“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
“I appreciate the very thoughtful and well written response to my concerns.” He moved from his VP position to a COO spot at a new employer within three months after getting the resumé. Later, he wrote: “Crystal Resumés’ services were immensely helpful in re-packaging myself. I have referred you to multiple people. Keep up the good work.” We’ve had at least five executive customers on his referral.
— VP, Sales; moved to COO at new employer
“Ken: I just wanted to let you know that I did get the job at [regional medical center]. I will be their new CEO starting this month. I am very excited and 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 some years in another specialty; his old resumé was being ignored because of his career detour (resumé and letters targeted for that specific job)
“With your help, I was able to move up multiple times at the [major state government department] and then into an executive position at [an established regional non-profit]. I have referred others to you. I am grateful for the work you have done. It was very helpful.”
“Thanks for your excellent attention to detail! I LOVE this version. Makes me think I should hire me! ;) I really appreciate what you've done for me.”
— Vice President—Corporate IT, at well-known national company
“It has been a pleasure working with you. I appreciated the thorough interview process, attention to detail and final product.” Later: “I got a couple of interviews this week already!”
— Vice President of Sales, medical devices
“Wow Ken, this is great, and 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, after several other resumés I had done for him at earlier points in his career)
“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 Information Technology
“It was a pleasure working with you. I appreciate your attention to detail.”
— finance and investment executive, real estate development
“The resumé you did for me helped me get hired as Director at [well-known consumer foods firm; he was responsible for $500M in spend]. But there’s a new opportunity at my old company, and I’d like you to update the resumé for that.” I asked if there was anything he’d like to change in the previous resumé, and he replied: “No, I wouldn’t change a thing. I got a lot of compliments on the resumé. Among other things, I liked the way you made clear my rather complicated employment history during a series of mergers and acquisitions.”
— senior commodities & accounts manager
“Wow. You are amazing. Thank you so much—the time and thought you put into my presentation will pay off. The website is super helpful as well!” “You made me feel very comfortable during the interview.” Three months later: “Thanks! I started a new role with [national retailer] Inc.”
— brand/marketing manager (national category manager for retail company, $500M+ category revenue)
“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 (Before coming to me, he’d been actively looking, but not getting as many hits as he liked. He wanted to move to a different industry.)
“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
“Ken, this looks terrific! I appreciate the product and process.” (Referred a colleague to us a few months later.)
— operations and process improvement manager for a nationwide retail firm
“Thank you very much for the excellent work you did on my resume and the letters. The way you have compiled and written my resume gives such a complete and easy to understand picture of my abilities.”
— Business & Marketing Manager, international technology company
“The resumé worked.” (Client made her desired move from healthcare technology management to clinical management.)
— healthcare management
“I wanted to write to thank you for the work you did on my resume [four months ago]. I’ve used it successfully since then and landed a promotion [within two months]. I’m now a Sr. Manager. So, your expertise was able to work magic. I also want to let you know that a couple of HR managers within my company reviewed the resume and were impressed with the overall quality. So, keep it up—you're definitely helping people out more than you know!” (Several months later:) “I got great feedback on the previous resumé you created for me. I was speaking with a recruiter and she said it was one of the best she had read in a long time and was done in the way she recommended to all of her clients.”
— research manager—medical device industry
“I want to thank you for your excellent work, guidance and patience. I sincerely appreciate what feels like you going the extra mile to ensure a great product.”
— B2B marketing program manager
“Thanks Ken, it looks terrific. You did an amazing job.”
— broadcast producer (used the resumé to get a job at a world-leading media/tech company with a demanding hiring process)
“We spoke a couple of weeks ago. I decided to go with another resume service, but I wasn’t happy with their work.” This time, client went with Crystal Resumés even though I charged more than the other services she was considering. When she saw the approval version, she said: “It looks great.”
— senior credit manager
“I appreciate the very thoughtful and well written response to my concerns.” He moved from his VP position to a COO spot at a new employer within three months after getting the resumé. Later, he wrote: “Crystal Resumés’ services were immensely helpful in re-packaging myself. I have referred you to multiple people. Keep up the good work.” We’ve had at least five executive customers on his referral.
— VP, Sales; moved to COO position at new employer
“It has been a pleasure working with you. I appreciated the thorough interview process, attention to detail and final product.” Later: “I got a couple of interviews this week already!”
— Vice President of Sales, medical devices
“I have an interview scheduled with the VP of Corporate Sales and Marketing at [$1B+ international business services firm] next Thursday. She skipped an expected phone screen and went straight to a face-to-face interview after receiving the resumé. That’s a big deal, considering she is based in another part of the country.” Later: “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; a problem background, with a number of short-lived positions at unsuccessful startups
“I will never go back to doing it myself. Ken’s approach separates him from his competitors. Ken conducted a 2-hour interview, asked me very detailed questions while taking fast and furious notes. He was able to compile years of experience into a marketable, comprehensive piece of art. Many Hiring Directors and Talent Acquisition Specialists complimented me on my resume. Ken is a true professional.”
— national sales and accounts manager for global company
“Thanks again for composing a great resume. I received very positive feedback on it. Even better, I have just started a new position this past Monday. The Linked In instructions were very user friendly.”
— Senior Sales Manager, B2B
“It looks great. Amazing how you translated my answers to a comprehensive resume. The information you have provided is very thorough and comprehensive. Which will be very helpful in my job search. It was a pleasure working with you and I appreciate all the assistance.”
— senior account manager
“The notes that you took during our meeting made all the difference. You’ve really told a nice story within that document.”
— senior international sales manager
“Thank you again for all of your help!”
— advertising account manager
“I just wanted to send you a thank you message. I am starting a new position as [Sales Manager]. I am very confident that I would not have been noticed, nor received the type of interest that I did without your resume and letters.”
— Sales Manager
“Thanks for your excellent attention to detail! I LOVE this version. Makes me think I should hire me! ;) I really appreciate what you've done for me.”
— Vice President—Corporate IT, at well-known national company
“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
“Job hunt is going well, I have got a couple of interviews lined up.”
— financial IT manager (cover letters for international job search)
“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 (Before coming to me, he’d been actively looking, but not getting as many hits as he liked. He wanted to move to a different industry.)
“I think the resumes are perfect. I greatly appreciate the different formats and recommendations on when they are best used. The cover and thank you letters are also fabulous. Here too I am grateful for the explanations, instructions, and examples you have provided.”
— IT, systems & help desk management
“WOW! I am very impressed. I could not have come up with this much information and description on my own. Thank you for making everything so easy.”
— IT technician
“I think it’s great! Got an interview in Texas on Monday.” A month later: “I got a job offer today!”
— IT (systems & Web), military transition
“Wow Ken, this is great, and 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, after several other resumés I had done for him at earlier points in his career)
“I’m more impressed with myself than ever before.”
— engineering manager, for international manufacturer of advanced subsystems
“It turned out way better than I expected. I think you did an excellent job bringing everything together. I plan on staying in touch with you to keep my resume up to date. Thanks again.” He soon moved to a better engineering job, and recommended another client to us, saying we did “miracle work .” Later on, we re-did his resume to focus on a product management opportunity. He got that job. In the meantime, he wrote us: “I’m really happy with the finished resumé. It 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
“It reads very well. Very nice timeline and short to the point, yet detailed, statements. Very nice!! Thank you deeply.”
— manufacturing plant manager
“I really like what you did with the resumé! It looks awesome, and is orders of magnitude better than my current self-written version. Thank you!”
— mechanical engineer
“I got three interview calls in ten days, and three job offers.” (Later on:) “I took one of the jobs, but kept my eye open. In five months I got five more job offers, and took one, because it was a better job. One firm said they’d never seen a resume like mine. Another interviewer looked at it and said ‘Wow, this is good!’”
— field service engineer & project manager
“Thank you for all the great information. There is quite a bit to absorb as I read all your documents.”
— telecommunications engineer
“Don’t change a thing, don’t compress it. I got a lot of compliments on the resumé.”
— aircraft maintenance supervisor, coming back to have his resumé updated after a while in his new job, when I asked him if there was anything he wanted changed in the old material
“Ken, I wanted to thank you for helping me get my career search started. The time I spent with you on the phone really helped. I got nothing but positive feedback about my resumé. Very professional! I have accepted a logistics management position in a division of [hundred-billion-dollar global firm]. A great company and a perfect fit for me. I start next week. Thanks again!”
— logistics manager
“Last night I was offered the position of Logistics Coordinator with [national organization]. I have accepted the position, which will include a significant raise, more compensated time off, and an all-around better benefits package. Plus, I'll have a job with real purpose and meaning, which was the key to this job search. Thank you again for your assistance. The resume that you created for me made all the difference!”
— logistics coordinator
“Ken: I just wanted to let you know that I did get the job at [regional medical center]. I will be their new CEO starting this month. I am very excited and 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 some years in another specialty; his old resumé was being ignored because of his career detour (resumé and letters targeted for that specific job)
“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 Information Technology
“It has been a pleasure working with you. I appreciated the thorough interview process, attention to detail and final product.” Later: “I got a couple of interviews this week already!”
— Vice President of Sales, medical devices
“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
“The resumé worked.” (Client made her desired move from healthcare technology management to clinical management.)
— healthcare management
“I wanted to write to thank you for the work you did on my resume [four months ago]. I’ve used it successfully since then and landed a promotion [within two months]. I’m now a Sr. Manager. So, your expertise was able to work magic. I also want to let you know that a couple of HR managers within my company reviewed the resume and were impressed with the overall quality. So, keep it up—you're definitely helping people out more than you know!” (Several months later:) “I got great feedback on the previous resumé you created for me. I was speaking with a recruiter and she said it was one of the best she had read in a long time and was done in the way she recommended to all of her clients.”
— research manager—medical device industry
“I like all of the extra content you have added. I never knew I did so much.”
— health information manager
“Wooow, I’ve done a lot of stuff. You’ve made it all look so, well, relevant. I can’t wait to show this off.”
— technical writer, medical devices
“I really appreciated your in depth interview. You have an impressive way of getting to know the necessary facts and personalities. My cousin who has 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 formats for forwarding documents like you do, and the resulting consequences.”
— Registered Nurse, clinical and research
“I cannot thank you enough for your time, input and detail. I am so, so excited to send this out and will continue to speak volumes of your services.”
— Occupational Therapist
“Wooow, I’ve done a lot of stuff. You’ve made it all look so, well, relevant. I can’t wait to show this off.”
— technical writer
“It really sings :) Thanks for helping make me sound cool!”
— business administration
“Your resume is getting me interviews. I wasn’t getting interviews before.”
— restaurant manager
“Thank you, for all your assistance. I love the end products and I will put them to immediate use.”
— hotel manager (resumé, with letters and alternate target resumés)
“I had 5 or 6 job offers in the last year. I finally accepted an executive position at a local company and am loving every minute of it! Thanks for the great work on my resumé . . . obviously it paid off!” Here’s what she said just after we finished her resumé project: “Ken, it all looks great! Thank you so much for your diligence and attention to detail. I also really appreciate your comments [on getting my job search started]. Thanks again for everything!” And about the cover- and thank-you letters: “I like the format that you provide them in with all the options. It’s very thorough.”
— design consultant (resumé, letters, and bio for Web site)
(Client had called me when first shopping, but decided to go with a resumé service that charged less—but not a whole lot less. Then client came back to me.) “I have just had a very bad experience with another resume company.” After seeing my results: “Working with an excellent provider as yourself has made such a difference. I can’t believe I spent a cent with the other one.”
— marketing/events manager (Client came back a couple of years later for the next job search.)
“You did a great job. You are very good at interpreting what I tell you over the phone and putting it on paper. Thank you for all your hard work on this.”
— client-facing project manager
“The resumé paid off very well. I got a dramatic increase in response, and finally a good position at [leading insurance company].”
— project manager
“Thanks again! I got the job at [leading national retailer] in one month with the help of the resumé you put together for me!”
— facility operations manager
“Looking very thorough! Very comprehensive showing of what I have done. Thanks for your effort! I found the instructions and examples [for the letters package] exceedingly descriptive and helpful. I greatly appreciate your professional assistance and the work you do to take varied and detailed information and then format it in useful documents.”
— educational program manager
“I got the GS 11/12 promotion. They raved about my resume. The business manager wants it for posting.”
— contract manager and administrator at federal agency (repeat customer; first project was military-to-civilian transition)
“I'm very happy with how it turned out and impressed with the overall process and product.”
— military transition to civilian business, supervisory level
“I think it’s great! Got an interview in Texas on Monday.” A month later: “I got a job offer today!”
— IT (systems & Web), military transition
“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
“Ever since I put out 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 (His previous resumé wasn’t getting responses.)
“Your expertise was able to work magic. I also want to let you know that a couple of HR managers within my company reviewed the resume and were impressed with the overall quality. So, keep it up—you're definitely helping people out more than you know!” (Several months later:) “I got great feedback on the previous resumé you created for me. I was speaking with a recruiter and she said it was one of the best she had read in a long time and was done in the way she recommended to all of her clients.”
— research manager—medical device industry
“I will never go back to doing it myself. Ken’s approach separates him from his competitors. Ken conducted a 2-hour interview, asked me very detailed questions while taking fast and furious notes. He was able to compile years of experience into a marketable, comprehensive piece of art. Many Hiring Directors and Talent Acquisition Specialists complimented me on my resume. Ken is a true professional.”
— national sales and accounts manager for global company
“I have an interview scheduled with the VP of Corporate Sales and Marketing at [$1B+ international business services firm] next Thursday. She skipped an expected phone screen and went straight to a face-to-face interview after receiving the resumé. That’s a big deal, considering she is based in another part of the country.” Later: “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; a problem background, with a number of short-lived positions at unsuccessful startups
“I got three interview calls in ten days, and three job offers.” (Later on:) “I took one of the jobs, but kept my eye open. In five months I got five more job offers, and took one, because it was a better job. One firm said they’d never seen a resume like mine. Another interviewer looked at it and said ‘Wow, this is good!’”
— field service engineer & project manager
“Ken, I wanted to thank you for helping me get my career search started. I got nothing but positive feedback about my resumé. Very professional! I have accepted a logistics management position in a division of [hundred-billion-dollar global firm].”
— logistics manager
“I got the GS 11/12 promotion. They raved about my resume. The business manager wants it for posting.”
— contract manager and administrator at federal agency (repeat customer; first project was military-to-civilian transition)
“Ken: I just wanted to let you know that I did get the job at [regional medical center]. I will be their new CEO starting this month. I am very excited and 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 some years in another specialty; his old resumé was being ignored because of his career detour (resumé and letters targeted for that specific job)
“I have an interview scheduled with the VP of Corporate Sales and Marketing at [$1B+ international business services firm] next Thursday. She skipped an expected phone screen and went straight to a face-to-face interview after receiving the resumé. That’s a big deal, considering she is based in another part of the country.” Later: “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; a problem background, with a number of short-lived positions at unsuccessful startups
“I had 5 or 6 job offers in the last year. I finally accepted an executive position at a local company and am loving every minute of it! Thanks for the great work on my resumé . . . obviously it paid off!” Here’s what she said just after we finished her resumé project: “Ken, it all looks great! Thank you so much for your diligence and attention to detail. I also really appreciate your comments [on getting my job search started]. Thanks again for everything!”
— design consultant (resumé, letters, and bio for Web site)
“Ken, I wanted to thank you for helping me get my career search started. The time I spent with you on the phone really helped. I got nothing but positive feedback about my resumé. Very professional! I have accepted a logistics management position in a division of [hundred-billion-dollar global firm]. A great company and a perfect fit for me. I start next week. Thanks again!”
— logistics manager
“Last night I was offered the position of Logistics Coordinator with [national organization]. I have accepted the position, which will include a significant raise, more compensated time off, and an all-around better benefits package. Plus, I'll have a job with real purpose and meaning, which was the key to this job search. Thank you again for your assistance. The resume that you created for me made all the difference!”
— logistics coordinator
“I got three interview calls in ten days, and three job offers.” (Later on:) “I took one of the jobs, but kept my eye open. In five months I got five more job offers, and took one, because it was a better job. One firm said they’d never seen a resume like mine. Another interviewer looked at it and said ‘Wow, this is good!’”
— field service engineer & project manager
“Thanks again! I got the job at [leading national retailer] in one month with the help of the resumé you put together for me!”
— facility operations manager
“The resumé paid off very well. I got a dramatic increase in response, and finally a good position at [leading insurance firm].”
— project manager
“Ever since I put out 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; his old resumé hadn’t been getting responses
“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!” Later: “I got a call out of the blue from a recruiting agency that saw the resumé on CareerBuilder. They help people with their resumés, but they said mine was fine already.”
— purchasing manager
“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 healthcare financial manager
“It looks great. Approved. Amazing how you translated my answers to a comprehensive resume.”
— senior account manager
“I really appreciated your in depth interview. You have an impressive way of getting to know the necessary facts and personalities.”
— Registered Nurse, clinical and research
“WOW! I am very impressed. I could not have come up with this much information and description on my own. Thank you for making everything so easy.”
— IT technician
“Wooow, I’ve done a lot of stuff. You’ve made it all look so, well, relevant. I can’t wait to show this off.”
— technical writer, medical devices
“Thank you so much! After the interview I feel now more than I ever did, that I have marketable skills.”
— marketing director, with most of her experience in other fields
“I like all of the extra content you have added. I never knew I did so much.”
— health information manager
“Amazing . . . I couldn't be happier.” “The interview was a great process.”
— real estate sales and financial advisor
“The interview has been so helpful for me!”
— fundraising professional
“I want you to know that I feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth from your consulting interview alone.”
— bank manager
“I looked at the letter templates and they are great. I appreciate all the hints and suggestions that you give. This format gives a lot more freedom and latitude which is great. These templates suit me a lot better than what I was using before because I am looking at different job opportunities and I appreciate all the different options.”
— manager, business administration
“I greatly appreciate the different formats and recommendations on when they are best used. The cover and thank you letters are also fabulous. Here too I am grateful for the explanations, instructions, and examples you have provided.”
— IT, systems & help desk management
“I found the instructions and examples [for the letters package] exceedingly descriptive and helpful.”
— educational program manager
“I like all of the multiple options [in the letter templates], and the tips on how to use them in different situations.”
— business administration; career change
It is not enough to write to be understood clearly. You must write so that you cannot be misunderstood.
— generalized from a phrase in a technical bulletin of the Lanston Monotype Co., probably ca. 1917 (quoted in American Typecasting Fellowship Newsletter, issue 32, August 2008)