The Secret Sauce In Pulling Off A Resume Review Event

February 11th, 2011 | Shonali Burke | 2 Comments


This is the second in a two-part series on organizing a résumé review event

Yesterday, I shared the four basic steps you need to undertake when organizing a resume review event.

That’s Kate Perrin of PRofessional Solutions, btw, speaking at IABC/DC Metro’s 2009 event.

Now, let’s continue from there. Steps 5 – 8 will walk you through putting the rest of the pieces in place.

5. Organizing and scheduling the reviews

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Four Steps To Start Organizing A Resume Review Event

February 10th, 2011 | Shonali Burke | 2 Comments


This is the first in a two-part series on organizing a résumé review event

About a year and a half ago

I wrote a post on IABC/DC Metro’s tradition of organizing an annual résumé review, career counseling and networking night (disclosure: I’m immediate past president).

It’s usually a great event, because résumé reviews are always in demand. At this kind of event, people who might not be able to spend a few hundred dollars on one get them for practically nothing, assuming you have a nominal event fee.

It’s also a good experience for those providing reviews, because they get to see what folks’ resumes are like, give them balanced advice not just on the résumés but serve as a sounding board… as well as maybe learn something new from the folks they are advising.

When I wrote the post, quite a few people were interested in learning more about our “formula” for putting on, and pulling off, such an event.

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3 Reasons Why Being a Volunteer Leader Helps Your Business

December 28th, 2009 | Shonali Burke | 7 Comments

One of the great things about joining a professional development organization is that you can get hands-on leadership experience as a volunteer; experience which, they say, will serve you well in your “real” job. Certainly that’s a selling point for such organizations and in the PR/communications field, organizations such as IABC and PRSA thrive on it.

What kind of leadership skills do volunteer leaders actually gain though? And do these skills actually benefit them in their careers, or are they simply good volunteer leaders because of skills they’ve acquired through their day jobs?

At the end of the day, is being a volunteer leader—with all the time it takes—worth it?

I recently started my term as President of IABC/Washington after having previously served on the chapter board as VP, Professional Development, for three years until a couple of years ago. Before moving to the DC area, I served on the board of San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club and now, in addition to my duties at IABC/Washington, I volunteer on IABC International’s Accreditation Council.

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