Getting Your Foot in the Door: Cover Letters & Resumes "Ann's consultation was affordable & worth every penny. She really knows her stuff!" You've got 87 seconds to tell an employer why they should hire you. Employers pile through mountains of applications. How do you stand out? We teach you "how to get your foot in the door". Ann McLaughlin MSW, who brings 25 years of counseling experience, preaches: "The cover letter is critical; it is the first thing the employer reads. If you send a crummy cover letter, they won't read your resume." Whether you are sweating an international or a domestic job search, we are both encouraging & honest about the ingredients that lead to victory.

Yes! Got the Job: AIDS in Africa
"I am now working with the Medical Research Council-UK in Uganda! MRC is one of the international organizations I had always dreamed of working with; one of the places I sent that nice cover letter and they looked forward to seeing and hearing from me.

They expect a lot from me. I am currently carrying out two studies: Cost Effectiveness study of facility based care compared to home based care for the HIV/AIDS infected people; and Livelihood Trajectories study for HIV/AIDS infected/affected households. It’s the right job for my master in international healthcare management. There is nothing as nice as making use of the skills one has invested resources to acquire.

The cover letter was an opportunity to market my skills to potential employers.  I was in a dilemma: I had little experience in the healthcare field but an excellent Master's education with expensive loans to pay off. The cover letter was my saving grace; the only way to market myself because, at that time, I had only experience in micro-finance." 

                                                                                                                                      Jovita Amurwon
                                                                                                                                      Kampala, Uganda

MBA: International Business: Small & Medium Enterprises
"Ann has been a Godsend to me: a life coach, a career counselor, a mentor.  In trying to make a career change into international development, she understands my situational constraints and is helping me work around them.  She offers concrete, clear (and often amusing!) guidance, supportive encouragement, and laser-like insight.  She's exceedingly responsive and a pleasure to work with.  With her help, I'm sure I'll be able to get unstuck and pursue my life's passion."

                                                                                                                                      Serafina Medici
                                                                                                                                      Toronto, Canada

Human Rights/ Women's Rights
"Ann me ayudó bastante a mejorar el estilo de mi CV y el de mi carta de presentación o interés. Gracias a sus observaciones mi CV se ve mucho mas organizado y fácil de leer. La carta de interés que ella escribió basándose en mi original fue una sorpresa: directa y al punto. Lo que mas me gustó de sus servicios es su disposición inmediata. De seguro, después de que le escribas, ella te contestará o te llamará en poco tiempo, a veces en pocos minutos. Ella también te hace sentir que eres una persona que tiene algo que ofrecer, y eso es gratificante."

                                                                                                                                     Maytte Restrepo-Ruiz
                                                                                                                                     Bogota, Colombia

                                                                                                                           
Public Health
"Ann's fees are very low compared to others so were affordable on our two-small-kids family budget.  Her consultation was worth every penny.  I learned so much from her in just two hours.  I am so grateful for what she was able to teach me about getting my foot in the door of paid positions in the international humanitarian community.  She really knows her stuff!"

                                                            Name? Confidential--so employer doesn't know they are thinking of leaving
 

A Career Consult is designed to complement the Cover Letter/Resume Consult
      but they can be done separately...whatever fits for you.
      These Consults are for people seeking domestic or international work from all walks of life.
The Roadmap to International Resources is for people entering or advancing in international work, our specialty.
If you select all of the services, they are best done in the following order:
 
1) Career Consult
     Together we identify your strengths & what motivates you to build your launching pad;
     clarify your goals and see how they jibe with the world of international work;
     design strategies and plot the practical steps to your goal.
     "A Consult is a bridge from where you are now to where you want to be."    

2) Personalized Guide: Roadmap to International Resources
    A List gives you the (international) resources to realize your goal; it shows you the road.
    Most people entering international work do not know how it is organized,
    what the opportunities are or how to go about their search.
    This is a treasure trove of opportunities from beginning to more advanced
         and custom fit to your skills and aspirations.

3) Consults: Cover Letters & Resumes
     We teach you to:
          -- whittle your message to the bare bones.
          -- think from the employer's point of view.
          -- inject life.
                Do you drone on? Will you put the employer to sleep?
                You've got 87 seconds to sway them to think: "We want this person on our team!"
     "I call these cover letter and resume overhauls"
          because usually we de-construct then reconstruct."
          I do the equivalent of a root canal rather than a filling.
          I am both encouraging & supportive; and very honest." (See the Testimonials above.)
     

The job search is challenging. We are here to help.

Consults are done by phone. Cover letter/resume revisions are done by email & phone.
Fee= $50/hour. If you want  these services, please state it in your email & then we can set up a time.