Hello from Sunday,
If you've been studying for an exam this week — putting in hours before work, after the kids go to bed, or during your lunch break — I see you. That effort matters more than you think.
I want to talk about something today that I don't see anyone else covering. It's about what happens after you pass.
A Quick Story
When I passed my Enrolled Agent exam, I did what most people do. I celebrated, posted about it, and then... opened my laptop the next morning with no plan.
My resume still said "tax preparer." My LinkedIn hadn't been touched in over a year. I had this shiny new credential, but nobody could tell by looking at my professional presence.
It took me two weeks to update everything. Two weeks where job postings were going up and I wasn't applying. Two weeks where I could've been reaching out to firms but didn't because I "wasn't ready yet."
I don't want that to happen to you. So here's what I'd do differently — and what I'd tell anyone who's about to pass their exam.
The 48-Hour Post-Exam Game Plan
Hour 1–4: Update Your Resume
This is the single most important thing you can do while the momentum is still hot. Don't wait until you "have time." You have time right now.
Here's what to change:
Add your new certification prominently — not buried at the bottom under "Other." Put it next to your name or in your summary. "John Smith, CNA" hits different than just "John Smith."
Rewrite your summary to reflect where you're going, not where you've been. You're not "seeking a position in healthcare" — you're "a newly certified nursing assistant with hands-on clinical training in patient care, vitals monitoring, and infection control."
Quantify anything you can. "Completed 120-hour clinical rotation" is better than "clinical experience." "Scored in the top 15% on the PTCE" is better than "passed the PTCE."
If writing about yourself makes you want to crawl under a desk (same), there are tools that can help. Super-Resume is a free AI-powered resume builder — you pick a template, follow the prompts, and export a PDF. No account required. I like it for people who just need a clean starting point.
If you'd rather hand it off entirely, Resume Corner pairs you with a certified writer (MS, MBA, JD credentials) for a phone consultation. They've been around 21+ years and guarantee interviews within 30 days. It's not cheap, but if you've just invested months studying for a certification, investing in a resume that actually lands interviews is worth considering.
Hour 4–8: Update LinkedIn
Your resume and LinkedIn should tell the same story, but LinkedIn gives you more room to show personality.
Update your headline. Don't just say your job title — say what you do and who you help. "Certified Pharmacy Technician | Helping patients get the right medication safely" is more memorable than "Pharmacy Technician at CVS."
Add your certification to the Licenses & Certifications section with the date you earned it.
Write a short post about passing. It doesn't have to be polished. Something like: "Just passed my [exam]. Grateful for everyone who supported me. Excited for what's next." — that's enough. People engage with these more than you'd think, and it puts your name in front of recruiters.
Hour 8–48: Start Applying (Yes, Already)
Here's the mistake I see constantly: people pass their exam and then spend weeks "perfecting" their resume before applying anywhere. Don't do this.
Your resume does not need to be perfect. It needs to be accurate, clean, and submitted. You can always update it later. The job you want might close its listing next Tuesday.
One tip that helped me: if you're switching industries (say, going from retail to healthcare after getting your CNA), your resume needs to speak a different language. Generic resume builders won't always bridge that gap. Resumeble matches you with a writer who specializes in your target industry — they cover 80+ fields. Useful if your experience doesn't obviously connect to where you're headed.
Your Exam Might Be on the Site Now
Quick site update — a lot of you have been asking for specific exams, so this week we added free practice tests for:
NREMT (EMT) — 100 questions across all 5 domains
Phlebotomy — 100 questions
ServSafe Manager — 300 questions
ASVAB — 300 questions covering all subtests
PTCE — 300 pharmacy tech questions
ExCPT — 300 questions
We also added study guides, FAQs, and glossary terms for NCLEX-PN, CNA, CFP, Series 65, and Enrolled Agent. If you checked the site before and your exam wasn't there, it might be now.
And remember — if you get stuck on any question, the AI tutor is on every page. Highlight text or tap "Ask AI" and it'll walk you through it.
See You Next Week
Whether you're still studying or you just passed last Friday, I hope something in here was useful. The certification is the hard part — don't let a stale resume be the thing that slows you down.
Talk soon,
Ran Chen, EA, CFP®
open-exam-prep.com: Free Exam Prep
P.S. — Some links in this email are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend services I've personally researched and believe are worth your time.