By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter While I write resumes for a living, I realize (and prefer) that it isn’t “my way or the highway.” How bland of a career marketing world would it be if every resume was written by some formulaic approach? Unfortunately, though, myriad people seem to want to legislate resume writing into a tiny […]
Pink Tennis Shoes and Resumes
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter I recently bought a pair of (hot-pink) Nike tennis shoes. I researched, consulted with the sports store pros and tried on several pairs to ensure a confident purchasing decision. On the heels of a focused 12-month exercise and fitness journey that has reinforced the value of strong, capable footwear, I needed to […]
Not All Career Advice Is Good: 10 Tips to Ignore
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter “There’s a lot of bad advice out there.” “As somebody who has helped people find jobs for over 15 years, I’m amazed at the number of myths that still float around.” These are just two of the eight comments on my recent post challenging 10 of the ‘career expert’ myths that float […]
How To Resolve Conflicting Resume Advice
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter I’ll readily admit that I am one of the writers in the blogosphere who consistently spouts resume advice. With 15 years’ experience owning my own resume writing business, I feel qualified to focus in on this area of tip-giving. Having endured through my trial-and-error start-up years, having invested in years of training, […]
7 Ways to Get Uncomfortable Writing Your Career Portfolio
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter #1: Metaphorically Speaking: Mix Prints | Get Colorful Have you ever revamped a stuffy wardrobe? For example, did your old wardrobe boast perfectly matched colors, solids and prints so that you would not stand out, be offensive or take a risk that someone may disapprove? During your wardrobe revamp, did you dare […]
Think Your Resume Is Too Long? Go Bungee Jumping!
By Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter While most operators of bungee jumping sites are not typically physics experts, they do rely on tables generated by experts. These tables are used to determine chord diameter and static line length, based on the weight of the jumper and the desired maximum distance of the jump. Most would agree there is no […]
R-SQUARED: Repackaging & Reframing the Resume Rules
Alright, so ‘career experts’ are continually repackaging and reframing the rules of resume writing and job search. For fun, let’s call this R-squared. My resume writing business focuses heavily on serving the senior manager and executive client. Except for the multiplicity of vehicles [MS Word, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, SlideShare (hat tip to @ErinKennedyCPRW for her recent […]
Rules of Resume Story Length: Perception or Reality?
I am acutely aware of the varying opinions on what constitutes a Branded and High-Impact executive resume. I also appreciate the recommendations by some of my colleagues, that an Exec Resume must be limited to absolute brevity at 2 pages. I’m of the belief that an executive resume can be 2 or 3 pages (some, […]