Chapter 17

A Sampling of Extreme Resume Makeovers

Each of five before-and-after sets of resumes in this chapter makes a specific point: Bare-bones quick notes don’t make the sale; attention wanders with too much (unusable) information; persuasive information grabs attention; credibility grows when focus meets accomplishments; and white space encourages readability.

A text box atop each resume in this chapter contains a mission statement — that is, what the job seeker aims to accomplish, which usually is a better job. The mission statement also includes the requirements for a specific position — or a summary of the typically requested requirements for an occupation or career field.

Within the mission statement, each of the job’s requirements has a number next to it. The same number also appears in the body of the resume next to the job seeker’s matching qualification for that requirement.

The cross-matched numbers between a job’s requirements and the candidate’s qualifications shown here are just for illustration, not for your actual resumes.

The samples are intended to laser your attention to requirement-and-qualification matching, the single most important factor in causing your candidacy to get noticed in an online swarm of resumes.