A resumé service like no other:
Total information strategy and writing craftsmanship, for a resumé that will open doors that other resumés can’t.
Technical formatting to create electronic documents that skip through the technology minefield that kills or cripples virtually every electronic resumé.
Serious, individually developed interviewing—typically 3 hours for senior clients. So thorough, detailed, and individualized that it teaches clients, by example, about how to look at and present their own backgrounds.
A total resumé package: all the formats you might need, and the information you need in order to use them effectively.
A resumé that you can revise and update yourself in the future. Plus tips on how to do it.
Plus, I’m with you after the resumé is done—for questions, technical or otherwise, about using the documents I’ve sent you.
Scroll down for the tour.
Getting Started
Check out this site first (please) so you know what I’m about. All your basic questions will be answered on this page. Start by scrolling down to complete the tour, then use the links to explore the site. Don’t miss the ABOUT RESUMÉS page.
You’ll learn a lot. Resumé services are not all the same, but many people seem to think they are.
Then call for a free consultation. It helps to e-mail me your existing resumé first. We’ll discuss your situation and your objectives, and what services you need, and set a schedule.
— read about the process —
Specialties
Most of my clients are:
Executives, Upper Management, and Middle Management
and senior people in
Sales and Accounts,
IT and Engineering,
and
Healthcare Business and Management.
Another specialty is College Grads getting the best start.
The rest of my clients are all over the map—firefighters, HR, sports pros, marketing people, technicians, writers, business administration, etc.
I like variety.
Read the details about what I do for each.
Phase 1: The Interview
Over about the first week after we make our arrangements, I’ll develop lines of inquiry for the in-depth interview. (No generic scripted interviews and one-size-fits-all information strategies here.)
The in-depth interview: It’s pretty intense, typically 2.5 to 3 hours for senior people. Clients often say they’ve learned a lot from it.
— read the details —
(The interview can be scheduled afternoons or evenings, including after the kids are in bed. Weekends subject to availability.)
“I am absolutely amazed! You’ve added so much to what I could have said for myself. But it’s all real. I can back it all up. It’s me!” — purchasing manager
“I really appreciated your in-depth interview. You have an impressive way of getting to know the necessary facts and personalities.” — senior Registered Nurse, clinical and research
Phase 2: Production (I)
Writing: A resumé has to be effective at every stage of the hiring process. I take the information I’ve gathered, develop an overall strategy, and then write and structure the resumé so that it works at multiple levels:
• content that will speak to every member of an executive team considering the short list
• bullet points that combine into stories for an in-depth reading by a hiring manager
• prominent main points for a quick scan by an HR assistant
• keywords for scanning by applicant-processing systems.
(Most resumé services only talk about the last two points.)
This is where I sweat.
— read the details —
“I attribute no small part of my success in landing the [Director] position to the critical role my resumé played early on in establishing my credentials and setting a tone for the subsequent interviews.” — senior sales/account manager
“My cousin, who’s had her own editorial company for 30 years, thought my resumé was fantastic. I am learning far more from you than I did at work from our IT department. They certainly don’t know all the document formats like you do.” — Registered Nurse
Phase 2: Production (II)
Formatting: Custom-fitted, with the format and visual structure appropriate for you, not slapped into a template.
I use expert-level Word techniques to format resumés that skip through the technology minefield that kills or cripples conventionally-formatted resumés. And they’re easy for you to revise and update in the future.
Review and quality control: More time than some resumé services spend on the whole job.
The production phase typically takes two weeks, depending on my workload. It has to be done in stages, and spread out.
— read the details —
Final Phase
Approval stage: I’ll send you your resumé in Word. I’ll work with you to make sure that everything is accurate and in language you’re comfortable with. One or two rounds is typical.
When I’ve had your OK, I’ll do the final package, with every digital format you might need. And the LinkedIn profile, if you’ve ordered one.
You’ll also get information about using the items in your package, and some tips about job-hunting.
— read the details —
The Results
With the resumé thoroughly nailed down (and all the information and tips I send with it), you can go about the rest of your job search without further trouble over the resumé.
My resumés get enthusiastic feedback from hiring managers and recruiters. They’ve opened doors that were previously shut, and turned around many job searches.
— read the details —
“I will be the new CEO at [regional medical center] starting this month. I appreciate all your help with the resumé, which undoubtedly helped me get in the door.”
— client wanted to move back to clinical management after years in another specialty; his old resumé was being ignored because of his career detour
Service Menu
The Resumé Consulting Service, described above, is our core product. Additional options include:
• LinkedIn Profiles
• our unique Cover-Letter Package
• International CVs
• U.S. Academic and Professional CVs
• Alternate-Target Resumés
• Executive Biographies
• Resumé Updates (for previous customers only)
• Networking Resumés
I also do Corporate Consulting & Special Projects
For full detail on all options, see the Services page.
“Your services were immensely helpful in re-packaging myself. I have referred you to multiple people.”
— VP Sales; moved to COO at another company
“Your expertise worked magic. I landed a promotion [within two months]. A recruiter said it was one of the best resumes she had read in a long time.”
— research manager (medical devices)
Fees
Fees for the Resumé Consulting Service range from $225 for entry-level clients to $700 for senior management.
For full detail on fees for all services, see the Services page.
We’re transitioning our credit card arrangements. At present, you can pay with your credit card via PayPal. You don’t need a PayPal account. We’ll have PayPal e-mail you an invoice—it’s super easy. We’re notified the moment you pay.
Payments & Terms
Like all resumé services, I require payment in advance, and have a no-refund policy.*
— read the details —
(*If you think you’ve seen exceptions, click here.)
Value: Why We’re Different (I)
Total information strategy and writing craftsmanship, for a resumé that will open doors that other resumés can’t.
This requires years of experience all over the information and communications fields, plus time and sweat on each resumé. I’ve been applying that to resumés since 2007. Exactly the info employers want to see, written to be effective at every stage of the hiring process, from initial screening to management review of short-list candidates. (Most resumé services only talk about the initial screening.) And none of the common fluff that makes employers groan over almost every resumé they see.
Technical formatting to create electronic documents that work smoothly with all the technology now used to process resumés.
(Apparently, it takes years of professional technical production experience to even understand why conventional wisdom and standard Word techniques—used by virtually all resumé services—don’t work for this.)
Value: Why We’re Different (II)
Serious, individually developed interviewing—typically 3 hours for senior clients.
So thorough, detailed, and individualized that it teaches clients, by example, about how to look at and present their own backgrounds. (One client called it “resumé therapy.”)
A total resumé package: all the formats you might need, and the information you need in order to use them effectively.
Along with my exhaustive approach to writing, this means that your resumé is nailed down, so you can devote full attention to the other aspects of your job search.
A resumé that you can revise and update yourself in the future. Plus tips on how to do it.
One client said that this alone made it the best investment he’d ever made. (Of course, I can do updates for you, too. In any case, when you’re ready to make the next big step up, come back to me for information strategy and professional writing.)
Plus, I’m with you after the resumé is done—
for questions, technical or otherwise, about using the documents I’ve sent you. (“You’ve saved me HOURS!” said a director-level client when I walked her successfully through a tricky upload process.)
Time Frame
Three weeks is typical: from the time we agree on a schedule and take care of the payment, to the time when I send the approval version. This may vary with my workload and the size of the project. I’ll need about a week to prepare for the in-depth interview, and two weeks to complete the approval version.
Rush service is never an option. Please don’t ask.
— read the details —
“The resumé helped me get hired as Director [responsible for $500M in spend] at [leading food company]. I got a lot of compliments on the resumé. I liked the way you made clear my complicated employment history during a series of mergers and acquisitions.”
— senior commodities & accounts manager
“Wow. You are amazing. The time and thought you put into my presentation will pay off.
Three months later:
“Thanks! I started a new role with [national retailer] Inc.” — brand/marketing manager (new job was national manager for $500M+ category)
About Crystal Resumés
Crystal Resumés is basically me, Ken Dezhnev. I’ll do all the interviewing, writing, and formatting on your resumé. (That’s why I can take only a limited number of projects.) Before Crystal Resumés, I spent 20+ years doing writing, editing, typography, and technical production for leading national ad agencies, corporations, and publishers in New York City.
With those skills, I don’t need to rely on standardized interviews, generic resumé-speak, and templates.
That’s why HR people like my resumés—and hire me to do their own.
That’s why I’ve been a leader in the field since 2007. (You know you’re a leader when your competition tries to imitate you—and some try to steal your name.)
— read the details —
Resumé
Realities
With resumés, information is critical—because there’s so much B.S. around.
In particular, uninformed shoppers for resumé services won’t get the most for their money—and may not get much for their money at all.
Also, uninformed resumé users won’t get the results their qualifications merit—and may not get any results at all (see our Killer Myths section).
That’s why we have the About Resumés page, your guide to this site’s information resources: the Tips & Myths page, the F.A.Q. page, and the Resumé Encyclopedia.
“The website is super helpful!”
— national manager, $500M retail category
It’s also an example of our professional approach to information—and of our in-depth knowledge of resumés. Compare it to what you see elsewhere.
What the Resumés
Look Like
I don’t slap resumés into templates. Different fields involve different types of information. The qualifications of different people in the same field may be best presented in different ways.
But they’re all clean, plain-vanilla. Because nothing else will survive the electronic processing that resumés are subject to. I’ve done type and graphics for leading ad agencies and design studios. But “visually distinctive” resumés turn into garbage at the employer’s end.
Fortunately, I can make clean, plain-vanilla look exceptionally good.
— read the details —
More Client Comments
on the Testimonials page, from senior executive and sales clients, and top-level clients in IT, technology, and healthcare business. And more.
They also say a lot about the experience of working with me.
“Wow! This is wonderful!” — auto sales manager. My first client as Crystal Resumés. That was his whole e-mail.
“I cannot thank you enough for your time, input and detail.”
— Occupational Therapist, moving to medical sales
When you’re ready to make a career investment that will open doors in your present job search, and then continue to pay off for years, drop us an e-mail.
Specialties
Executive & Upper Management
About one third of our clients are in upper management: CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CIOs, company owners, board members, presidents, VPs, and directors. They’re in all sorts of industries, in corporate, public-sector and non-profit organizations. They’re in every area of corporate and organizational management: enterprise leadership, sales, accounts, finance, operations, technology, human resources, planning, marketing, facilities, security, and so on.
So I’ve probably got a good deal of experience that’s closely relevant to your career, and I can also anticipate the perspectives of the entire management team that may be considering your resumé.
The in-depth information I gather from you will enable me to tell stories with a few bullet points—portraying complex projects, business efforts, and achievements, and a trend of continual advancement, that points straight to your value to your next employer.
Sales & Accounts
We’re particularly happy that our many sales and accounts clients appreciate our own specialized sales communications skills. They’re in a range of fields: in B2B products and services, in commodities, in consumer products, in manufacturing or specialized technology, in outsourcing, in logistics or distribution, in consulting services, in all sorts of specialties. Some have huge portfolios of simpler products, some have small portfolios of highly-specialized and complex services or technology products.
Senior-level sales and accounts responsibilities can cover a lot of ground, and I make sure to cover all that ground when I interview you. Then I select and arrange the information to tell the full story, a story more widely relevant to employers than what they’re used to seeing.
Technology: IT, Engineering, Manufacturing, & General
An information-based approach to resumés is especially appropriate to technology—not only for the obvious reasons, but because you have to go beyond the technology, with information about how you achieved your results—how you used your resources, how you led teams, and how you worked with non-tech people and departments. The “how” side, in combination with a fully professional presentation of the technical side, will make your resumé stand out clearly from most technology resumés.
A large portion of our clients are in I.T., particularly at project management, department management, and executive levels.
Many other clients are in various fields of engineering, at all levels up to senior management and company ownership. Others have been manufacturing managers and specialized technicians, and managers in other industrial fields such as logistics.
“Your resume helped me get my foot in the door in my dream industry and I landed the job about 2 months ago!” — senior IT manager at well-known national company. (Client wanted to move to a different industry. He’d been actively looking, but not getting as many hits as he liked.)
more comments from our I.T. clients
“The resumé got me tons of hits on CareerBuilder. People started contacting me, and I got more picky about what I replied to.” — manufacturing engineer, moving to product management; he soon got the specific job he had his eye on
“Wow Ken, this is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for all of your hard work on this.” — engineer and new company president (resumé in support of application for business purchase loan)
more comments from our engineering and other technology clients
Healthcare Business and Management
In Minnesota, where we’re based, healthcare, both profit and non-profit, is big business. We’ve had many clients in all areas of the field, from nurse administrators to CEOs: executives in all management roles, sales and accounts people, IT and telecomm specialists, research and testing managers, technicians, and caregivers. We’re experienced with the special requirements of regulated healthcare businesses and licensed healthcare providers.
In addition to resumés, Ken has extensive experience in healthcare industry communications—healthcare advertising and corporate communications, and technical documentation for more medical devices than you can shake a stent at.
“I think you did an amazing job and I am really happy with the end result. Appreciate the help and you were great to work with.” — Physician/Executive, Medical IT
“I think it looks FANTASTIC. I am so glad I came to you for help. What a relief. You have been such a pleasure and I would highly recommend you. For you to get it all together based on that one long conversation is truly a talent.” — senior director (managing $1B in services), at leading healthcare company
more comments from our healthcare clients
Entry-level College Grads
I’ll give you the best start possible by careful interviewing to make the most of your life experience and training. You’ll learn a lot from the interview process about presenting yourself, and about how to think about background of interest to employers. Note: Your resumé and presentation will change in important ways in the first few years of your employment—I’ll send you information on what changes you will need to make, with tips on revising and updating your resumé yourself.
“With my new resume I have applied for a total of 77 jobs. I heard back from more than HALF! Thank you so much for the hard work you obviously put into my resume!
I was just offered a writing job!”
— entry-level, media; he hadn’t been getting responses to his old resumé
“I can’t thank you enough for all of your help. You have gone above and beyond my expectations. Thank you for all of the useful advice.” — entry-level, marketing
Site Map
HOME The page you’re on. Top of page
Our specialties, and how we serve them.
SERVICES
Full detail on all our services, with fees.
THE DETAILS
Full detail on Crystal Resumés, how I work, process, and policies.
ABOUT RESUMÉS
Your guide to our pages of essential information about resumés:
Tips & Myths: A must-read. It will change the way you think about resumés. Includes a section on “Killer Myths”—common myths about resumés that can wreck your job search even if you do everything else right.
F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions): Brief answers to common questions, with links to fuller information elsewhere on the site.
Resumé Encyclopedia: Terminology and technology. Resumé terminology can be confusing and inconsistent, not to mention that some of it is empty hype. Technology is a much more important aspect of resumés than most job-hunters realize, and we cover the basics here.
TESTIMONIALS
What our clients have said about us—and what employers and recruiters have said about our resumés. The client comments will tell you a lot about the experience of working with us.
CONTACT
Give us a call or an e-mail. Remember, it helps to e-mail us your existing resumé before you call—our services are highly individualized, and I can give you a much better idea of what I can do for you if I have that detail on your background.
Perfect speech is like a jade-worker whose tool leaves no mark.