Business is booming for us after seven slow years. What a relief. We are getting a lot of new blood finally and it feels good. The newbies seem to have the same problem describing themselves as the people who preceded them.

Many Notaries want to tell the world things that count against them. Here are some:

1. I shadowed with such and such a Notary.
If the only experience you have is shadowing Penelope, then perhaps the person looking at your profile should hire Penelope, and not you. Shadowing is best left unsaid unless that is in addition to certifications from known agencies.

2. I became a Notary two months ago.
This makes you look like a real novice, wastes space, and counts against you. If someone asks, you can tell. But, you need to give people why they should use you vs. reasons why they should avoid you.

3. I am working on the Notary2Pro course
Notary2Pro is an excellent certification course. We recommend them highly as they do well when I quizzed them several years ago. Carol gets back to people fast with answers to their questions. But, let the world know once you have finished it. Nobody likes a half done job. We sell ten certification courses for every person who attempts the test, let alone who passes it. Buying a course doesn’t make you valuable, passing the test does.

4. I have 25K E&O but will soon be upgrading to 100K.
Don’t tell us what you will be doing, tell us what you have now, and then edit your listing once you have the higher Errors and Omissions policy.

5. I am background screened
By whom? Some companies like NNA and Sterling have a good reputation for background screening, others are relatively unknown and the procedures vary from company to company.

6. I am a Certified Notary Public from the State of Maine and I service Waldo County and do Refinances.
Once again, being “certified” means nothing unless we know who certified you. The testing standards and courses vary. 123notary has the hardest certification test. Pass ours and we will really respect you and you will get more clicks. The next problem is that you are mixing information about certification, your state of commission which is not necessary to put, as we assume you are commissioned in your state otherwise you can’t work. You next list your coverage areas in the same long drawn out sentence. I prefer to put certification(s) in one section with background screening and E&O. Then, in another section I put counties.

7. Hi, my name is Mary Smith
We already know your name is Mary Smith, it says that on the top of your listing. Why tell us twice? That takes up space when you could be telling us something else. The top of your notes section shows up in the search results. Tell us something that makes you stand out.

8. I travel
Everyone on our site travels, well almost. Maybe not the UPS stores and we have a few of them. But, the other 99% of Notaries do travel. People will assume you do.

9. I am reliable, responsible and punctual
Save it. Coming from you, that translates to — I am a novice, I have nothing to say about myself, so I will make unsubstantiated claims about how great I am with the hopes that the reader will believe me even though I have not demonstrated one ounce of credibility to anyone in this industry. Stick to the facts and let your clients put how great THEY think you are in your reviews, or pass my test.

10. I do all types of loans
Most people on my site claim that they know how to sign every type of loan. When I go through my list of 30 common types of signings most of which are Mortgages of one type or another, they typically do anywhere from 20-80%. I have yet to meet a 100%. So, basically, you are being vague, and deceiving the reader into thinking you really are experienced with every type of loan. List them one by one.

WHAT YOU SHOULD WRITE

Cold hard facts
Warm fuzzy “about you” descriptions

When you write about your skills, don’t omit the types of loans you know how to sign. It doesn’t hurt to mention you do refinances, Helocs, purchases, etc., But, 99% of Notaries out there can do those. Do mention it, but focus more on what you do that makes you special. If you are familiar (define familiar) with REO, USDA, Annuities, Applications, Reverse, and Debt Consolidations, that makes you more unusual. Most Notaries have either never done a Reverse Mortgage, or a Debt Consolidations, and the ones who have, typically don’t like doing them and half of the ones who have done them say they don’t want to do any more of them.

We think you should write briefly about your certifications (mention by whom you are certified), memberships, background screening, E&O insurance, and professional background. Don’t write a novel on your award winning Real Estate career. If it is so great, why are you a Notary in the first place? Wouldn’t you be busy selling houses unless you got tired of it? Mention that you do Real Estate, but not more than a sentence or two maximum for best results.

Warm and fuzzy descriptions are hard to teach. But, anything unique that has a nice feel to it about you will look really good. The readers are tired of cliche sounding notes sections. Seen one seen them all. If you have a classy line or joke, that sometimes can do well — it depends, but is worth trying.

We have many good articles about notes writing in the “your notes section” category of our blog. It is well worth investing a few hours taking notes on our suggestions about notes!

It is very hard for me to teach people hard to write warm and fuzzy information about yourself. I would prefer to say, read other people’s notes sections and get a sense of what some people write that has a nice feeling to it.

I read a notes section written by a woman who loves her job and loves meeting new people. That came across as very sincere and warm. I don’t know if she is any good as a Notary, but I might be more inclined to try her (if I were in a hiring position which I am not thank God) than someone else who sounds generic.

Then there are the people who are “reliable” and “responsible.” Anyone can say that about themselves and it sounds phony and usually is. Say things that you can say about yourself that few others can. Most people do NOT like meeting new people, at least not random new people unless they work at Farmer’s Market in the nuts section — those macadamias are great, but $25 per pound? Ouchie!

And then there are the people who know where their nearest Fedex station is, and where the other ones in their general area, and when the cut-off times are at each location. This looks very prepared and thoughtful, and somewhat unique. Some people write about this, but only one or two percent of the total.

Next, there are the people who ramble on and one with inconsequential and meaningless banter about how the client is of utmost importance and how they will protect the information in the documents at all cost. This is a little like stating that you promise not to vandalize the borrower’s house when you get to the signing or park on their lawn. It goes without saying. But, some people will write five paragraphs of this type of nonsense.

Finally there are the people who talk about their hobbies and kids. Not sure this belongs on a Notary profile, but you could put it at the bottom if you keep it quick. People do want to know what you are a real person and have a personality.

HUMOR & CLASSY LINES
Humor and classy lines are another thing that few add to their notes section, but it adds quite a punch to someone’s listing.

One lady brought crayons and dog treats to the signings. That is pretty unique and might be appealing to people.

Former scientist specializing in test tube signings

Former police officer — call me for an arresting experience

Ex-Military, I like my notes section to have mostly bullet points. Oh, and I’m always on time. My motto is, “Hurry up and wait, but not in your
driveway because that would be creepy.”

I am also a clown, but I promise not to throw pies at the borrowers, unless you pay extra for that.

Former therapist. And yes, I promise not to ask the borrower how their APR makes them feel or ask them how their relationship was with their mother. And once again, when we finish the signing, I always say, “I’m afraid our time is up.” That’s my signature phrase.

My parting tips would be to look at the notes sections of some of the high placed notaries in the various large cities. They are paying the most and sometimes (but not as often as they should) put a lot of effort into their notes sections. As usual, I am happy to proofread your notes section, but I can’t do it if it is a one liner. You provide the content, I provide the reorganization and commentary. Sounds fair to me.