Please welcome Fatemah Mirza & Sumayyah Rafiq Haider authors of RESPARKING CREATIVITY
RESPARKING CREATIVITY
by Fatemah Mirza & Sumayyah Rafiq Haider
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GENRE: Nonfiction / Career Guide
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INTERVIEW:
- What elements are necessary components for this genre?
From my experience, I think a very necessary component when writing a career guide is that you have to be extremely clear on what you want to talk about. Because there’s so much advice available online on looking for a job, what you should do, etc. So, you need to have an extremely clear vision and a tight focus on exactly what you want to talk about. When this is not present, you wind up losing focus so fast. And as a result, the overall quality of the book immediately drops.
That’s a trap I fell into as well while writing the book. A few times! While writing, I would think, “This needs to be added in because it makes sense.” But then later, when I’d take a step back and evaluate my work, I’d think back to the vision and goal and realize, “Oh. It doesn’t make sense to include this. It falls outside the scope.”
2. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I got the idea for Resparking Creativity … I feel like it happened very naturally. Because I’ve been helping job seekers get their dream jobs for 13 years. And I’ve worked with so many marketing professionals in the process. And the more marketing managers I worked with, the more I saw the overlap in their pain. They would speak about wanting a promotion to director but lacking creative energy.
There were many reasons for that but they just felt like they were stuck in a rut and not sure how to get out of it and get a promotion. I’d helped those people regain their creative spark and motivation and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to put that into a book?” And the rest is history!
3. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I’ve been helping job seekers for 13 years now. I started helping people build their resumes in college and since then, me and my team have helped literally thousands of people across America get jobs in companies like Apple, The White House, Deloitte, etc. I also have a network of 3,000 recruiters that I stay in touch with to understand what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. We are continually using that feedback to optimize our strategies and give the modern job seeker the best advice possible. We help job seekers understand what employers are looking for and how to present themselves in the best light possible.
4 As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
My future plans include working on another book. That one is going to have a broader audience and it’s going to be focused on why people don’t get promoted. What are the habits that force people to get stuck in a career rut and what are the actionable steps they can take to break free.
5 Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
I’d love to! You can see a sneak peek here, it’s the introduction to the Interview Preparation chapter.
6 What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
I think the best piece of advice I’ve received regarding writing was to complete things before whatever deadlines I’d set. I forgot where I’d read it (because I’d read a lot of blogs to understand the whole launch process) but it’s the best piece of advice. Whatever deadlines you set for writing, you want to aim to get things done AT LEAST a week before that. That way, you’ve got breathing room and space to correct any issues that may pop up.
The worst piece of advice… I can’t think of anything at the moment, I’m sorry.
7 Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I have to outline things. I think that is a critical, “must do” step when writing non-fiction but career guides and job-hunting books in general. You have to define what you’re going to talk about and in what order. As I said previously, if you don’t have a clear idea of what the book is going to contain, you can go off the track so fast.
And I like to outline things because it feels like one less thing to stress about. I essentially draw lines in the sand in my sandbox so, I know exactly how much room I’ve got to play around in. When I shift into writing mode, I don’t have to worry about, “What comes next?”
With the outline in front of me, it takes some stress away.
8 How do you maintain your creativity?
By reading everything I can get my hands on. The big thing that keeps me inspired and my creative cup full to the brim is exposure to as many thoughts and writing styles as possible. The more perspectives I come across, the more ideas spark in my head. It’s a very rewarding and nurturing process.
9 Are your plotting bunnies, angels or demons?
Bunnies! It’s one to start with, then two, then four, and the next thing I know, I’ve got a whole bunny farm!
10 Anything else you might want to add?
I hope that people pick up the book because we show job seekers, not just marketers, to evaluate their leadership skills, how to strengthen their job application, and how to better advocate for themselves. I want people to feel excited about their next career step!
BLURB:
Accelerate your marketing career by learning concrete strategies to reignite your creative spark and build a compelling case for your promotion to director. From creating a standout project portfolio to evaluating your skills to salary negotiation, networking, and interviewing best practices, this book equips ambitious marketing professionals with the tools necessary for long-term success.
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EXCERPT:
As a marketing leader, you also play a vital role in elevating the standard of living. Thanks to government regulations, marketers cannot make false or misleading claims. This means that you help consumers make informed decisions on the basis of marketing. They can be made aware of major changes in ownership or products, what new features are being developed, and which brands to trust. This comes together to create brand value and loyalty towards trusted companies.
At a company level, organizations cannot survive without marketing. You cannot establish a business and expect people to find you. There is simply too much competition and information bombarding society. For businesses to survive and thrive, they have to develop effective marketing strategies. And for this, they need experienced professionals like you with highly creative mindsets.
But it is difficult to contribute in this way to an organization or society if you feel burned out, uncreative, or feel an inability to work at your full potential.
If you feel the same way then this book is for you.
I’m going to show you how to be at the forefront of driving demand, understanding consumer needs, and providing critical contributions to your career growth. And to get there, this book is going to help you address:
• Being underpaid
• Being dictated to
• Burn out
• Intellectual disengagement
• Uncertainty about what steps to take
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Fatemah Mirza is a Certified Resume Master and a highly sought-after speaker and coach who helps ambitious job seekers find higher-paying, more fulfilling jobs. She’s been helping job seekers since 2010 when she founded CareerTuners, which is a small team of skilled professionals from various industries who specialize in providing professional resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and many more career-related services to help ambitious people land their dream jobs and achieve career goals.She has created free resources that have seen more than 160,000 downloads, helped hundreds of clients increase their pay, and built a network of more than 3000 recruiters.
Sumayyah Rafiq Haider is an experienced author and career mentor with a passion for helping individuals excel professionally. With an MBA in Human Resource Management and SHRM-CP certification, Sumayyah has assisted numerous clients in their job search, providing guidance on resume writing, LinkedIn optimization, cover letters, interview skills, and career direction.
Website: http://www.careertuners.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/careertipsfromct
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Fatemah-Mirza/author/B0C781LXCS
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sumayyah-Rafiq-Haider/author/B0C781ZBXN
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C73VXSHL
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE TO READ FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
The authors will award a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4655