CDC History
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - March 19, 2006
During more fallow periods of my bouts with freelance writing, I've occasionally hung out a shingle and worked as a resume writer-for-hire. Based on my experience, a good 90-95% of people are somewhat modest and aren't even aware of the inherent value in the skills and talents they possess. That's where I come in-- to draw their stories out. And just as I've discovered with my corporate clients, everybody has a good story, you just have to know how to get your subject to share it with you. See, all those years of interviewing rock stars had some residual value.
Anyway, over the years, I developed a mini-cottage industry helping college undergrads, destined for a career in medicine, apply for highly coveted internships at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-- the CDC. It's pretty involved, and it includes drafting a resume, a bio, an essay, and a killer cover letter. Landing one of these few slots that are available every year can be a golden on-ramp to med school and beyond, and I'm very pleased to say that the kids I've worked with have had a very high success rate landing these positions.
Some people have questioned this, saying, "Isn't that cheating, hiring a professional to help with the application?" And I strongly respond, "No." If you saw how bright and accomplished these kids were, you'd see that they have all the grades and achievements needed to qualify. I'm simply helping them with their communication, just as an SAT class helps them test better. Do you really care if your surgeon can write a good cover letter as long as he or she is good with a scalpel?
I, too, got a little work with the CDC in 2006 when they needed a bio updated for their then-impending 60th Anniversary.