Resume Development Worksheet

DISTINCTIVE DOCUMENTS® Toll Free Phone/Fax: (800)644-9694 [email protected]  www.distinctivedocuments.com  www.100kcareermarketing.com

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS: Completion of this informational worksheet is a required part of our process

This worksheet includes questions developed to help us gather the information we need to create your personalized and distinctive résumé. Please read these instructions thoroughly and call or e-mail us if you have any questions. We can’t continue with your project until we receive your completed worksheet, so please return it as soon as possible.

Most people are able to complete the worksheet in several hours, but we ask that you take the time you need to do a thorough job. We recognize that this is work for you, but it is critical work. Yes, we may have written a thousand résumés in your field and we may be thoroughly familiar, in a general sense, with what your responsibilities are. However, this does not mean that we know what *YOU* do. Résumés are about individuals and the **unique** value that you add to a company. Unless you tell us about your achievements, there is no way for us to know about them.

Please pay special attention to questions that ask about the challenges you have faced and your accomplishments and achievements. For additional industry/job specific achievement ideas, please download the relevant questions at http://www.distinctiveweb.com/worksheets/. These worksheets are optional and in addition to this main worksheet.

Yes, we will have the opportunity to speak by phone if you wish, to clarify unclear worksheet answers, to discuss questions that you had trouble with, or for your writer to dig for deeper answers. However, through years of experience and a great deal of trial and error, we have found that we receive the best quality of information when clients take the time and make the effort to really reflect upon and answer the questions in the worksheet.

DO NOT just refer us back to an older résumé. If you do that, we WILL return the workshet to you and ask you to complete it more thoroughly. We wrote the questions on the worksheet to elicit more detailed information from you. In almost all cases, we are unable to collect this information from an older résumé. Save yourself some time and copy and paste from other documents if the information answers a worksheet question, but PLEASE give some honest and deep thought to the question and see if you can expand on it.

The worksheet is designed so that it can be filled out in Word or printed and completed by hand. While we do not require typing, if it is possible for you, we do appreciate it. If you choose to complete it in Word, just click in the shaded areas and type. Spell checking does not work in MS Word forms. Please don’t worry about this.

If you need additional room, feel free to attach additional sheets of paper to the worksheet as necessary. If you have them available, it will also be helpful if you attach copies of any old résumés, performance evaluations, letters of recommendations, awards, or job announcements that interest you. Again, however, please don’t just refer us to these documents in the worksheet. If the information is relevant transfer it to the worksheet in the relevant spot.

Because there is such individual diversity, even within each field and industry, you may find that some of the questions do not refer to you. If this is the case, simply mark the section "not applicable" and move on. If you need clarification on a question, please feel free to ask us. You have also been sent the contact information for the writer managing your project and can contact him or her directly with questions. Email is often the best way to reach us directly and quickly.

When you have finished the worksheet, please fax (888-289-9694), or email ([email protected]) it to us. If there is a balance due on your account, it will be charged to the credit card used for the retainer fee upon return of the worksheet, unless you give us other instructions (this does not apply to Michelle’s VIP clients booking directly from www.100kcareermarketing.com).

As soon as we receive your completed worksheet, we will contact you with the date on which you can expect your draft. Email is notoriously unreliable. If you haven’t heard from us within two business days of sending your completed worksheet, please just give us a quick call to check on it. As previously explained, we schedule projects in the order that worksheets are returned and are always booked two or more weeks in advance. Rush service is not available so please plan ahead.

We look forward to working with you! Information and ordering instructions for additional services and products (e.g., additional cover letters) can be found at http://www.distinctiveweb.com/our-services/current-past-clients/ Résumé Development Worksheet Page 2 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 DISTINCTIVE DOCUMENTS® Toll Free Phone: (800)644-9694  Fax: (888) 289-9694 [email protected]  www.distinctivedocuments.com  www.100kcareermarketing.com

** RÉSUMÉ DEVELOPMENT WORKSHEET **

Personal Data

Name (as you want it to appear on résumé): Home Phone: Work Phone: Fax: Cell Phone: E-Mail: Note: Your email address should be a personal address, not one related to your present employer. Also, we will NOT use your office/work number on the résumé unless you tell us employers would have no other way to reach you during the day.

Address: City: State: Zip: Any special instructions regarding confidentiality when we need to reach you?

If you are currently employed, does your employer know you are job searching? Please explain any confidentiality concerns:

What is the best way to reach you if we have questions or need clarification?

Are you willing to relocate? If so, where? Are you willing to travel? How much? Online Identity & Personal Branding

For personal branding & online identity purposes we highly recommend you secure your name as a domain name (e.g., michelledumas.com). If you decide to do this, you may click here (or go to: http://x.co/pSpB) to take advantage of GoDaddy’s $7.99 .com domains. GoDaddy also offers very affordable email services so you can turn your new domain into an email address (e.g., [email protected]).

If you decide to do this, please tell us your new domain: And/or your new email (we will use this on your résumé): If you do NOT have a LinkedIn account, you really do NEED one for your job search, so please create one now at www.linkedin.com. Though this is optional, we highly recommend it. After your account is created, your Public Profile URL should be customized to include your name (e.g., www.linkedin.com/in/michelledumas). If you do not know how to do this, the help files at LinkedIn may help. LINKEDIN PROFILE DEVELOPMENT: We offer LinkedIn profile development services to help you build out your profile and as part of this service we will customize your profile URL for you. If you have not already ordered the service and would like to add it now: http://www.distinctiveweb.com/our-services/current-past-clients/#add-ons

LinkedIn Profile URL (if you have one): Your blog URL (if you have one): Your online career portfolio URL (if you have one): Other URLs and/or social media links: Your Twitter handle (if you have one): Note: You should not include URLs or social media links unless you maintain a professional image on them. For example, only include a blog that focuses on professional issues (such as your industry or profession), not a blog that you maintain for a hobby or for political or religious purposes. Likewise a Twitter account which you use solely for social purposes would not be appropriate. Résumé Development Worksheet Page 3 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012

Career Objective

We’ll want to focus your résumé as precisely as possible. What type of position or other goal are you hoping to achieve with this résumé? What level of position? What industry? What size company? How does this differ from your current or most recent position?

Are you changing careers? If so, explain why:

What are three job titles that describe your ideal job? (If possible, attach job announcements representative of the typical position you will be applying for)

1. 2. 3.

What salary range do you hope to achieve? Is the above more, less, or the same as your current salary? In relation to your career goals, I want you to think about the ways you are the SAME as your competition in the job market and the ways in which you are DIFFERENT. Please note these in the following chart:

SAME (What are the qualifications, traits, skills, education, and DIFFERENT (What are the qualifications, traits, skills, education, experiences you offer that are EXPECTED in your industry/profession and experiences you offer that are EXTRAORDINARY and that make and that are the SAME as the majority of your peers and you DIFFERENT—in a good way—than your peers and competition in competition in the job market?) the job market?)

What qualifications do you offer that you think it will be most important for us to emphasize?

Are there any areas of concern? Qualifications that you are lacking for your current career goals? Are there any situations or problems that we should de-emphasize? Résumé Development Worksheet Page 4 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012

What are your true areas of “expertise?”

What are some terms (keywords) specific to your line of work that you think might play a crucial part in your résumé? (e.g., in the Health Care Industry: Acute Care, Health Maintenance Organization, Managed Care, Inpatient Care, etc.):

Education & Training High School: City/State: Dates Attended: Did you graduate?

College Name: City/State: Dates Attended: Degree Major/Minor: Type:

Graduate School Name: City/State: Dates Attended: Degree Major/Minor: Type:

Dissertation/Thesis Title (if applicable):

Academic honors, if any:

If recent graduate, specific coursework relevant to your objective:

If recent graduate, extracurricular activities:

Certifications/Licensures:

Publications authored or co-authored by you:

Public presentations or speeches given by you:

Professional / Business Affiliations - Community Service Work

Professional Memberships (include offices held):

Community Service / Volunteer Work (if extensive and significantly related to your objective, please detail duties and accomplishments on a separate sheet of paper):

Professional Experience & Employment History

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ On the following pages, when asked for a listing of accomplishments and/or achievements, refer to these questions to help probe your memory. Please use dollar figures, whole numbers, or percentages to describe the results whenever possible. . Did you help increase sales? If so, by what percentages or amount? . Did you generate new business or bring in new clients? How did that impact sales? . Did you develop partnerships or forge affiliations with new organizations? What happened as a result? . Have you led your company into expanded markets? How did that impact sales? . Did you solve a particularly challenging problem? How and what was the result? . Did you save your company money? How did you do it and how much did you save? . Did you design and/or institute any new system or process? What were the results? . Did you do something that increased efficiency? What was it and what was the impact? . Did you do something that increased productivity? By what percentage or amount? . Did you meet a deadline through extra effort? If so, what difference did this make to your company? . Did you bring a major project in under budget? How much and what was the impact on your company? . Did you suggest and/or help launch a new product or program? What was the result? . Have you made recommendations that have improved products? What was the result? . Did you introduce any new or more effective techniques for increasing productivity? What was the result? Résumé Development Worksheet Page 6 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 . Did you improve communication in your firm? If so, with whom and what was the outcome? . Did you increase profits? How did you do it and by how much? . Did you improve customer relationships? Under what circumstances and what were the results? . Were you involved in any negotiations? What was your role? How did this benefit the company? . Have you done anything to help control costs? What did you do? What was the impact? . Did you do something to correct inconsistencies or errors? What was the result? . Have you ever done anything to increase cash flow? What did you do? What was the result? Industry and profession specific questions can be found at: http://www.distinctiveweb.com/worksheets /

Company Name (Most recent first )

City, State Dates Employed

What is the size of this What are its products/services? Is the company national, company? ($ of sales) international, regional, etc?

Most recent title: Dates of position:

IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVE A RECORD OF PROMOTION IN THE COMPANY, please list previous titles below, and use separate sheets of paper to answer the following questions about EACH position. If this is the only employer you have worked for, feel free to use the “previous employment” section to describe each position.

Previous title with same company: Dates:

Please describe your job. Overall, what are/were you responsible for in terms of type and size of organization, number of direct and indirect reports, budgets, regions, technologies, and functions, etc.

Why were you hired, recruited, or promoted into this position? Was there a specific problem that had to be dealt with such as a marginal operation, failing sales territory, or chaotic office? Was there a particular goal that you were expected to meet? Did you meet the challenge? Exceed it? How did you do it? How long did it take?

How does your company gain new business? Who are the clients? How do clients choose one firm over another? Did/do you make contributions on the sales side of business? How much? Is this more than your predecessor? Explain Résumé Development Worksheet Page 7 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 What are some of your accomplishments on this job? How did/does the company benefit from having you as an employee? Every achievement has three parts – the CHALLENGE you faced, the ACTIONS you took to meet the challenge, and the RESULTS/BENEFITS of your actions. We are looking for an understanding of all three parts of your achievements. Give facts and figures wherever possible. This is one of the most important sections of the whole worksheet. Please reflect carefully and answer thoroughly (see instructions at the beginning of this section):

When you left (or when you leave) this company, how will it be better off from the contributions that you made and from having had you work there?

If any, what awards or formal/informal recognition have you received? What were they for?

Have you served on any committees? How were you selected for the committees? What was the purpose of the committee? Did the committee achieve its goals? Explain:

Was there anything in particular about your time with this company that might be a problem? Is there something that you feel should be de-emphasized?:

Previous Employment

Company Name

City, State Total Dates Employed

What is the size of this What are its products/services? Is the company national, company? ($ of sales) international, regional, etc?

Most recent title: Dates of position: Résumé Development Worksheet Page 8 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 If you have a record of promotion in the company, please list previous titles below, and use separate sheets of paper to separately answer the following questions about each position.

Please describe your job. Overall, what were you responsible for in terms of type and size of organization, number of direct and indirect reports, budgets, regions, technologies, and functions, etc.

Why were you hired, recruited, or promoted into this position? Was there a specific problem you were faced with and that had to be dealt with such as a marginal operation, failing sales territory, or chaotic office? Was there a particular goal that you were expected to meet? Did you meet the challenge? Exceed it? How did you do it? How long did it take?

How did your company gain new business? Who were the clients? How did clients choose one firm over another? Did you make contributions on the sales side of business? How much? Is this more than your predecessor? Explain

What were some of your accomplishments on this job? How did/ the company benefit from having you as an employee? Give facts and figures wherever possible. Please reflect carefully and answer thoroughly (see instructions at the beginning of this section): Résumé Development Worksheet Page 9 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012

If any, what awards or formal/informal recognition did you receive? What were they for?

Did you serve on any committees? How were you selected for the committees? What was the purpose of the committee? Did the committee achieve its goals? Explain:

When you left this company, how was it better off from the contributions that you made and from having had you work there?

Next Company Name

City, State Total Dates Employed

What is the size of this What are its products/services? Area served? (National, company? ($ of sales) International, Metro Area, etc.)

If you have a record of promotion in the company, please list previous titles below, and use separate sheets of paper to separately answer the following questions about each position.

Please describe your job. Overall, what were you responsible for in terms of type and size of organization, number of direct and indirect reports, budgets, regions, technologies, and functions, etc. Résumé Development Worksheet Page 10 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 Why were you hired, recruited, or promoted into this position? Was there a specific problem that had to be dealt with? Was there a particular goal that you were expected to meet? Did you meet the challenge? Exceed it? How did you do it? How long did it take?

How did your company gain new business? Who were the clients? How did clients choose one firm over another? Did you make contributions on the sales side of business? How much? Is this more than your predecessor? Explain

What were some of your accomplishments on this job? How did the company benefit from having you as an employee? Give facts and figures wherever possible.

When you left this company, how was it better off from the contributions that you made and from having had you work there? Résumé Development Worksheet Page 11 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 Was there anything in particular about your time with this company that might be a problem? Is there something that you feel should be de-emphasized?:

Next Company Name

City State Dates Employed

What is the size of this What are its products/services? Area served? (National, company? ($ of sales) International, Metro Area, etc.)

If you have a record of promotion in the company, please list previous titles below, and use separate sheets of paper to separately answer the following questions about each position.

Please describe your job. Overall, what were you responsible for in terms of type and size of organization, number of direct and indirect reports, budgets, regions, technologies, and functions, etc.

Why were you hired, recruited, or promoted into this position? Was there a specific problem that had to be dealt with? Was there a particular goal that you were expected to meet? Did you meet the challenge? Exceed it? How did you do it? How long did it take?

Résumé Development Worksheet Page 12 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 How did your company gain new business? Who were the clients? How did clients choose one firm over another? Did you make contributions on the sales side of business? How much? Is this more than your predecessor? Explain:

What were some of your accomplishments on this job? How did the company benefit from having you as an employee? Give facts and figures wherever possible.

When you left this company, how was it better off from the contributions that you made and from having had you work there?

Please use a separate sheet of paper if you have more employers to list

Military Experience / Dates (if the bulk of your work history is military related, it should be described thoroughly in the employment section rather than here): Résumé Development Worksheet Page 13 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 Additional Information

Personal Strengths / Best Personal Traits:

Achievements (things that you feel are your overall greatest accomplishments in the workplace / school / community):

What are the specific areas in which you feel you can make a substantial contribution to your next employer? (e.g., productivity improvement, account management, new business development):

Foreign Languages (indicate fluent or proficient):

Computer Proficiency (hardware / software) Note: if you work in a computer-related field we will most likely need a detailed listing of your technical proficiencies. If possible, please help us by categorizing into similar technologies (e.g., hardware, applications, programming languages, networking equipment, operating systems, etc.).

Field specific technology / machinery proficiency:

Additional information that you feel we should know:

Who has said nice things about you or given you written recommendations? Tell us about it and please provide copies if available: Résumé Development Worksheet Page 14 Distinctive Documents®, a service of Distinctive Career Services, LLC – Copyright © 2007 - 2012 Your “Story” This section of the worksheet helps us to get to know you better and helps us to tell your story. While job search marketing documents used to be very impersonal in tone, and some of them still are, in large part because of social media, the veil has been lifted and people expect you to share more than you would have in the past. By telling your story in a very thoughtful way that people can relate to, you help people find their connection with you and you invite them into a relationship with you. This can be extraordinarily powerful not just in your job search, but through your entire career.

What you need to know as you complete this section: Every question in this section is optional and there are no right or wrong ways to answer the questions. We do not expect you to answer every question unless you want to. Just answer those that “speak to” you and that you are comfortable answering—please don’t include information that would be uncomfortable for you to talk about at a dinner party, for example. Likewise, we may or may not use everything you include here. We want to tell your story, but we need to do it with discretion and restraint. While some of this information MAY make it into the profile section of your résumé, that isn’t the document we typically use it for. Rather, the information in this section will be most helpful to us in writing your biography, developing social media profiles, and writing letters for you (if and when you hire us for those services).

Where were you born and/or where were you raised? How has this had an impact on you?

Tell us about your parents? What did they do for work? What parts of them can you see in yourself?

Have there been other people who have impacted your life in some way? Your children? A significant other? Relatives? Friends? Teachers? Others? Tell us about it.

What are some surprising facts about you?

When you think about your profession and overall career, have there been particular events or circumstances that have contributed to it in some way?

What difficult or challenging circumstances or problems have you had to overcome to get where you are today?

Do you have some sort of before and after story? (e.g., I was “here” in “these circumstances” and now through my hard work and perseverance I am “here” in these new “circumstances.”)

What is your passion in life? What do you consider your labor of love? What is it that gets you up in the morning and really gets you going? What really drives and motivates you?

Do you feel like you have a calling in life? Explain.

What do you believe are your true talents and/or natural gifts?

Tell us about your philosophy. How do you think? How do you see the world?

Do you have some issue that you are passionate about? Where do you volunteer or donate your money?

What are your favorite foods? Favorite color? Favorite TV show? Favorite type of music? Favorite whatever?

What are your oddball and/or hardcore hobbies? What are your obsessive interests?

What do people know you for (e.g., a personality trait, an unusal habit, or any other little idiosyncrasy)?

What do you blow your money on?

What do people ask your advice on?

What are your guilty pleasures?

Unless you have booked as a VIP client through 100kcareermarketing.com, your project agreement authorizes us to charge the balance of your order to the credit card you gave us for your retainer fee. If you prefer to pay the balance using a different credit card or another form of payment, please let us know here: Please charge to (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover accepted):

Card #: Exp. Date: Name on Card: No, I have enclosed or am sending a check:

Feel free to send us additional documentation that you feel would be helpful to us (e.g., old résumé, performance evaluations, letters of recommendation, college transcripts).

Return completed worksheet to: Toll Free Fax: (888) 289-9694 or Email: [email protected] We will review your worksheet and, if necessary, your writer will contact you with additional questions or to obtain clarification on your answers. If your worksheet is not completed thoroughly, it will result in an extension of the turnaround time. If you refer us back to an old résumé rather than completing the worksheet, we will send this worksheet back and ask you to complete it more thoroughly before scheduling your project. We schedule projects in the order that completed worksheets are returned. We are ALWAYS fully scheduled in advance and rush service is not available, so please plan ahead. If you have not heard from us within two business days of sending us your completed worksheet, please call to check on it. At any time during the process, feel free to contact us at (800) 644-9694 with your questions or concerns.