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<Résu-Card> ^{^®} We make you look good by telling the truth (TM)

A REAL LIVE PERSON TWENTY-FOUR HOURS SEVEN DAYS ®

ESTABLISHED 1989 • REGISTERED 1990 • TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

Resume Writing in Toronto: An Overview

BY HOWARD EARLE HALPERN, MA, CPRW

Certified Professional Resume Writer / President

NOTE: The following was condensed from the original. Click HERE to read full article.

Resume writing has changed a great deal over the years. When I started writing my own resumes in 1971, such documents typically listed jobs applicants had held, without giving any indication of how well they had performed. The employer had no way of knowing whether the applicant was a good risk. There were no good books on resume writing. There were no Certified Professional Resume Writers. In fact, there was no resume writing association.

By 1989, when I founded Résu-Card ®, the situation had improved somewhat. Torontonians had begun to realize that if they wanted to get hired, they needed to give employers a reason to hire them. People had to start selling themselves by distinguishing themselves favourably from other candidates. In 1990, the Professional Association of Resume Writers was established. The industry evolved from an amorphous collection of amateurs to a body of professionals with standards and a commitment to serve with integrity.

When I started this business, the field of resume writing was not well-known. Most job seekers in Toronto did not even consider engaging the services of a professional. But as the job market tightened, the resume industry grew. More and more writers started advertising under "Resume Service" in the Yellow Pages ®, and Toronto bookstores began to devote entire sections to literature on how to score every imaginable kind of job. Resume writers in Toronto started to offer interview coaching, and their offices became a one-stop shop for job acquisition.

Then, in the mid-90s, something happened that was more revolutionary than anything I have described so far. Computer geeks who had been posting messages to each other remotely on what were called "bulletin boards" realized it was possible to develop a common language whereby computers could communicate with each other. And the Internet was born.

This changed the entire resume industry. more >>

[ Copyright © Résu-Card (Reg.TM), 2006 ]

Credentials, Qualifications, & Quality Assurance

Howard E. Halpern in Aug. 2004. I'm younger now, but this still looks like me. Click for biography.

Our president HOWARD EARLE HALPERN, MA, has been a CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) since 1998 and is a founding member of Career Professionals of Canada. Halpern has published in a wide variety of media.
- His work appears in Gallery of Best Cover Letters, 2004, by best-selling publisher JIST Works. This book contains 310 letters. Of these, only 8 are described as "persuasive." Halpern's is one of them.
  - Additional letters and resumes were solicited, have been submitted, and are being considered for publication in the next edition.
- A second cover letter appears in Best Canadian Resumes, 2007, by Sentor Media Inc. (leading Canadian publisher of career-related books).
- Halpern is based in Scarborough, a community of over 600,000 within Toronto. He is Scarborough's 1st certified writer. For his detailed biography, click here.
- Prospective clients sometimes ask, "What is your success rate?" They want statistics because they see them advertised by other resume writers.
  - First, statistics are usually misleading because no time frame is attached thereto. Anybody can get a job without a resume, through networking, given an inordinate amount of time. The function of a good resume is to speed up the process by increasing the likelihood each application will result in an interview.
  - Second, although one often sees statistics, one never sees audited statistics. Anybody can say he or she has a 99% success rate. If you don't need the audit, then you trust the writer. If you already trust the writer, the statistics are redundant.
  - We use a different approach. We consult hiring authorities regularly to determine what they prefer to see in a resume. As evidence, we have uploaded an article identifying and quoting Toronto recruiters.
  - Many people who hire us to write their resumes are, themselves, hiring authorities. In fact, we recently wrote a resume for a certified human resources professional experienced in all phases of recruitment at all levels, including senior management. The above-linked document is not merely a sample, but the resume of an actual, named individual.

WRITER'S BLOCK ( T M )

PRESIDENT'S 24/7 DIRECT LINE

416 398-TALK
416 398-8255

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HOW WE SELL
YOUR SERVICES
TO AN EMPLOYER

SITE MAP

As far as we know, we are the only writing organization that publicly displays, by written permission, resumes of actual persons who engaged our services. To view more than 80 such documents, please click here. Compare them with the criteria set forth in the above-linked article, to verify that we consistently meet or exceed employers' expectations.
In other words, don't rely solely on opinions of people you don't know. Evaluate our resumes yourself — applying your own intellect and intuition — and draw your own conclusion. Behavioural science is not exact. Ultimately, all hiring decisions are intuitive. Each employer establishes its own policies and procedures. There is no universally accepted slate of criteria governing recruitment.

Our career counsellor ALAN MAYER, BA, holds the highly coveted Career and Work Counsellor Diploma from George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, which has earned its reputation as the "Harvard" of career counselling.

Alan is qualified to administer a broad range of career-related assessments and tests, including Strong Interest Inventory ®, Self Directed Search ®, Differential Aptitude Tests ®, Career Occupational Preference System, and Career Orientation Placement & Evaluation Survey. He is also a certified leader of the popular True Colors ® workshop.

Our counsellor's name is Alan Mayer. We at Résu-Card ® call him "Mr. Ethics." He earns his living, in part, by providing assessments to his clients. But some of these tests are available FREE of charge elsewhere. If you engage his services, instead of trying to get you to pay him for such tests, he will tell you where you can get them free.
This is what sets Alan apart from his competition. He puts his clients' welfare ahead of his own personal gain.

He is a former Toronto radio talk-show host who won an ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) National Radio Award, or Nellie, for Best Program Produced by Private Radio. Called "Radio Heartbeat," Alan's internationally syndicated show featured interviews with ordinary people who shared extraordinary secrets about the things they cherished most deeply.

Hence, another quality that distinguishes Alan from his competitors is his status as a highly accomplished and effective personal counsellor, as well as career counsellor. Hence, if personal issues come up in the course of career counselling — as they often do — you can deal with them immediately, instead of having to seek the services of second professional.

Alan is located on the Beach (aka the Beaches), in Toronto. He joined Résu-Card ® in 2003, but has been an esteemed member of our Affordable Counselling ® network since 2000.

Free Resume Website

Most resume packages created at our Scarborough (Toronto) location come with a free website. Your site is developed in one sitting and satisfaction is guaranteed. You don't need a computer: your site is hosted by a remote server, and you control the extent to which others access it. You will be amazed as the site unfolds before your very eyes.

If you are outside the Toronto area or it is not convenient for you to visit our Scarborough location, we can convert your existing resume into a web resume at low cost. We can also create your resume by interviewing you over the phone and communicating via or facsimile (we give out our number, as required, over the phone).

Take a look at our original, attractive web design. This sample shows how we sell the services of a graduating student to an employer. You will find a resume of a Landscape Technician who attended Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto.

She forwarded our resume and letter to the City of Toronto, which responded favourably, and she was hired in her chosen field. This sample illustrates the power of a professionally crafted resume and cover letter.

NOTE: The above site contains features that are not included in our Economy package, but linked here to illustrate the power of the web. This design was scripted in raw HTML. The resulting file can be converted to Microsoft Word for a flat fee. Call for details. Alternatively, you may avoid this fee by purchasing a Word package that comes with a different web design.

Experts recommend that job-seekers acquire business cards with name, address, and phone number, for networking. Now, you can add your own, unique web address. Employers instantly see you capitalize on the latest technology, and you have an edge over the competition.

No matter how good your resume looks, a fax transmission will seriously degrade its appearance. Now, you don't have to fax it; you can email it, or better yet, email a link to it.

Keep your resume up-to-date on the web, and prospective employers always have access to the latest version. When you're on the phone with people who can refer, recommend, or hire you, they are able to access your resume website within seconds. The benefits of such a site are limited only by your imagination. In addition, you receive a hard copy of your resume that matches your site!

The Business-Card Resume

Everything you always wanted in a resume — and less ^TM In 1989, Résu-Card ® introduced the Business-Card Resume for networking. (Our founder had invented the card the year before and used it in his own job search. The device proved so powerful he decided to make it available to general public.)

To receive a free sample, please mail us a self-addressed envelope, along with one of the following, whichever is applicable:

A Canadian stamp valued sufficiently to cover "Lettermail."
A sufficient number of International Reply Coupons to cover postage from Canada to the destination country. (These coupons are available at post offices in the 190 nations that are members of the Universal Postal Union, accessible at www.upu.int.)

Please note that if the above instructions are not followed, no sample will be sent, and the contents of your mailing will not be returned to you.

Kindly specify your request, and send it to our address. More details on this highly effective, networking device will be added to our site as time permits. Meanwhile, feel free to call us for information anytime.

FORECAST

Weather is forecast
for Wednesday, and
skies are expected
over most of
southern Ontario...

WE'RE KILLING
THE LANGUAGE
AN ESSAY

• How Radio Is Kil–
ling the Language

A Comedy of Errors

• US and CANADA

Regional disparities

REVIEW

YOUR SITE...LOOKS TO ME TO BE A SITE THAT IS WELL WORTH READING, perusing, and pondering. These few screens are worth dozens of chapters in writers ' manuals and volumes on the subject of language appreciation.

Renowned Canadian Author / Editor
JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO

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Our philosophy is minimalist:

Sell yourself as quickly and concisely as possible.
- Employers do not spend more time than necessary reviewing applicants' information.
- If you waste employers' time during the hiring process, they'll expect you to do it later. Needless to say, there won't be a "later."
- If you can't sell yourself within the first half page, you can't sell yourself.
- Give employers information they need, but don't have.
- Distinguish yourself favourably from your competition.
- Don't list tasks typically performed by the people
  employers hire. They already have that information — they hire them.

Conserve your own time, money, and resources.
- Don't depend more than necessary on any professional service, including this one. Use us for what you need us for, not for tasks you can more cost-effectively perform yourself.
- Invest the time and money you need to invest, not more.

If you're satisfied with your progress, great. If not, invest in a Business-Card Resume. It's usually hard to get employers to read full-length resumes, because the supply exceeds the demand. But they read the cards, because they're novel and concise.
Don't wait for websites that take forever to download if you have access to fastloading sites that offer what you need.
Use the "Back" button on your browser to return to your previous location, instead of seeking the appropriate link. Even if you know where the link is, the Back button always works faster.
Don't wait for somebody to serve you later if appropriate service is available now.
Shop around sufficiently to make the best decision. Stop. Then make that decision.

How To Book an Appointment

To get started, please contact us by phone, email or snailmail.

If you require a resume, I try to give you an idea of how much it will cost, whether you are paying by the hour or investing in a resume package. In addition, the following policy is in effect at our Scarborough (Toronto) location:

If you attend an appointment to have a resume completed, I start writing it, so that you can see how I approach your document. This usually takes about 15 minutes. If you are not completely satisfied, you are free to leave, and you don't owe me anything. Ninety percent of our clients remain, allow me to complete the resume, and are happy with the outcome.
I request the courtesy of 24 hours' notice if you wish to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
Payment is due upon completion of your resume. If, for some reason, the document cannot be finished while you are on the premises, a retainer equal to 50% of the total price is required.
You may pay by Interac (debit card or email transfer), Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) card, or cash. We regret that we do not accept cheques.
Interest and incurred costs are applied to delinquent accounts.

After booking your appointment, I will send you my policy and ask that you kindly return it to me, to confirm you have read and understood it. Most people like to do this by email, but it can also be done by fax, snailmail or, if more convenient, by hand delivery. This confirmation process saves time, ensures clarity, and avoids misunderstanding.

Initially, you will be given a tentative appointment. I send the policy to you, and you send it back to me. When I receive it, you have a firm appointment. I reserve the time slot just for you!

Resume As Advertisement

There was a time when a list of requisite qualifications would guarantee you a job, let alone an interview. Not anymore. Prospective employers have no end of resumes and no end of qualified people to hire. If you want to get interviews, you will have to distinguish yourself from others. You will have to stand out. You will have to give the employer a reason to notice you — and a reason to believe that you are likely to be an outstanding employee.

Most resumes consist of boring job descriptions. Ours don't. Résu-Card ® features the competitive resume, an advertisement designed to get the employer's attention and sell your services.

How We Sell Your Services To An Employer

We put ourselves in the employer's shoes and ask ourselves, if we were going to pay you money to work for us, what would we want in return? Not, what qualities do you have? Not, what are your skills? Not, what did you do in past jobs? But what benefit do we derive from having you on staff?

In our competitive resume, we demonstrate your ability to deliver benefit by showing how you were useful to current or previous employers. Not only do we guarantee your satisfaction, we guarantee at least three qualities that distinguish you favourably from your competition. It's our job to find them by asking the right questions. Most people possess favourably distinguishing qualities. But very few know what they are. People are not accustomed to thinking in this way. Consequently, when it comes time to tout themselves, sell themselves, they feel uncomfortable and can't do it.

Our job is to sell you when you can't sell yourself — and help you discover valuable things about yourself that will aid you immensely at an interview.

Click to read about our competitive resume packages.

Our Clients

We have served male and female persons ranging in age from the mid-teens to the mid-sixties, able-bodied and disabled, from diverse occupations — many of which are listed alphabetically on our portfolio site — at all levels.

Our clients come to us from Toronto (including Downtown, North York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke), Halton (including Oakville), Peel (including Mississauga and Brampton), York Region (including Thornhill, Concord, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Woodbridge, Markham, Stouffville, Newmarket, and Keswick), Durham (including Oshawa and Ajax); Burlington and Milton, Ontario; and beyond.

We have prepared resumes, cover letters, and related documents remotely, via phone, fax, email, snailmail, and courier, for persons near and far — including a firefighter from Saskatchewan; a governmental manager and medical residents from Atlantic Canada; a physician who used our resume to get her dream job serving people with AIDS at a hospice in Atlanta, Georgia; an international sales manager from South Carolina; and an IT project manager from California.

In addition, we have written resumes for many professionals, technicians, and skilled labourers seeking to immigrate to Canada or the United States, from such diverse regions as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and Mauritius.

Wherever you are, we welcome the privilege of helping you build material security, further your noblest aspirations, and attain personal fulfillment.

We love seeing the smile on your face.

About Résu-Card

Résu-Card ® was established in 1989 to promote and develop its invention, the Business-Card Resume. We offer a full range of resume and related services, with branches in Scarborough and the Beach (aka the Beaches), both located in Toronto.

By calling Résu-Card toll free at 1 877 866 54-54, you can speak to somebody live 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365¼ days per year. Please let the phone ring until the connection is established. Someone will answer live, usually within 30 seconds. Ours is one of the few resume organizations in greater Toronto that offers this level of service.

MAILING ADDRESS: Résu-Card, c/o A REAL LIVE PERSON, Head Office, 104 Ranstone Gardens, Scarborough, Ontario M3H 4N6, Canada. "Scarborough" is a community within the city of Toronto — the fifth largest in North America, after Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Resume services are available:

At our Scarborough office, near Kennedy Station (at Eglinton Avenue East); this station provides access to both subway and rapid transit.
Via telephone and email.

Career counselling services are provided at our location on the Beach.

Call 24 Hrs 7 Days: 1 877 866 54 - 54

1 866 844 3210 Back -Up or (416) 410 7 - 24 - 7 Toronto

The Person Behind the Name

Click here for an introduction to Résu-Card's founder, president and Certified Professional Resume Writer. In this fascinating, biographical account you will learn of the unique circumstances and sequence of events that drew him towards the resume business.

Testimonial from Named Resume Client

I was absolutely thrilled with the way Howard Earle Halpern, MA, CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) and president of Résu-Card ® , crafted my resume. I especially liked the manner in which he asked questions to draw out my interpersonal skills, despite the fact that my resume was technical.

I was also impressed with the layout, the way Mr. Halpern integrated the material, and his ability to capitalize on my strengths. In fact, he uncovered positive qualities I didn't even know I had. Condensing 18 years' employment to fit one page was the icing on the cake.

Luc Yelle, Professional Stonemason, Toronto, Tel. (416) 316-1014

Why We Don't Publish Anonymous Testimonials

The purpose of a testimonial is to acquire credibility. An anonymous testimonial cannot be verified. If you believe it, you already have complete faith in the one who published it. Hence, you do not need to read it. Publishing it serves no purpose.

Review

JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO

"Your site ... looks to me to be a site that is well worth reading, perusing, and pondering. These few screens are worth dozens of chapters in writers' manuals and volumes on the subject of language appreciation."

Colombo is a widely published Canadian author, editor, poet, cultural commentator and communications consultant, best known for his Colombo's Canadian Quotations (see www.colombo.ca).

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