This course is for everyone
Unlike some training courses, you don’t have to start out a resume-writing genius.
Maybe you’ve just written a few résumés for friends and family, and thought, “Wow, I could do this professionally!" Or, you're already a resume writer keen to pick up new ideas or train your sub-contractors. You may even be a recruiter who wants to add value through one-stop-shop services.
Videos, downloadable PDFs, and one-on-one assignment mentoring
No matter what your dream, or where you are in your career journey, you’ll find this unique self-training course will offer something new. Created by multi-award-winning, Master Resume Writer Gayle Howard—an industry superstar with almost three decades of experience, 51 award nominations, and 27 first-prize accolades from the global association, Career Directors International, resume writers around the world consider Gayle their secret weapon for generating word-of-mouth referrals from delighted clients.
Modules are easy at the beginning and accelerate quickly, so you can push the pedal to find:
Methods for placing information for maximum, strategic impact | Step-by-step professional resume formatting | Templates you can download | Forensic questioning techniques to showcase your client’s stories in context | Tricks master storytellers use for sharing client successes in a powerful way… and so, so much more.
DO YOU...
- Want high-level clients but you don't feel confident that you can meet their champagne tastes and demand for absolute quality?
- Feel like you're in a time warp and struggle to reconcile what you're doing with what other writers are doing today?
- Want to run from penny-pinching clients and be embraced by clients who appreciate the value of a great resume writer?
- Dream of building your business by training subcontractors so they boost your reputation and brand?
YES? Then what are you waiting for?
A warm welcome from Gayle Howard
Gayle Howard, Master Resume Writer & Instructor
I'm Gayle Howard. Business owner and chief writer of Top Margin—and trainer of professional writers and job seekers.
I started my business, Top Margin, in 1990. Wow. 1990! Back then, the first known web page had just been written, Australia’s total population had not quite reached 17 million, the average annual salary was $27,227, and the unemployment rate was 5.8%.
Twenty-eight years is just a blip in the grand scheme of time, but in job seeking terms, it's an eternity.
In those years, Top Margin has grown to become one of the busiest and most respected career marketing and personal branding consultancies in Australia. I have been fortunate in many ways—winning 30 TORI awards from 54 nominations, and Winner of the Popular Vote and Industry Second Place award in the World’s Best Resume Competition. I've written more than 15,000 resumes for clients worldwide, and my resumes are published in 24 international resume writing and career advice books.
My personal profile has also steadily grown across the resume-writing community. Training and examinations have cemented my reputation as a leader through international credentials such as Certified Master Resume Writer, Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Certified G3 Coach, Certified Tough Transitions Coach, Certified Credentialed Career Manager, Master Career Director, Certified IT Resume Specialist, and Certified Online Networking Strategist.
For almost three decades, I've watched the career marketing industry grow more sophisticated as traditional lists of duties, dates and job titles have made way for personal marketing and branding strategies enriched through power wording and high-impact strategic formatting crucial for capturing the attention of today’s business-savvy decision makers.
Today, social media rules everything from reputation management through to the way we communicate electronically and, as a result, the opportunities to sell an individual's talents and experience are virtually limitless.
I'm proud to be the service of choice for the best and brightest people who share my passion for planning and sustaining a fulfilling career, and I'm passionate about showcasing people's talents in ways they've never dreamed possible.
Course curriculum
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1
Welcome!
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2
The Beginning: What to know before writing
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3
The Basics: What you should know
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4
It's a New Day
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5
Planning and Strategizing a Resume
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6
Formatting, Punctuation, Grammar (and more!)
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7
Creating the Fundamentals
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8
Different client types—some are tricky!
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9
Injecting power into your writing
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10
Getting the 'look' right
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11
Information: Optimism, Realism and Showcasing
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12
Complex Resumes: How to deal with them
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13
The Finish Line
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14
Final Assignments for Certification as a CRA AND CARW
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15
Free Bonus! Cover Letters and Enotes
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16
Free! Bonus Extra: The Business of Resume Writing
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A Personal welcome from Gayle -
Welcome (Chapter 1, Section 1) Key Resume Components (Video) Who Receives Resumes? (Video) Resumes Do Not... HR Divisions and Recruiters (Video) Resumes are Important (Video) Career Marketing (Video) DIY Vs Pro (Video) The Need for Speed (Video) -
Your New Appointment (Video) Resume Myths (Video) Forget Word Templates! (Video) Extracting Information (Video) Presentation, Presentation (Video) Which Format? (video) Formatting—Introduction (Video) Editing Your Work (Video) Case Studies (Video) Let's review! Quiz. -
Fluff Free Zone Poster -
The 7-Step Foolproof Action Plan 7-Step Plan : Part 2 (Video) Key Words (Video) Charting a Case Study (Video) Allocating Information (Video) C.A.R. Method for Gathering Info (Video) More Advanced Questioning Techniques (Video) The Quiz! Assignment -
Putting it all together (Video) Name and Address Styles (Video) Formatting (part 1) (Video) Formatting (part 2) (Video) Grammar and Spelling (Video) Punctuation (Video) What is an emdash? (Video) Underlining and Capital Letters (Video) ASCII Resumes (Video) Assignment: Word Basics Module (Video) -
Creating the Fundamentals: Staking Claim (Video) Personal Branding (Video) Key Words (Video) Deeds and Actions Deeds Flowchart (Video) Inclusions and Exclusions (Video) Forensic Questioning (Video) Job Descriptions as your Sole Resource (Video) The Resume Cliché (Video) The Tombstone Résumé (Video) The Quiz! -
Tricky Situations: Stuck in a Rut (Video) The Graduate The Military Client (Video) The "Tech" Client (Video) Blue Collar Clients (Video) Creative Clients (Video) The Executive Client (Video) Job History Obstacles (Video) Avoiding Disasters (Video) Assignment Introduction (Video) -
First Person, Third Person and Tenses (Video) Power Words Part 1 (video) Power Words Part 2 (Video) Power Words Part 3 (Video) Resume Sample (PDF) Setting the Scene Part 1 (Video) Setting the Scene Part 2 (Video) Words that have lost their impact (Video) Personal Brands (Video) Quotations and Client Statements (Video) Highlighting Data (Special Technique) (Video) Summary of this Module (PDF) Your Two Assignments (Video) -
Formats: Introduction (Video) Special Formats: Discussion (Video) Page Borders (Video) Shaded Headings (Video) Headers and Footers (Video) Making Bullets Pop (Video) Shaded Dividers (Video) Shaded Vertical Lines (Video) Graphs & Charts Sell (Video) For your inspiration! Case Studies and Samples Quiz! Review previous training Your Assignment (Video) -
Unnecessary Truths (Video) Inclusions/Exclusions (Video) Tricks with Numbers (Video) Recap Quiz -
Career Changers: Summary (Video) Easy and Hard Projects (Video) Career Changer: Case Study Understanding Target Roles and Industries (Video) The "Impossible" Project (Video) Questions to ask the Career Changer Case Study: Ross Patrick Case Study: Doug Jobs (Video) Assignments (two-part) (Video) -
Writing More Efficiently (Video) Questioning Efficiently (video) Resume Section Review (Video) You're done! -
Certification 1: The Certified Resume Analyst Certification 2: The Certified Advanced Resume Writer: Final Assignment (Video) The End! -
Cover Letters and Enotes (Video) Things have Changed (Video) Anatomy of a Cover Letter 1 (Video) Anatomy of a Cover Letter 2 (Video) The Elephant in the Room (Video) Case Study #1 Case Study #2 (Video) Formatting Your Cover Letter (Video) The Enote (Video) Enotes: The Subject Line (Video) Enote: Body Content (Video) Sign-offs and Signatures Enote Formatting 120-Word Enote Examples (Video) Cover Letters & Enote Summary Post-Interview Thank-you Letters (Video) Your Assignment (Video) Quiz: Cover Letters and Enotes -
An Occupation for You (Video) Amazing Facts Education Equals Success (Video) What you need (Video) Developing Your Skills (Video) Getting Known (Part 1) (Video) Getting Known (Part 2) (Video) Reading and Resources Pricing and Packages Good Value vs Cheap and Cheerful Pro Bono versus "Mates Rates" Perils and Pitfalls (Video) Turning Clients Away Competing Priorities (Video) Pragmatic Accountability The Business of Resume Writing Summary Final Quiz!
Course fee
Full course fee
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$2,142.00
FAQ
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How does this course tie-in with Career Directors International?
Career Directors International has selected this training course as their official resume writing course. The training, when completed and passed (with a Gold Pass), will allow you to circumvent all phases of the official certification process to achieve your CARW (Certified Advanced Resume Writer) designation with Career Directors International.
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What if I don't want to join an association?
No problem. You are most welcome to take our non-CDI program. CDI is a great association though and if you ever want to join we can arrange that for you.You'll love the camaraderie that exists there, but we understand that you may feel a bit overwhelmed and not want to do everything at once. That's ok.
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What won't this course do for me?
This course will not make money for you just by elevating your skills alone. That means using your network, being creative about how you market yourself, having a realistic pricing strategy, a good website, and solid advertising. Do not mistake skills for monetary success. Your skills over time should bring people to you and build client loyalty, but of themselves, they are not a passport to never-ending riches. The employment sector of the time, the type of clients you work with, and your marketing campaigns are all key components to your business success.
An exciting and powerfully written resume portfolio is not a substitute for business and sales acumen. The primary factor for your success will be how well you can communicate your strengths to your potential clients. If you are running a close race with another resume writer for a client's business, the skills, training, and credentials you have can put you a nose ahead, but you still have to run the overall race like a winner. -
May I change the layouts or the visuals of resumes I create, or change the content?
The e-course gives you the tools to produce creative, consistent, and sophisticated formats and content. When you know what to do and what to change and when, you are encouraged to do so. It's the age-old Chinese philosophy: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".
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System Requirements
As this is a video-based course, the ability to play videos is important. This course will be viewed without issue on modern computers (Windows or Mac), as well as iPads and tablets. You will need an internet connection to view videos. (Can you look at YouTube and Vimeo videos? If yes, you should be fine).
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May I have a refund if I change my mind?
If you are unhappy with any aspect of the training, Gayle will bend over backwards to make you happy. A service such as this is not like a refrigerator or a dress you decided not to wear to a party. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of intensive personal labor make this a non-refundable item and as it is interactive, we continue to expend energies in continuing your training, scoring assignments and providing feedback. Make sure you want it before you purchase. Once you have the documents and access to the course you have taken possession of them and we can't take them back!
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What happens when, and how long does it all take?
As soon as you sign up, you will be up-and-running very quickly. The course is self-paced and can be completed at your leisure, to fit in with your career, time demands and lifestyle.
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How does the pass/fail scoring work?
While theoretical knowledge is important, in resume writing it is the practical application of that information in creating a compelling, dynamic resume document, that is the key. Therefore the final resume submission represents 85% of the end result.
A few of Gayle's certifications
Résumé writers LOVE it!
JeffT: "If you are serious about learning to write resumes, you should take a close look at Gayle Howard's course. Gayle is an incredibly knowledgeable and caring instructor. She's very quick to address any problems her students have and leaves no stone unturned while helping to solve them. She gives it her all. And she expects the same from her students. That's maybe the best part of this course--the fact that you earn your grade. Gayle pushes you to be your best and as a result, you become the best resume writer you can be. Passing this course is not automatic and if you do pass, the resume industry will recognize you as someone who is capable of writing professional-grade resumes."
AgnesK: "There are no words to describe how happy I am now! It was one of the best decisions I've ever made that I chose this program; it definitely helped me develop myself and prepare for work as a resume writer. I researched several certification programs before deciding on the Resume Mastery e-course. Your program was outstanding and affected the way I am running my own business. You've been a fantastic teacher and I can't overstate how much I've learned from you. Most importantly, you have greatly enhanced my writing skills and confidence."
KaraV: This is such a fantastic course and process that every resume writer should journey through. Your support has been so encouraging - thank you.
JeanB: "Initially, I didn't think I was getting more than nuances out of the course; however, the final project helped me synthesise the experience and evolve my writing to a higher level. I truly feel like I have internalized your concepts and found a way to help capture an individual on paper. I am grateful for the opportunity."
BobK: "Thanks so much. You're the greatest mentor and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire course of study."
MaryanneV: "I want to thank you for your extensive feedback. I have taken several online programs and your comments are more extensive and helpful than any others I have received so I wanted to say thanks. It was particularly useful to get the reminders about quantifiable metrics, frontloading results, and writing bullets with result through action to overcome challenges. I appreciate it that you took so much time to critique the work."
AshleyanneSS: Wow Gayle! I actually got a bit teary to read this! Didn't realize the extent of this process when I signed up, but am SO glad that I signed up for your course. You provided the feedback and encouragement I needed. As a result, I am SO much more confident when I go to work with clients! That being said, I'm also now even more aware of specific areas of weakness and can take steps to mitigate those. All in all, this was such an awarding experience! It has been fantastic to learn from a Master!"
KirstinJ: "When I first decided to work toward my Certified Advanced Resume Writer designation, I felt a little lost. I had thought I was a good resume writer, but quickly found out that writing resumes is a very complex skill. I didn't know where to begin learning what I needed to know in order to pass my certification. I decided to take Gayle's course for some guidance. It was the best investment I could have made! The knowledge I have gained from Gayle's course and instruction has been invaluable. Gayle is a creative, knowledgeable writer and gives very detailed, thorough feedback. I was able to confidently write resumes that produce results for my clients right off the bat after getting certified. I wholeheartedly recommend her training to any resume writer who wants to sharpen his or her skills. Thank you, Gayle!"
MargueriteC: Gayle's course was fantastic! Being on the receiving end of so many resumes as a recruiter and human resource manager, I thought it would be easy to write a good resume but after completing Gayle's course I realised just how little I had actually known. I gained so many new skills and insights and found the self-paced online format very easy to manage. As for Gayle she is an absolute master in her field and her love of the written word and experience is evident throughout the course material, her enthusiasm is infectious. She was so helpful, a fantastic mentor and coach and a delight to work with. I couldn't recommend her and her course more highly."
CarolynW: "I completed Gayle Howard's Résumé Mastery Training Course in 2016 and highly recommend the course to anyone considering it. Put simply, the course has significantly leveraged my career and strengthened my long-term future prospects. The e-learning course delivery was easy to navigate and use. The course content was amazing and I wanted to learn more and more. I found myself rising earlier each morning and staying up a bit later at night just to get through a few more modules. Gayle is an extremely supportive trainer and was only an email or call away whenever I needed clarification on assigned tasks. Additionally, her mentoring is first-class and always provides professional, friendly and timely advice. I cannot speak highly enough of Gayle's Resume Mastery Training Course or her mentoring and would be very happy to speak to anyone considering either."
JulietM: One of the best professional decisions I ever made was to pursue my Certified Advanced Resume Writer credential through Gayle’s Learn Resume Writing course. Because of Gayle’s reputation in the industry, having been nominated for 51 Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) awards and winning a record 29, I knew the training would be excellent but it exceeded all expectations. Not only did I learn countless tricks and techniques in resume writing to make my clients stand out, but the course also delivered training on effective job search strategies and business development. And, to top it off I now have Gayle as an ongoing resource!"
BonnieP: "Gayle's ability to teach all that she knows in the art of resume writing has been well received by my team and I sincerely thank her for the effort she has put in. Gayle is a delight to deal with, she is personable, considerate and highly reliable. I have no hesitation to recommend Gayle Howard if you are seeking to improve your resume writing skills (or that of your staff)....I'm a big fan!"
Don't wait another minute to create the business and client base of your dreams!
