Job!

I got this book unexpectedly. I responded to a LinkedIn post Rick had done about the 4 words you should never use in a resume. As a resume writer and career coach I was intrigued by the novel idea in that post. That caused me to respond with a message to Rick that turned into an hour long phone call about resume writing, the evolution of resumes into job boards and applicant tracking systems and the power of leveraging your accomplishments. Rick told me about his book on the subject and after our conversation bought it immediately. Over the next 24 hours I read and highlighted heavily. It was a very quick read and a great mix of immediately actionable concepts that can be applied to a resume and job search today. Rick's writing style is easy to read and has just enough stories to engage you and clarify the concepts but doesn't go overboard. As he says it is a requirement to work with him to complete the "Accomplishments Inventory" section of the book before working with him as a client. It is something I'd highly recommend anyone in the working world do. If you haven't yet done your accomplishments review for last year, tackle it now with this book in hand. Or if you find your accomplishments severely lacking, redouble your efforts today and start an Accomplishments Journal using the method Rick teaches in this book to ensure that next year, when you're doing your annual review at work you have the ability to just copy and paste those key accomplishments into the appropriate part of your review form. Or if you're looking for that next job. Asking past bosses, coworkers, and friends and family about what you did that was memorable will help jump start your confidence and make that next job hunt easier. Although intuitively I captured many of the concepts he promotes already in my resume writing and career coaching business, Rick does an awesome job of making it clear, concise, and quick to implement (with examples of the format and the questions to ask yourself and others). In addition to the resume side of things he also walks you through how to implement it in the real world - from the initial resume submittal - through the initial call back to the interview to the post interview follow up. No stone is left unturned. It also brings up some unique approaches that no one else is teaching (like the short form resume to get through the filtering systems the recruiters and job boards use to only show resumes that match the job profile - and done in a way that it doesn't bog you down in constantly doing full rewrites of your resume for each job). I was so impressed by this book that I went out and bought "Promote!" too. And am already 3/4 of the way through that and it is just as useful. So if you can buy them both together...do it...you won't regret it.

I gave this book to a guy looking for a job and getting nowhere. He just got married and need to live in a specific place in Arizona with his wife and he has a really small niche that his job fits in at only certain universities. He reads the book, does what it ways, and WHAM! He's getting 5-6 calls right way with an eventual 3 job offers! Before this he was getting nowhere-not even a phone call. This book saved his career, got him in the same town as his wife, and saved his self esteem. BUY THIS BOOK! Every single person I've ever given it to has had the same results. Can I say it again? BUY THIS BOOK! Update 6/24/16: I used this book again to get my current job in under 2 months and I'm getting paid around 28% MORE than my previous job. This book is gold. Buy it now, use it, visit his web site for document examples. I've been a hiring manager for years and I can always tell when someone has used Rick's book because their resume GETS ATTENTION and they GET THE INTERVIEW! Update 4/20/17: I buy this book for students, friends having problems find jobs, new graduates, etc. This is the BEST book I've ever used to find a job. Rick is spot on. I hire people and I can always tell when I get a Rick Gillis Job! resume because that person stands out from all of the others and always winds up in the "interview" pile. Update 2/2/18: My wife used the book to get another job at 15k more than her current position, plus a step up the career ladder. I am giving this book to a student today to help him find his ideal job. Update 12/30/22. I've purchased several additional copies for students after seeing what an absolute horror their resumes were when applying for a job under my supervison. I've heard nothing but compliments from them about this book and now their resumes are truly impressive. They'll have no problem getting a great job after college with this book! I cannot stress this enough: buy this book and do what it says!

Just finished reading this book and writing my new short and long form resumes. That said, I have great expectations of success in my opportunity search. Everything in this book just seemed to make sense. It is clearly written, well explained and logical. Job hunting can be so frustrating especially when you know you can do the job but can't get a call back for an interview. This book explains "why" that happens and more importantly, what you can do about it to turn it around. I'm hoping that now that I know the keys, I'll get the interview and the position I've been looking for. It is missing at least one thing though. I noticed it because it affects me specifically and millions of others will to. There is not section, sub-section, tips or pointers on what to do and how to address a hold in your work history. For example after 16 years of dedicated service, I was caught up in a mass 10,000 person down sizing from a very large company. At the same time my wife was very ill requiring an organ transplant and I took time off to work through both my unexpected release and her recovery. To make a long story short it wound up to be 2 years. While I did some self employment work on the side, they weren't the kind of things that normally look good on a professional resume. Now I'm ready to go back to the corporate world but not sure how to explain the last two years of being out of work without it looking negative. Would have been great if Rick had addressed a section on presenting involuntary prolonged layoffs on your resume.

I learned about this book via a Salary.com podcast. I downloaded the book and began using the techniques to revamp my resume right away - just in time, as I was about to submit a resume to a company with a serif font, tables and other unnecessary "stuff." I found a job in more than one day... after two weeks of seriously looking. The two pieces of Rick's book that proved to be the most valuable of all were 1) approaching the resume as a marketing tool rather than an "obituary," and 2) the use of keywords. The exercise of crafting the resume and list of accomplishments made me focus very clearly on not only the best way to get a job, but also the kind of value I could bring to a company. I am very much in debt to Mr. Gillis for writing such a concise, no-nonsense book. It is well worth the money. Job seekers: if you get nothing else out of this book, use it to create a dynamic resume that will get you noticed. You will be amazed at how quickly it works.

This book is great. I followed all the steps and exercises, sent my new resume to only the employers I wanted to hear from, and scored a job at the exact place I wanted to work, at the amount I wanted them to pay me. It did take a little longer than a day, but not much. Oh, did I mention, this was after being out of work several years and sending out upwards of 1500 of my old resumes. I only sent about 10 of my new improved resumes out total. I also had 2 other places call to set up an interview after I started work at my new job. That means that I scored interviews at 30% of the places that I sent my new resume to. I had to tell them sorry. I really liked that! This was without a doubt the best .99 cents I ever spent. I may go ahead and buy the book too just for future reference. Now, stop reading reviews and buy this book! It honestly put my life back on track.

Followed the steps, wrote keywords, formatted my address like Gillis recommend, placed the job position in the title and no has called me. Will keep trying, I have been at this for 2 months - very disappointing.

I have been seeking a new opportunity for months in a very specialized field and have been getting nowhere. The State where I live insists in the 1980 version of the resume when they send you literature, but I have talked to recruiters about the new optical scanners. Each job I have applied for has had at least 5000 applicants and yet the resume has produced zero. Gillis, has the insider information, and this is the week to make my resume fit the standards I have been hearing from the recruiting agencies employed by the major international agencies where I seek to serve. I was deeply impressed on how clear the books is, the excellent examples, and for every point, Gillis gives the rationale for being so abbreviated, or specific or "non-conforming." I wish I had read this book 8 months ago and I advise EVERYONE who seeking a new opportunity to stop right now, download the book, and read it and then go do the homework.

Rick has some good ideas to use for your next job search. I have incorporated some of his ideas and have seen some good success. However, the competitive job market here in the DC area goes up and down so I've also had some times without responses. The most important idea that Rick wants the reader to know is that the resume should be customized to suit the expectations of the hiring manager. Keeping your most important ideas toward the top of the page is one way to do that. Making a list of your achievements is a great idea, whether you use them on your resume or not, just to be able to know yourself and your abilities and begin the task of marketing yourself and showing off your quality. I've discovered that some industries seem to have different expectations of what should be included in a resume. Know those expectations and incorporate Rick's ideas and you'll have a winning document! Overall, a great resource to use for your job search!