Which set of skill headings promotes this candidate at a much higher level? Which will help her to land interviews for the top jobs she wants? Which headings will be more likely to result in higher salary offers? This simple example shows the power of following the steps I lay out in my Increase Salaries booklets. By teaching job seekers how to truthfully combine keywords and phrases from ads to create strong headings, they are able to dramatically change and elevate their image!

To illustrate that these strategies work equally well for anyone, here's another short example for an executive in the $80,000 to $100,000 range. Here are two phrases from an ad for a National Marketing Manager:

Again which set of headings is better? Which set sounds much more like someone in the $80,000 to $100,000 range? If you're intrigued and would like to see this type of change in your resume, then I seriously encourage you to purchase my Increase Salaries booklets. They provide in-depth worksheets that take you step by step through the process of understanding how to pull out and combine keywords as these examples illustrate. This process seems to be one of the hardest things for job seekers to grasp and almost seems like magic to them when they see such transformations. But, it really is as simple as following the process I've laid out in my Increase Salaries booklets!

Here's another great success story from Mark Rosenquist who purchased and downloaded my Increase Salaries booklets. He sent me a very nice e-mail sharing his story, so of course, I asked if I could use his testimonial. Here's what he had to say about creating skill based headings for resumes and cover letters!

I hadn't been getting responses, then rewrote my cover letter following Regina's system which includes using skill based paragraph headings and I immediately got a hit. I did another letter highlighting in bold, key words that I had picked out of the ad and got a hit with that also. Now I'm rewriting my resume. This system really works!  Mark W. Rosenquist, MSBA

As with any testimonial, please keep in mind that your results will vary!

As I mentioned earlier, most job seekers also find it difficult to identify their skills. My newest booklet, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries! not only provides lists of over 2,500 skills and keywords for 45 career fields, it also teaches you how to analyze ads and job openings so that you can compile targeted keyword lists and skill headings for both your "visual or nicely formatted resume" as well as for "keyword and electronic resumes."

The skill lists are one of the most popular sections of my books because they make resume writing painless, fast and easy. Below, I've provided a very short sample set of skills and sentences for cashiering jobs but please keep in mind that each category contains 68 skills and 40 sample sentences for each career field. By clicking on the title of my books at the bottom of the page you can see the entire list of career fields the skills lists are written for!

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase.  Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop.  By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail.  You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively. 

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service.  Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000.  However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it?  That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000. 

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator  … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account.  In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops!  If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies. 

The testimonials at the top of this page and throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more.  Here's one of my most recent ones: 

Now let's move on to the next workshop and hit a few high points about marketing the 10 Hottest Skills employers look for!

If you are in the process of writing a resume---or have already written one but not gotten the results you want it may be because your titles or skill headings are creating a weak image of your skills---if so consider purchasing my Strategies That Increase Salaries series written for job seekers in the $20,000 to $100,000+ range. This powerful trio shows you how to create resumes and cover letters that use powerful skill headings that control and elevate your image to match the jobs and salary you want---and there are no other books available that teach you this! You can then learn how to carry these powerful strategies into your interviews by using my interviewing booklet so that you position yourself as a top candidate!

You may also want to supplement the Strategies That Increase Salaries booklets with one of the Career-Specific Resume Booklets in order to obtain resume samples written just for your career field.