7 Points to a Winning Résumé E-Book Now On Sale

An effective résumé can make all the difference in your job search. I know this from experience. During graduate school, I had great experience but a lousy résumé, and my first job search was heartbreaking and resulted in a job that I left after only one academic year, because it was a terrible fit for my needs.

After that, I had the fortunate circumstance of meeting someone who helped me understand the true role of the résumé in the job search process, and how to highlight my education, skills and experience in ways that would match the needs and wants of potential employers. That moment, in mid-July 1995, the light bulb came on for me, and I changed my approach to writing my résumé. The result: I went from having zero interviews to having five in  a row, in quick succession, and having a job offer by the end of the month. (My first job at Penn State, where I lived for 14 years, fell in love with a neat girl, bought my first house, and had both my children.)

That moment of context and clarity is when my love for helping people with their careers really took off. Over 15 years in Student Affairs, I helped dozens of students and young professionals with their job search materials and graduate school applications, and I considered it my most fulfilling hobby. In 2009, I decided to make it my business.

A lot has happened in the last two years, and I’ve learned many things about what it means to have a viable business when you work in the “advice” industry. One of these take-aways has been that you have to be creative and meet people “where they are” in their lives, careers, and yes, in their budgets. While most people can benefit from working with a coach, not everyone can afford to hire one. And many people (myself included) really like to work on their own résumés, and even those who don’t are often skeptical about whether you can do a better job of bringing their professional qualities to the light of day, certifications notwithstanding.

So I’ve been working for a while to develop a few information products, because they can fix two parts of this situation. First, they provide those who can’t afford it a cost-effective alternative to 1-on-1 coaching, and second, they provide evidence to the skeptical about the skills and abilities the author brings to the table.

It’s taken me a while to finally get something out there into the world, in part because I love working with people 1-on-1 (it’s personally very validating to get to know someone and be a partner on a professional journey) and in part, because I have a lot to say and needed to pare it down to some key ideas.

My first effort in this arena is my new e-book “7 Points to a Winning Résumé,” which features 40 pages of perspectives, advice and activities that will help you think differently about your résumé, get inside the reviewer’s head, and find the best ways to present your education, skills, experience and motivation and show your potential fit with an employer’s needs.