First I'll want to know a little bit about your situation. I'll determine what information I need from you and ask you to email or fax me a copy of your outdated or current and just-isn’t-cutting-it résumé. If you don’t have a résumé then I’ll have you complete the Résumé Information Form.

I will also ask you to take a few minutes to look at actual job descriptions online and select 2 or 3 that can stand as examples of the types of positions you will be applying for. You can either email me the links or copy and paste the descriptions into an email for me. Now, if you’re looking to do essentially the same thing you’ve been doing for quite some time, just for a different company, then the job descriptions aren’t as critical, but for most of my clients these job descriptions are key.

Next we'll set an appointment to meet in-person or over the phone for 45 minutes to an hour and a half. I typically have my clients meet me at Pablo's coffee shop in Central Denver at 630 E 6th Avenue (6th Avenue & Washington Street), but I can usually be flexible with other locations as well. Before our meeting I’ll use the information you’ve given me to prepare a focused list of questions, using the position descriptions as my guide to ensure that your résumé includes the type of accomplishments your next employer is looking to see. I'll use a combination of all of the information you've provided me, including your responses to my numerous questions, to come up with the content of your accomplishment-based résumé.

By the end of the meeting we'll determine my deadline and I'll call to notify you when I've emailed you the PDF and Word versions of your initial draft. After you've had a chance to review the documents I'll complete any necessary edits until you're completely confident with the final product.

Please plan to bring a check for full payment with you to our meeting. I won't deposit the check until after your final documents have been emailed to you, but I do request payment at the time of our face-to-face meeting so that I don't have to spend time chasing checks after my writing work is done.

This is a tough question to answer, as my schedule can vary quite a bit, but I’m usually able to have a final draft to a client within four days to a week of our in-person or phone meeting.

I always try to be as flexible as possible. Just give me a call at your convenience so we can determine if I can complete your documents in the timeframe you need.

The location is negotiable, but I typically meet with clients at Pablo's coffee shop in Central Denver at 630 E 6th Avenue (6th Avenue & Washington Street).

I meet most clients during business hours, but do make myself available to meet with clients before or after work hours or over the weekend if necessary. Each client’s situation is as unique as their résumé, so we can work out the meeting time and place together.

Some clients I’ve never even met, like the clients I’ve worked with in Arizona, New York, San Diego and San Francisco. We simply go through the entire process over the phone and via email, which is always an option for you as well.

No worries. Just fill out my Résumé Information Form and fax or email the completed version to me before our first meeting so that I have all of your current, pertinent information. The form pretty much speaks for itself.

I pride myself on my ability to consolidate 2, 3 or 4-page résumés down to a concise, powerful 1-page or 2-page document. My clients have been amazed as to how many of their accomplishments I've been able to fit on to a single page. While the 1-page résumé works for most of my clients, it's just not enough space for everyone, especially those with executive experience. Once I have all of your information I'll be able to let you know whether a 1 or 2-page résumé will best serve your career objectives.

Below is just a small sample of the types of positions I've written résumés for over the past 5 years. Writing résumés using a potential employer’s job descriptions helps to provide me with the details as to what is important to that specific industry, company and position while my background in HR helps me to determine which skills and accomplishments are implied rather than stated.

I've written numerous customized résumés for clients that can’t decide between two career options and want to have custom résumés and cover letters ready for each different direction.

Since powerful résumés emphasize skills and accomplishments that apply directly to the needs and desires of a potential employer, if you're just not sure yet what direction you want to go in then maybe you should take some time to do some soul searching before wasting your money having a less-effective generic résumé written.

I can work with you to help you figure out what you might like to try next or we can simply wait until you’re ready. Every person I've recommended to take some time to think on their next career move before jumping into having a generic résumé written eventually became a client later on.

(Also read response to What if I’m thinking of changing career fields? below)

I've had great success helping clients make positive career changes through their customized résumés. It can sometimes take a little bit longer to land a job in a new field and that’s why a customized résumé geared toward the desired new position and field is so important. A Hiring Manager is looking to see that the content of the résumé and cover letter demonstrate how the potential interviewee can do the job the company has available, and I know just how to make that happen.

As a former Hiring Manager myself I've seen it time and time again. A sales person submits a resume for, say, a Project Manager position I have advertised. The submitter may have thought to himself, wow, that sounds like the perfect switch I’d like to make right now. In his head the submitter thinks, 'I have so many of the skills that job description is asking for, I practically do that job now on top of all my other job duties. I’m so excited to make a change in my career field and the location, company culture and job duties sound like a perfect match for me...I’m going to fax in my résumé right now.'

Meanwhile, when I read their résumé and cover letter (if they even bother to include a cover letter) it may portray them as a great sales person, but since they haven’t taken the time or effort to customize their résumé to demonstrate how they are qualified to fill my Project Manager position and didn't utilize a cover letter to briefly explain why they want to make a change and why they believe they are an excellent match for my position, they inevitably get tossed in the not-to-be-interviewed pile.

(Also read response to What if I’m not sure what I want my next job to be? above)

You can view some PDF samples of my work on my services page to see if you like my style before contacting me. In addition, when we meet in-person I'll flip through my portfolio so that you can see a hard copy example of the general format and style I'm thinking will best suit your résumé needs. If you have any strong objections to my format, then speak up at that time, otherwise I'll create your résumé in the format I've shown you and you can play around with changing the style or format as much as you like once your résumé is complete. Examples of my work are being published in the fifth edition of David Noble's book, the Gallery of Best Résumés, in 2011 so I must be doing something right.

Me and only me. I love what I do and I gain great satisfaction in helping others to stand out and get interviews in this tough job market.

I have six years of experience on the hiring side of companies, ranging from a nonprofit to a city government office to a demanding corporate environment. I've reviewed hundreds of résumés and spent years thinking like and making the decisions of a hiring manager. I know what makes a résumé stand out. I know what landed select résumés directly in the interview-worthy pile. I also know what led me to place other résumés in the maybe stack, but more often than not I had enough résumés in the to-interview pile that not even the maybes made it.

I decided to leave my corporate job as the Human Resources Coordinator to start my own résumé writing business over 5 years ago and the positive feedback from my clients has only strengthened my desire to continue writing résumés. My concise, customized résumés and cover letters help job seekers get interviews and all of the referrals I receive make me feel even more proud and happy about what I do.

Besides my background, I've worked hard to earn additional credentials in 2010, including becoming a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) and a Certified Employment Interview Professional (CEIP) through the Professional Association of Résumé Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC). In addition to belonging to the PARW/CC, my memberships within the National Résumé Writers' Association and Career Directors International (CDI) allow me to stay current on industry trends while communicating with and constantly learning from other résumé writers, recruiters and career coaches across the country.

I write résumés because I like helping people feel confident with the job that they are doing each and every day.

I know what it’s like to be unhappy at a job and I know what it's like to be unhappily unemployed. I love helping to build a client’s confidence and for the past 5 years I've enjoyed receiving emails and phone calls from excited clients letting me know that they got the interviews they were seeking. I am very fortunate to do work that I find so professionally and personally fulfilling.

Please plan to bring a check for full payment with you to our meeting. I won't deposit the check until after your final documents have been emailed to you, but I do request payment at the time of our face-to-face meeting so that I don't have to spend time chasing checks after my work is done.

Payments can also be made using your credit or debit card through PayPal.