Words of Distinction

Make Space for What Matters

Posted on May 29, 2024May 29, 2024 by Emily Wong

We have this massive machine in our spare room. At one time, someone in our family thought it was a good idea.

Now it’s not. It’s just taking up space.

Time to sell it.

🧹🗃️ Out with the old…

Speaking of clearing out stuff that’s no longer useful, now’s a great time to make space for relevant Information.

It’s been fun celebrating the new roles many of you have landed recently.

But whether you earned a new role in the last 2 weeks or the last 4 years, how about taking 15-30 minutes to clear out dated details—even if you’re not actively looking?

Spring is a great time to scan your career profile to identify details that no longer serve you or your target companies. 🍃

There are exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking you shouldn’t need to include information beyond 15 years. So if you’re about to add achievements for the last 5 years, think about what you can remove from your earlier career.

Especially if you’re working in high tech or marketing—where so much has changed—take special care to replace technical skills and terms that no longer apply to you or your field.

ChatGPT: Should You Trust a Robot to Write Your Resume?

Posted on March 5, 2023March 7, 2023 by Emily Wong

I recently sat down with Anne Janzer. She’s the author of several books on effective writing and has a special interest in how people write for and in the workplace.

Anne also coined the term servant authorship, a play on servant leadership.

Servant authorship is the discipline of getting to the heart of what the reader actually needs and delivering on that expectation.

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, we tend to overlook our audience’s interests as we hustle to get our content out.

The need for more focus on servant authorship couldn’t apply more to resume writers and job seekers.

You’ve heard me say it over and over…

When we write resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles, it’s so important to share experience that’s relevant to what the hiring team is looking for in a candidate.

Servant Authorship in an AI World?

A key tenet of servant authorship is authenticity (no surprise the words spring from the same root). Naturally, my conversation with Anne turned toward AI and ChatGPT. Specifically, how they apply to resume writing.

In case this is the first you’ve heard of it, ChatGPT is the latest tool from OpenAI, and it’s getting a lot of…well…chatter.

So I conducted my own test to see what all the buzz was about.