Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Perfect Resume, 3E

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a heck of a time finding a decent resume guide, whether in book format or on the Internet or on software. Every one was completely different, and most of the ones that I either bought or looked at, dealt with people who had either high school education, high school with experience, one college degree, or someone who had been in the job market/working world for a while and was merely refreshing his/her resume. I was looking for information on how to write a resume when you have several degrees in different fields, and writing experience. I also wanted direction on how to make the most of all the experience I have in teaching both hearing and deaf people, volunteer work, odd jobs, etc. and I just couldn't find that information anywhere else. After a lot of disappointments, I finally came upon this book. I guess the title of these books tend to turn me off, but this book was by far the most complete and useful of everything I've used or looked at, and it is the one I finally based my resume on. I certainly intend to recommend this particular book to others including my students. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

This has to be one of the best resume-writing guides available (and I've read them all!) I'm in the business of writing resumes and often refer to Susan Irelands gems of wisdom to turn my clients' simple, ordinary work histories into simply extraordinary, job-winning achievements. A great resource!

On the cover of the book it says, "the only resume book you'll ever need". I found that to be very true. I went to an employment resource centre and took a look at more than 15 'expert' resume books, most were garbage, and then i found Susan Ireland's book. I still find the title of her book, "the complete idiot's guide..." insulting. However, don't let the title discourage you. this book does an excellent job for people going through a career change (myself). I have written many resumes and found this book taught me new tricks, boosted my confidence, and best of all showed me how to write a successful resume. Excellent for both expert and novice resume writters. I rated this book 4 stars because of the terrible Cover Letter section.
For example, p.186 from book:

"... Dear Mr. Foremost,
Do you believe in fate? I didn't until I opened the Sheridan Bee this morning and saw your ad for Job Placement Officer....."

or this clever one:

".... Dear Mr. Callahan,
Research shows that women have a greater sensitivity to color than men. for that reason, I propose that I create a marketing program for Household Paints that targets women....let's talk in person about your new 'Colors for Women' program. I'II call you in a few days to arrange an appointment..."

Those are some of the weakest examples of cover letters i have ever read. Completely unacceptable in my opionion. My advice, check out the book for the resume section only.

before I bought this book I had a resume that I had 10% confidence in. Now in 24 short hours I have created a document that I have 110% confidence in. This book is a must have for anyone who wants to improve their resume without paying a professional to do it. Great as a graduation gift. Filled in the gaps where the educational system fell short.

I believe you need more than one resume book these days in order to get a feel for the various styles available to you. With that in mind, the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume" is an interesting and valuable asset.

I have usually relied on "The Damn Good Resume Guide" in various editions and had pretty good luck. Still, the Idiot's Guide had some styles that I hadn't really seen before. For example, they have resumes for individuals with specialty degrees and experience and for those who have been high achievers in their field.

Two big caveats, however.

The Idiot's Guide doesn't seem to be organized in a logical way. It feels like it jumps around from topic to topic instead of just concentrating on illustrating various resume styles and approaches. Perhaps that's just the Idiot Guide format and they're just trying to present as much as possible about how to write a resume. In any case, experienced resume writers will likely find this frustrating if they're mostly just looking for fresh ideas.

The second issue I have with this guide is the cover letters section. Here's one example they give for a first paragraph: "Do you believe in fate? I didn't until I opened the Sheridan Bee this morning and saw your ad for Job Placement Officer. It sounded like the job I've been searching for."

Maybe this is just personal style issue, but I've been on the hiring end myself and read a few cover letters. If I saw a letter with that paragraph I'd probably question the job candidate's professionalism. It just comes off as overly eager with a touch of inexperience. Granted, this is just one letter in the book. Still, I found the cover letter section to be one of the weakest chapters and not all that helpful.

The Idiot's Guide would probably help a lot of people in creating a better resume. I recommend it as an addition to one's collection of books on the topic. However, I would not recommend it to anyone as a sole primary source of information.

This book helped me change my approach to resumes. As a result of reading the book I look at my job search differently too, and with increased confidence. Very helpful and great to refer back to.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume (I don't like the word idiot in there but...) is filled with good information and advice about turning experience and qualifications into a powerful resume. The basics of what to do and what not to do are confirmed, and they are pretty much the same in all resume books with a few exceptions. The organization of the book was ok but like all resume books could have provided a lot more examples of both good and bad.

The best way to learn about writing resumes, I've found, is to be on the employer side and have to actually read people's resumes and make decisions based on them. That's when all this advice makes sense. You'll understand the importance of respecting the resume reader if you have to do that, and you'll incorporate those lessons into resume writing.

The cover letter section was not good. The examples and ideas were a bit off the top in that they were too attention-getting. Maybe if you're applying for a job in advertizing or sales you have to show that you're willing to push the envelope. Otherwise, you should start from the assumption that nobody really wants to read your cover letter unless they have to and to give them a sense of who you really are and not try to generate excitement.

I'm a computer consultant with more than 14 years experience and 6 pages of computer project detail. This is the first book I've read which shows how to focus that expertise. A must read for any heavy weight.

This book is superb. It shows you how to analyze your experiences and present them in a powerful and effective format, targeting the position you want. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I plan to give it as a gift to a number of friends and relatives.

I also used the resume review service mentioned in the book, and it, too, was excellent.

This is a good source for the visual learner who needs to see other resume formats and structures.