And then I read your post and thought it was ridiculous to pay someone money to write your CV. But then I re-read your post and many others and thought, what the heck? Let's give this a try.

And so I contacted Elaine Basham. That was last week. Today, I am a changed person :-) It was a great experience working with Elaine! She was professional, patient and right on the mark. She was the first person who said to me "tell me about your professional experience, let's start from the beginning". And then she asked pertinent questions along the line. And she listened. And then she said she would get back to me with the new CV in a couple of days' time.

And she did.

When I received and read my new resume I was so happy! Elaine managed to capture what I told her in simple, powerful and clear words, finally creating a document that I feel represents me.

Thank you, Elaine!

And thanks Penelope for suggesting Elaine.

Thank you very much :). Chapman.

We're all susceptible to being "fish" when it comes to describing ourselves: We're so used to who we are – or think we are – that we may no longer see (and describe) it in ways that resonate with prospective employers. I'm not sure the ultimate conclusion is to hire a professional resume writer, although that's one option. But enlisting the aid of smart friends and colleagues in resume preparation makes sense. They may find ways to describe you that you wouldn't come up with yourself.

The cross that our industry bears is that most people will never know the value a resume can bring them … until they actually hire one! For most people, only the results convince them otherwise and they can't experience the results until they hire a professional writer. The ultimate "Catch 22".

I had a client in the Houston area who had been trying to get on with this large hospital system as a Medical Billing Clerk. For more than a year, she hadn't even been able to get them to acknowledge receipt of her resume, much less extend the offer of an interview. Once we re-wrote her resume and she pit it into play, she got an interview offer within two weeks.

Now THAT'S results!

The truth is that most non-professionals focus on the content alone, which does not play a pivotal role at the start of the review process. They pay no attention to formatting aspects such as presentation, spacing, strategic placement of vital information, visual center development, etc., which all play a key role in the reader's reaction upon initially reviewing the document. I discuss this very topic on my blog:

http://theresumeclinic.com/blog/?p=43

That's the difference training makes.

William Mitchell, CPRW
The Resume Clinic

than I like looking like another Yahoo customer.