Paralyzed By Resume Writer’s Block?

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Just the idea of writing a resume paralyzes many careerists. The fear of writer’s block, the angst associated with offending someone’s ambiguous rules, the frustration in trying to recall what you did, and when you did it — all of these feelings mix and meld...

Recently Fired? Surround Yourself With Pushy Encouragers!

image: SmilynStef (flickr) By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Recently downsized, separated or fired executives often at the precipice of retirement or at a phase in their executive career ladder where they are feeling old and worn down often struggle with building a career portfolio. They are so...

Careerist: Are You a Confident Salesperson?

image via Bahman Farzad - Flickr By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Careerist, are you fearful that in the current market you must sacrifice financial rewards (salary) to land a job? I think in many cases this fear that you are competing with lower salary competitors and thus must lower your salary bar can be...

Confidence Building and Your Career

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Cherry Woodburn for a story in her inaugural Confidence Chronicles | True Stories of Becoming Strong series this week. Woodburn, a brilliant storyteller, uses stories to engage the audience. According to her website, she’s also...

A Focused Approach to Shaping Your Value Story

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter The resume – so often misunderstood, yet so critical in helping lift a job search off the ground. As a professional resume writer, I am passionate about the value of this messaging vehicle. Unfortunately, careerists, in the thick of career transition, often become...

What About the Results of All This Suffering?

Sea's the Day By Robert P. Poindexter A few days ago, I began the mind-numbing task of refinishing the woodwork on our sailboat. I do not like anything about this procedure. It requires you to stay bent over most of the time. And, since it is a sailboat, you are usually bending over and twisting to avoid...

Think Your Resume Is Too Long? Go Bungee Jumping!

photo: art.com By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter While most operators of bungee jumping sites are not typically physics experts, they do rely on tables generated by experts. These tables are used to determine chord diameter and static line length, based on the weight of the jumper and the desired maximum...

Recruiters Recruit; Writers Write

By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Caroline, a resume client, recently asked me, “Why do recruiters have rules that would make a cool resume look just like everyone else’s?” I love the value that recruiters provide for job-seeking candidates, as well as passive candidates open to the idea of...

Piecing Together Your Resume Puzzle

Akin to constructing a jigsaw puzzle, preparing your interview-cinching resume is a perplexity that requires intricately connecting hundreds, even thousands, of small pieces. Most resumes, however, resemble jumbo-piece starter puzzles that are elementary and unsatisfying to the reader, derailing your...

Short stories, hot dogs, James Michener and resumes

As of this writing, I am deeply engrossed in a book by James Michener titled Chesapeake. It was given to me by a friend as a thank-you gift for taking her sailing with us one weekend. I will tell you that when she first presented me with this tome, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish it. After all,...