For four years, I have volunteered at the Halton Region Job Fair providing free resume critiques – for the last three with fellow CPC-er, Elizabeth Grin of Sunshine Design. Everyone loves “free” and the line-ups are incredible! My husband, Richard, is the congenial gate-keeper and he has the difficult task of turning away a lot of people. We always end up staying longer, so as not to disappoint the last few.

This year, on my way home from the job fair, I jotted down a few ideas to implement next year.

Although my husband kept a tally of how many lined up, how many Elizabeth and I assisted, how many gave up, and how many were turned away, next year I will keep my own tally of the major issues. I want to know what issues exist such as: lack of focus, wordiness, brevity to the point of being terse, or devoid of context? Knowing this will give me fodder for new articles to post to Ezines, my monthly newsletter, and three blogs.

In addition, I plan to ask if I can take a copy of each person’s resume, with email address, in order to email them a free resource. Once I have those, I will evaluate which of the more than 100 articles I have written would be of most value to each person. This measure may lead to a few actual clients.

Asking for the resumes will also give me a chance to catch those funny mistakes that we all make – the grammatical error that gives an unintended meaning, the miss-spelled word that would make a mother blush, or a sentence so devoid of context that it baffles the reader. These examples make great article hooks that pique the reader’s interest and keep him or her reading!

While I wish that I had thought of these before, but I’m glad that they’re now committed to paper. I am ready for next year.

Oh, by the way, Elizabeth, Richard, and I always wrap up the day at an award-winning Thai restaurant. That way, we get a chance to reflect on the rewards of our volunteer activity while nurturing our friendship!

I really enjoy watching Dragons’ Den. In case you’re not familiar with this television program, it consists of a group of successful Canadian entrepreneurs who sit in judgment of the viability of an unbelievable diversity of business ideas (Canadians, it appears, are quite inventive). As you might expect, given that it is for entertainment, most of the ideas are foolish indeed. And the Dragons do not hesitate to tell the show’s guests exactly where the problem lies.

Thankfully, if you are considering launching your career-practitioner business, you don’t have to worry about raising capital with the likes of these Dragons; it is quite doable with minimal investment. Even so, research into your niche market, and being prepared to take a few years to build a viable business, are strategies that we career practitioners have in common with all entrepreneurs.

The hopeful entrepreneurs who dare enter that dragons’ lair think that a great idea alone is enough. They soon learn that that is but a humble beginning. Another hard truth? The pundits are right: it takes five years to earn a decent salary.

Launch your career practitioner business, with hope and practicality as your constant companions.

In my past, corporate life, excited about the possibility of a new role—driving customer service initiatives in a large municipality—I began a course of self-study. Although I didn’t land that position, researching the topic gave my own service delivery a boost!

One of the books I read was “Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service.” Did you know that Disney has hosted professional development programs to major organizations since 1986? The Disney Institute instructs best business practices in categories including people management, processes, communications, and setting. They know that Tinker Bell’s magic alone doesn’t offer an integrated strategy for attracting customers.

Even though as self-employed career practitioners we most often work alone with little, if any, face-to-face business, we undoubtedly must serve our clientele with undivided attention, individual dedication, and with virtual “kid glove” treatment. Why? Besides making life more pleasant, it’s good for business. Research shows that every 2% increase in service results in 1% increase in revenues.

There are “easy-peasy” service-enhancers that don’t take a lot of time or money; oftentimes requiring only an attitude shift. For an in-depth look at customer service, join CPC’s Teleclass on November 3^rd at 1pm. Transform your service with a little magic!

One of the best things I’ve done for business is to pick up the phone, call a stranger, and just ask! Here’s an example. I noticed that our local daily newspaper, the Waterloo Region Record, had a regular Friday feature article titled “Careers Weekly.” The copy they used was ubiquitous, and had no value-added benefit to readers.

 So I called the editor.

Unbelievably (at least to me!) she called me back. Before I knew it, I had a weekly gig!  The Record’s circulation is quite widespread across central Ontario. Although I don’t get calls every Friday, I know that people are noticing. Writing these articles led to a local private college asking me to deliver a key-note presentation at its first-ever Open House. My 20 minute speech on Career Management attracted new clients, and provided another accomplishment to add to my resume. And while on-site, I discovered that my weekly articles were posted on the bulletin board, which did wonders for my confidence.

Admittedly not every time you ask will you land an offer. But if you never ask, you’ll miss opportunities.

Who could you call today?  You could volunteer as a speaker, as a writer, a workshop host; you could offer  a free resume assessment service to a local job/career fair, a workshop on career management, a presentation on penning a dynamic professional bio … the list is endless.

So simple. Just ask.