All resumé and CV consulting packages include the following—in addition to the in-depth preparation and interviewing, the meticulous writing and information strategy, and the technically impeccable document formatting:
• Your resumé (or CV), in all the document formats you might need for your job search: Word (.docx); plain text for pasting into online forms; and PDF. Also instructions and tips on when and how to use each document format. For useful information about these document formats, see the Tips & Myths page.
(Other formats available free on request: RTF; .txt instead of plain-text in Word; and an additional plain-text version with fixed margins for pasting into the body of an e-mail. If you aren't familiar with these, you don’t need them.)
• Tips for revising your resumé (or CV) in Microsoft Word.
• Job-search tips that my clients at your experience level have found to be valuable. These are not the sort of tips that you’ll find copied all over the place.
• A free template for your References Sheet, with tips on how to create an especially effective list of your references for use by potential employers.
• After delivery of the final package, I’ll do one round of minor factual revisions, free, if requested within thirty days of delivery. Click here for details.
• A LinkedIn profile is an added option, or can be substituted for the resumé at the same price. But keep in mind the important differences between a LinkedIn profile and a resumé.
Other optional services include: a cover letter package, a one-page networking resume, and additional target resumés for when you are pursuing two or more distinct types of position with important differences in the background that needs to be presented for each.
“Thank you for taking the time to understand my experience, I really appreciated the thoroughness of the interview process. The resume looks great, it gives me confidence, and has already received praise from family/friends. Thank you for everything!!!!!” — Vice President of Technology and Operations, at specialized IT consulting company with nationwide business
FEES—Resumé Consulting Service (U.S. Resumé)
5. Executive $700
4. Middle Management $550
3. General: Experienced $375
2. General: Junior $275
1. Entry-level $225
If you need a U.S. professional CV, as well as a regular U.S. resumé, the resumé will not be charged at full price; it will be charged as an Additional Target Resumé. For international CVs, see “International Curriculum Vitae,” below.
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
Your LinkedIn profile will be written to get the best response to employer profile searches, with job titles and other information revised in line with LinkedIn’s priorities. LinkedIn’s character limits mean that some sections of the LinkedIn profile will often have to be shorter than the material on your resumé. In these cases, material from your resumé will be carefully selected: the highest-priority items will be used, and the information strategy adjusted accordingly.
Your information will also be re-written to fit LinkedIn’s conventions for handling certain types of information (such as job titles), and best practices for search-engine optimization for LinkedIn profiles. Many of these conventions and practices pertain only to LinkedIn, and have nothing to do with the way your information should be handled on your resumé or anywhere else. This is especially true of job titles—the means of optimizing them for search on LinkedIn are definitely not appropriate on a resumé.
Information that can go on your resumé but shouldn’t go on the Web will be excluded, along with anything that will raise a red flag with your current employer. Certain information required for LinkedIn but not needed on your resumé will also be provided: I’ll get this information from you during the in-depth interview.
Your LinkedIn profile will be provided in an unformatted Word document built so that you can cut and paste the material into LinkedIn’s forms without any technical problems caused by document formatting. (.txt files available on request.) That document also includes detailed instructions that will make the process easy, and ensure that every relevant section of your profile is filled out.
“Thanks again for composing a great resume. I just started a new position this past Monday. The Linked In instructions were very user friendly.” — Senior Sales Manager, B2B
FEES—LinkedIn profile (available only in combination with Resumé Consulting Service)
5. Executive $125
4. Middle Management $100
3. General: Experienced $75
2. General: Junior $50
1. Entry-level $50
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
ABOUT COVER LETTERS AND THANK-YOU LETTERS
Most job applications require a cover letter. Especially in higher-level positions, your cover letter is often the first thing seen by whoever starts the process of screening you for a job. In such situations, it’s your chance to make points that can’t be made in a resumé, and to highlight those of your strengths that are of particular interest to each employer.
Thank-you letters are also vital to your job search. They establish a civil personal relationship with the person who has interviewed you. They give you a chance to express your continued interest in the job (which is very important), and to make or re-emphasize points you overlooked or under-emphasized in the interview.
A good cover letter can only be written on the basis of an in-depth knowledge of your background and objectives. For this reason, I only write letters for clients whose resumés I have written.
“The letter templates are great. I appreciate all the hints and suggestions. I am looking at different job opportunities and I appreciate all the different options.”
— manager, business administration
The cover and thank you letters are fabulous. I am grateful for the explanations, instructions, and examples you have provided.”
— IT: systems & help desk management
a few more client comments about our letters package
WHY OUR LETTERS ARE DIFFERENT
The letters I write for you are not the generic form letters sold (or thrown in free) by most resumé services.
Effective cover letters and thank-you letters absolutely must be individualized for each job you apply for.
The core of the letters package is the templates. Each template is a step-by-step guide that covers all possibilities you might encounter in YOUR job search. It’s the best cover-letter book or seminar out there, tailored for you. Using the template, you will create and master a flexible tool that will serve you throughout your career.
I also give you a sample cover letter and sample thank-you letter written for a typical case when you are a responding to a job posting in your main market. The samples will show you how to handle each part of the letter. If you like, you can work from the samples instead of the templates, but be sure you review all the instructions and the choices in the templates.
I know this approach works, because it’s based on the process I developed when I was freelancing, to promote my services in a variety of specialties. It works for my clients, too. Click here for some of their comments.
The templates will require some work on your part at first, and they may seem complicated at first glance. But they are designed to make it as simple as possible to create a really effective letter. Just set aside some time and go through the process step by step. The steps are mostly choosing from a few alternate sentences or paragraphs, deleting the choices that don’t apply, and filling in some basic information.
The samples and templates are written using the tone and language appropriate for you and your market, worded to match the positions you’re seeking and your own skills and experience.
The templates come with instructions for each section of the letter, and labeled variations and alternate paragraphs for use as needed to target different groups of employers and types of position. You can pick and chose from these to tailor your presentation to a particular employer. The templates also include alternate paragraphs for the different job-hunting situations you may encounter. Depending on your situation, these may include: responding to a job posting, making a cold inquiry to an employer, writing to recruiters or search firms, or writing on the recommendation of a third party. There are also options and tips for stating salary requirements, which is a sensitive matter.
Once you have become familiar with the templates, and created a few letters from them, the process will become even simpler. You’ll have learned how to respond to different situations, and you’ll probably create most new letters from earlier letters that you’ve done yourself, referring to the templates as needed.
As with resumés, employers may screen cover letters for keywords. So I make your cover letters as keyword-rich as possible.
You’ll get your cover letters and thank-you letters (templates and sample letters for each) in both Word and plain-text format—the two formats needed for letters in any job search.
Special-target letters: Our cover letter and thank-you letter templates are always built to cover multiple targets. But sometimes a specially-written letter is needed—often to target a particular position at a particular firm.
LETTERS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY TO CLIENTS WHO HAVE ALSO PURCHASED A RESUMÉ PACKAGE.
Thank-you letter templates are included in all packages except special-target letters.
FEES—Cover-letter package
5. Executive $300
4. Middle Management $250
3. General: Experienced $160
2. General: Junior $120
1. Entry-level $90
Fees for special-target letters range from $60 to $200.
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
I do resumé updates only for previous resumé customers.
I will spend time as needed to interview you to gather complete information about your job history since the last resumé. These interviews are usually done on the phone, and typically take 45 minutes to an hour and a half. The interviews can be scheduled afternoons or evenings, on weekdays or (subject to availability) on weekends. I will then prepare an updated resumé for your approval, as I did for your previous resumé.
If your existing resumé was not written and formatted by me, we will need to start from scratch with the regular Resumé Consulting Service (above), in order to produce an effective resumé. I make no exceptions to this policy. It’s much easier to do the job properly from scratch than it is to fix up a basket case, and the results are incomparably better. Virtually every outside resumé that’s ever been sent to me is a basket case in at least one important aspect. Virtually all have serious technical problems with the way the documents are formatted. Most have serious problems with content and writing. Nearly all leave room for significant improvements in content and writing.
FEES—resumé updates
Fees depend on your professional level and on how much new information is being added. Call for a free consultation and quote.
one position added / each additional position (no merged positions) / updated LinkedIn profile
5. Executive $250 / $75 / $50
4. Middle Management $200 / $75 / $50
3. General: Experienced $150 / $60 / $50
2. General: Junior $100 / $50 / $30
1. Entry-level $90 / $40 / $30
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
Resumés sent to employers outside the U.S. follow a different set of rules. Most often, they’re referred to as “CVs” or, more formally, “curriculum vitae” (in the singular), though in some countries they’re called resumés or currículos, and Germany calls them Lebensläufen.
I write international CVs in international English, for non-U.S. readers, including readers for whom English is a second or third language. Si vous cherchez un emploi dans des pays francophones, j’écrirais votre CV en anglais facilement compréhensible par des lecteurs francophones. Je peux aussi, comme pour mes clients qui cherchent d’emploi dans les États-Unis, contrôler des renseignements touchant employeurs, marchés, et terminologie. I also read, but do not speak, German, Italian, and British—these too can be helpful in checking information and in writing for European readers.
For international CVs, I normally provide the printable files (Word and PDF) set up in A4 format, the standard document size outside the U.S. and Canada. Your foreign contacts will appreciate getting documents in A4 size—it makes both paper and electronic documents easier for them to handle.
Other service details are the same as for the regular Resumé Consulting Service, above.
For general information about CVs (both U.S. and international), see the entry for Curriculum Vitae in our Resumé Encyclopedia. It’s important to note that “curriculum vitae” (or “CV”) has a special meaning in the U.S.; in the rest of the world it’s a synonym for “resumé.”
For more information—and some helpful tips—on using A4 paper and electronic documents, see the A4 entry in our Resumé Encyclopedia.
FEES—International CV
5. Executive $750
4. Middle Management $625
3. General: Experienced $425
2. General: Junior $325
1. Entry-level $250
If you need both a U.S. resumé and an International CV, a fee for rewriting and re-formatting will apply (it won’t be charged as an full alternate version). The fee ranges from $100 to $200.
Higher fees apply for international academic or professional CVs. See also “U.S. Professional Curriculum Vitae,” below.
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
Professional, academic, and scientific CVs are longer and more complex than resumés. Other service details are the same as for the regular Resumé Consulting Service, above.
I have professional editorial experience in scholarly and technical publishing and in academia, so I understand the special editorial requirements of these CVs. They will be thoroughly professional in language and presentation, and will follow the bibliographic and other styles appropriate for your discipline.
For general information about CVs (both U.S. and international), see the entry for Curriculum Vitae in our Resumé Encyclopedia. It’s important to note that “curriculum vitae” (or “CV”) has a special meaning in the U.S.; in the rest of the world it’s a synonym for “resumé.”
FEES—U.S. Professional CV
5. Executive $900
4. Middle Management $725
3. General: Experienced $450
2. General: Junior $325
1. Entry-level $275
If you need both a CV and a resumé, the resumé will not be charged at full price; instead, a fee of $90 to $150 will be charged for rewriting and reformatting.
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
Sometimes a job-seeker is pursuing two or more distinct types of position, or looking in two or more distinct markets. Whether or not you need multiple versions of your resumé for this will depend on your individual situation. I can discuss this possibility with you once I know something about your experience and objectives.
I find that I can usually write a single resumé to cover all of each client’s objectives, without any sacrifice of targeting effectiveness. Special targeting, if needed, can be left for the cover letter. Ideally, a single version is the best way to go. I know from my own experience that creating and coordinating multiple resumé versions is usually not worthwhile. It can be messy, time-consuming, and distracting, and can lead to mistakes that outweigh any benefits.
In some cases, to cover different objectives, all that is needed is an alternate Profile summary and/or an alternate Objective statement. In such cases, I will provide the alternates in a separate document, so you can paste them into the resumé as needed. This is a part of my normal service, and there’s no extra charge as long as it’s at my initiative. (I recommend the paste-in procedure to avoid the necessity of maintaining multiple complete versions.)
But there are some cases when the only way to go is multiple versions, targeted to a distinct type of position or a distinct market—because each type of position or market requires a different treatment throughout the resume. For instance, one market or position might require extensive detail on one facet of your background, while another market or position might require extensive detail on another area—and putting both on one resumé would make the resumé too long and, worse, make prospective employers in both fields think that a lot of your experience is irrelevant to their specialty.
Those are the situations that require the Additional-Target Resumé option. Whether I do a single version or multiple versions, I always ask questions, gather information, and write the resumé to make sure you get the best presentation for each market.
Additional-target resumés are available only in combination with a Resumé Consulting package.
FEES—Additional-target resumés
5. Executive $250
4. Middle Management $200
3. General: Experienced $130
2. General: Junior $100
1. Entry-level $90
• 5. Executive: corporate executive & upper management (director & up); Sales/Accounts management; management-level professions. • 4. Middle Management: corporate middle management & mid-level sales/accounts; small-business executive; senior professions; senior tech/IT. • 3. General—Experienced: general business with 8+ years experience OR 4+ positions; junior tech/IT; junior professions. • 2. General—Junior: general business with 2–7 years experience AND 1–3 positions; experienced technical trades. • 1. Entry-level: entry-level/student; basic trades & non-college.
From a briefer website bio, to an executive biography written with the media in mind—I’ll interview you to gather the necessary information about you and your objectives, and then write to the point. I can also do case histories or any similar kind of writing you need.
A typical short blurb, as for a brief website biography, runs about 200 to 400 words. Typical fees would be $175, or $125 when ordered along with a resumé.
A longer biography, about one page, such as might be kept handy for a press release, runs about 450 to 600 words. Typical fees would be $275, or $200 when ordered along with a resumé.
Call me to discuss the details of your project. I’ll advise you on possible approaches, if you like, and then provide a quote.
A networking resumé is a one-page condensation of your resumé. It’s typically used in non-hiring situations, when you want to give someone an outline of your experience and capabilities, without making them sort through detail that is relevant only to hiring situations.
Networking resumés are available only as an extra in combination with the Resumé Consulting package.
Networking resumés are delivered in the same formats as other resumés: Word, plain-text, and PDF.
FEES—Networking Resumé
A typical fee is $75. Call for a free consultation and quote.
A FREE REFERENCES SHEET TEMPLATE IS INCLUDED with the standard resumé and CV packages. You can use it to create a professional-looking list of your references for use by potential employers.
When a prospective employer is checking your references, your references sheet is the gatekeeper, and it’s worth a little effort to get it right. The template includes valuable tips on putting together an effective references sheet. It’s provided in both Word and plain text formats.
There isn’t a whole lot to a references sheet. Employers who are checking references will not tolerate being led, and a references sheet is no place for sales talk. But, especially for people in technical fields, and people with complex job histories, a list of references can be made more effective by including selected (but very brief!) additional information, and by careful presentation and writing. A well-written references sheet will make sure that employers know everything you need them to know to get a fair picture of your background, and make it easier for them to find out what they need to know—which they will appreciate.
I’m available for corporate consulting on resumé-related matters, including outplacement counseling. I can provide guidance on resumés, presentation, and related technical matters, for businesses that present specialist employees for hire by third parties. In two projects for a fast-growing staffing firm, I was credited with great improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, and also in the visual presentation of consultant resumés.
If you don’t see what you want, ask for it. Concept, writing, production design, technical consulting, production—I’ve worked in all these areas for some of the most demanding firms in the country—ad agencies, design studios, marketing consultancies, and leading corporations. If you have a special project in mind, give me a call, whether it’s for your job hunt or your business.
The editorial, typographic, and graphics work that I did for over twenty years in New York City, plus several years in the Twin Cities included: • Writing, editing, and re-write of reports, proposals, and all sorts of business communications • Name and slogan development for products and corporate identity • Editorial, typographic, and graphic style and standards • Production consulting and digital production templates • Typographic consulting • Design and production of logos, icons, informational graphics, and display type • Technically and typographically demanding digital production—the kind for which even big ad agencies call in specialists—whether it’s a multi-layered Photoshop or Illustrator file or a massive table-based publication in InDesign.
If you need it, I’ll do one round of minor revisions to factual content, without charge, for a period of thirty days from the date the finished work is sent to you.
Eligibility for free revision is subject to my approval. In general, only revisions that do not require copy to re-run from one page to the next are eligible for free revisions. Free revisions will only be made to the copies of the documents (Word, plain text, PDF files, etc.) that I have retained in my files. For further details, see the Policies page.
Whatever you call it, featuring key vocabulary is and always has been an essential part of an effective resumé, and should be part of every version of your resumé. I don’t treat it as a special feature.
I write your resumé (and cover letters, if you order them) to include the richest possible range of real-world keywords, based on the information you give me in interviews, on my experience with clients in similar fields, and on some individualized research on possibilities suggested by your information.
Because of hype and technological ignorance, there are some serious and widespread misconceptions about keywords and resumé SEO. On the Tips & Myths page, you’ll find a discussion of SEO, Keywords, Search-Engine Optimization: Hype & Misconceptions.
NOTE: Many employers deliberately write job postings without the keywords they are looking for. This is to prevent people from copying keywords from the postings. This is one reason why job postings often look so fluffy and unreal. Resumé writers who import this fluff into resumés, in the belief that these are keywords, are barking up the wrong tree.
I keep the original files for your resumé, so they’re always available if you need revisions or a new version—or if you lose the files and need them re-sent. It’s not a special service. It’s just good data management and customer care.
For most people looking for jobs in the United States, encumbering their resumés with graphics, images, and especially personal photos, is one of the worst mistakes they can make. There are legal reasons why personal photos are almost never placed on resumés sent to U.S. employers—the employers are worried about discrimination lawsuits. Legalities aside, photos invite discrimination based on age, race, and various other factors. That’s why many LinkedIn users don’t put photos on their profiles.
In a few cases—typically models, actors, some salespeople, and some creatives—personal photos or other graphics do have a place in U.S. resumés. And for jobs outside the U.S., personal photos are the norm. In these cases, if you provide suitable head shots as digital files, I handle them as a matter of routine, with no extra charges.
Except in these cases, I strongly discourage the use of graphics of any kind in Word resumés. For one thing, they can cause technical problems in resumé processing.
In fact, I’ve done typography and graphics of all kinds, in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, for leading ad agencies and design studios. I did it for years. I can certainly handle them for special projects, where appropriate.
Variations on a waltz for pianoforte alone for the price of 30 ducats in gold, that is Viennese ducats. … Bagatelles or trifles for pianoforte alone, price upon request. … A song with pianoforte 8 ducats. For an elegy for four voices with accompaniment of 2 violins, viola and violoncello the price is 24 ducats. For a chorus of Dervishes with full orchestra 20 ducats.
— Beethoven, quoting prices to music publisher C.F. Peters (June 5, 1822).