Customer Reviews

The Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules and Eye-Opening Advice for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters that Work

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have recommended this book to people of all ages and disciplines. It has more pertinent information then any other resume book I've ever seen. It actually was entertaining to read, and provided realistic, hopeful solutions to people in recovery who struggle with how to handle gaps in employment.
I hope that it is used in schools because it is a great tool!

Mr. Bennett leaves no stone unturned here...he takes readers through each step of writing a resume so diligently that I feel as if he has practically re-written my resume himself! Throughout the book he reinforces the importance of being honest about work histories and teaches readers how to position job hopping and gaps in employment. (Now I can feel confident in selling myself despite the many detours I've taken in my career!) He puts readers in the point of view of the employer and goes into great detail about how to use language and visual layout of the resume to make the most impact. He supplies tons of descriptive words and shows how to turn terms like, "strong interpersonal skills" and "great team-player" into actionable statements with evidence that actually mean something to employers. (This was very enlightening to me!) He also explains best practices with cover letters, inquiry letters and replying to salary history requests...you NAME it and this book's got it. Mr. Bennett clearly has a lot to teach on the subject and I feeled armed with a powerful weapon in being able to re-position myself on paper and get myself hired. This book is a must buy!

This book has brought me successfully through a career change. But I recommend it to anyone who's even just looking for a new job.

I bought this book to help my son prepare his resume. It's much more than a book of samples of resumes. It's good, practical information about what to put in and what to leave out. There are also suggestions for choosing targets for your resume. Great little book. Easy read.

I enjoyed the author's common sense approach to the resume miracles often promised by other books and resume services. Functional resumes do hide a lack of experience but employers already know that. Tricks with format and fonts might look neat but most resume reviewers are going to look past the presentation at some point. This book focuses on the basics, words that work, emphasizing accomplishments over position, keeping things simple, clear, concise and easy to read. But once you get past the large list of action words, there really isn't much more to this book. Personally, I like the formatting ideas in books like Resume Magic and the emphasis on using keywords which are often how resumes are filtered in the Internet age. While the author of The Elements of Resume Style seems to belittle these stupid resume tricks, they do seem to work.

Still,in spite of this quibble I'm giving this book a good recommendation because I found the information on grammar, fonts, style and basic format very helpful, as well as the grain of skepticism that comes with it. But comparing the sample resumes presented in this books and the ones found in other like Resume Magic, and putting oneself in the place of an employer, I think the visual formatting and style does make a difference. This book is a good start or even a complement but not the last word on resumes.

I just received Mr. Bennett's book yesterday--and finished it last night! In today's economy, giving your resume an edge is your key to success, and Bennett provides the tools to help you do that in a concise, manageable, and often humorous way. His advice is compassionate, yet he doesn't pull punches when he tells you what you need to hear. His book is an easy/fast read for someone who doesn't have time for the 'fluff' in so many of the other career-assisting-type books I've seen.

Because it is comprehensive, succinct, and quite affordable, this book stands out as a solid investment and useful tool for any professional interested in taking their talent to the next level.

Recently, I began looking for a new job after years at the old one. I thought I knew how to go about it. But soon nagging questions arose to eat at my confidence. Scott Bennett's book addressed those questions. I feel much more confident about my resume, my cover letter and how to approach the task of finding a new job in general. Bennett clearly has sat on both sides of the desk -- as an employer and as a prospective employee. That gave me a lot of faith in his advice.

This book is a must read for students (and others) looking to branch out into the working world. This book is for anyone who has never written a resume, as well as practiced writers who want to acheive perfection. The author stays true to his word as every part of the book is concise and easy to understand making the struggle of putting together a resume a snap. If you dont already have this book get it.

This is the one to get. Trust me, I write resumes for a living.