sample resumes & cover letters
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Julie’s resume is an example of a hybrid. Her original resume did include her most recent positions and the bullets at the top were not the most relevant for the opportunities she was seeking. We prioritized the order in which her positions appeared so that her most relevant accomplishments would be read first. We added her dates of employment and provided a full employment history so as not to suggest that she had anything to hide. We also deleted some of the inappropriate information she had included such as marital status. A testimonial at the top tells the reader who she is so she does not have to list her own character traits. Finally, we gave Julie a new attractive format and a strong branding statement in the top third of the page. Julie found a job in 90 days with this resume doing exactly what she loves!
Linda´s resume did not draw the reader´s attention to anything in particular. Her format was “blah” and her bullets had no focus. Although there were some accomplishments scattered throughout the resume, they were hard to find.
We gave Linda a much-improved format with strong visual appeal. We pulled some of her key strengths into a list of highlights in the top third of the resume, added graphs to visually represent her achievements, and inserted functional headings above strictly accomplishment-oriented bullets. Linda´s new resume shows her off as a powerful,
savvy Executive. It got her multiple interviews — and a job with Lockheed Martin!
Sandra’s resume was written in an “old school” format that had little visual interest. Her bullets were very broad and duty-focused, and were not organized in any particular way. We gave her a new modern format, made sure to load the resume with keywords, and added categories for her bullets to help guide the reader’s expectations. With her new resume, Sandra can be confident that if anyone is looking for a Financial Executive with skills in Cost Reduction & Containment, Process Improvement, Relationship Building, or Finance & Planning, they will be encouraged to read about her accomplishments in those areas.
Brad was seeking a VP of Operations position in the construction industry, and was realistic that he might need to expand his search to other fields. We crafted his resume so that it would be effective both in his industry of choice and across related industries (he had the option of deleting “within construction industry” from his Summary).
The resume was originally in a very simplistic format, and the summary was essentially a list of keywords and clichéd language like “respected senior leader” and “proven track record.” We crafted a powerful branding statement, pulled Brad’s keywords into a clear list of Areas of Expertise, and gave him a format that spoke to his level of accomplishment. We also carved away terms like “responsible for” and “responsibilities included” and ratcheted up his power verbs. There were many accomplishments that Brad had not listed on his original resume. We identified them and categorized his achievements in a way that would be easily understandable to any reader.
Finally, we designed a chart that spoke to Brad’s three most impressive accomplishments, each of which was in a different unit of measurement. The common unit of measurement was the percentage increase! And we added a testimonial for a finishing touch. This resume was a genuine joint effort between the client and The Essay Expert. A true pleasure, start to finish.
This high level VP had a four-page sprawling resume written in a tiny font. He had impressive accomplishments but no hiring manager would have the patience to wade through his text. We reorganized his accomplishments and reduced the resume to two pages, and he obtained his first CEO job within a few weeks after submission of his new resume.
Mary’s original resume gave the reader nowhere to focus and had too little information about her current position. Although some significant accomplishments were listed, they were difficult to find due to the unwieldy format of the resume. We created a strong branding statement for Mary and crystallized and categorized each of her accomplishments. We also added a testimonial to support her impressive achievements. Mary used this resume to obtain a job in the Human Resources Department of the Employers Council in her region, a non-profit organization with 3,000 members and a staff of 160+ that partners with employers to maintain effective employer/employee relationships.
The first thing you may notice in the “Before” version of this resume is that most of the text is in italics. This font is challenging to the eye and the flow of the text is difficult to follow. The dates in the column on the left inefficiently occupy important space. The 11 bullets in the first experience section reduce readability. There are distracting links inserted into the resume body. Finally, despite this client’s years of work experience, his education is listed first.
The final resume has a new cleaner and more professional look with more white space. Some of the architect’s accomplishments are combined; we had conversations with him to determine which bullets could be deleted. All extraneous, duplicative and unnecessary text was carved away to produce a clean, sharp and beautiful resume – a visual match for this accomplished architect, and one that helped him secure a position with a prominent firm in Milwaukee and later a position at Harvard University!
Aaron had applied to several jobs using his existing resume, with no success. It took him just three days to get an interview using his new resume. What did we change? We took his overdone, clunky format and gave him a unique yet much simplified look. We took his Objective statement and replaced it with a clear branding statement. Finally, we provided previously absent details of his successes and accomplishments. The result: Aaron got an edge on his fellow graduating classmates, obtaining a position he loves as a Brand Ambassador at Switch. And his phone continues to ring with more interview offers!
Ofer’s original resume was basically a notepad document that included a long paragraph entitled “Background” written in the first person; an Objective statement; and bullets that were duty- rather than accomplishment-focused. As soon as I let Ofer know he could design his resume, a whole world opened up. I helped him with the words, and he crafted the format. We created a couple of categories for his achievements — “Successful Client Campaigns” and “Revamp of Company’s Digital Image” — that draw attention to two of his strengths. The other bullets show his success on both the artistic and strategic sides of marketing. Finally, Ofer made the unconventional and gutsy decision to include his photo in order to create a personal connection with the prospective employer. The final resume is evidence of Ofer’s capability to design an “out-of-the-box” identity for a client — in this case, himself.
Ofer used a text-based version of this resume for his on-line applications and succeeded in obtaining multiple interviews and ultimately a job with Aptima, an artificial intelligence company.
