those details in different ways. Whether you are on the job, searching fresh out of school, or looking for something new after years in your current job, pulling together documents and resources for a hiring manager can be a daunting task. Over the years, we have discovered that many of our clients have gotten stuck along the job search path when it comes to writing a cover letter. Resumes tend to carry more of a format, whereas cover letters remain a bit more obscure and harder to wrap one’s head around. There are questions of confusion as to what is technically supposed to be included in this letter. There are [...]

Are you unhappy with your job? Maybe you’ve lost the fire for the work that you once had. Or, even more disturbing, maybe you never had that passionate fire to begin with. We are all surrounded in our careers by those who are going through the daily and weekly tasks that their job requires. Project after project is being completed on time and on point. You may never hear a spoken complaint. However, how often do you see a smile on the face of such individuals? A sense of belonging and connectedness to their work? You may have Golden Handcuffs. Golden Handcuffs can hold you down professionally. These folks that we have described are often struggling with the concept of the Golden Handcuffs. Knowingly or blinded, they are being held down to their jobs, as unhappy as they are, because their pay [...]

We are a generation of competitive overachievers. From an early age, we are taught in our families and classrooms to drive ourselves to the top and work hard to gain what we dream and hope will come our way. We seek to outrank and out-earn our neighbors with no regard for what those endeavors cost us in the long run. Is it wrong to have a competitive spirit? No way. Is it bad to push yourself to achieve bigger and better things? Not necessarily. Is there any real harm in pouring your time and sweat into your work? It depends. Do you have a work-life balance? It's all about balance. The takeaway from all of this…is that it’s all about balance. Climb the ladder of success but stop and look down occasionally. Work hard to earn that paycheck but take a [...]

With everything so quickly and easily accessible online, we, as a society, are finding ourselves more and more self-sufficient. Why buy laundry detergent when Pinterest can tell you how to make your own? Why take your car to the mechanic when a YouTube video will walk you through the necessary steps yourself? And, to hone in on our specific interest, why hire a resume preparation service to create a resume for you when you can spend a few seconds grabbing a free template yourself? The Best Resume Preparation Service is a local business, and you talk to the owner. The principle of the matter seems quite simple. You need a job, so, therefore, you need a resume. The one you once used is ancient, and you have no idea where the zip drive is located, which might or might not even [...]

What is a CPRW, and Why is it Important to your Job Search? Many people have never heard of a CPRW and don’t understand what an asset such a person can be to their job search experience. In 1991, the Professional Association of Resume Writers created a new certification process to bring greater credibility to the resume-writing industry. The certification process consists of a detailed test with mock documentation that is reviewed by a panel of judges, and an applicant only passes by acquiring an adequate score on all modules within the structure of the test. This CPRW certification has become the most widely recognized certificate in resume writing, and seeing these credentials behind someone’s name means that your resume is being written and designed by an expert in the field. There are only a handful of individuals serving the Kansas City [...]

Getting yourself organized and put together for a job search is a job in and of itself. Trying to reword your outdated resume and write a proper cover letter can be daunting, especially for someone who needs a resume, such as if you're self-employed and haven’t looked for a new job in a long time. Moreover, there’s the interview process to consider and think through! This ordeal can be overwhelming, especially if you are stepping out of self-employment and back into the job market. As you make this transition, there will be many adjustments, such as answering to another person rather than being your own boss and adapting to a set schedule instead of setting your own hours. This change can be hard to swallow for those self-employed for many years, but the new season can also be exciting. One thing [...]

Have you ever been dating someone for a long time and had to answer the frequently asked, “So, are you two ever going to get married?” That question gets old after a while.  Or, maybe you took the marriage plunge and faced the ever-popular and incessant, “So, when are you going to have a baby?” (insert…nudge, nudge, poke in the ribs, big grin.) We’re an inquisitive culture, aren’t we? Always wanting to be ‘in the know’ and asking questions that may seem harmless at its root but then start to feel intrusive and quite annoying as they’re asked repeatedly, especially by the same person. These inquisitive folks in your life will most likely be just as interested in your unemployment as they were in your dating relationships and plans to reproduce. Get accustomed to hearing the question, How is the Job [...]

If you’re in the midst of a job search, trying to get your resume to the top of the list and your foot in the door of that big interview, then you know how taxing the process can be. If you’re serious about landing that dream job, then you understand how much hard work should go into getting your act together and developing yourself as a future employee. Many people mistakenly believe that getting a nice-looking resume together is all there is to prepare yourself for your big break. Others understand that you need to have a good resume along with a legitimate cover letter and some killer interview skills. But, only a few of those seeking to advance their career understand that there is an element of introspection and self-awareness that must be coupled with the rest of the package. [...]