As a professional resume writer, I regularly receive compliments from clients, generally stating how ecstatic they are about getting that great new job or promotion they were seeking, how many interview requests they have received since using their new resume, or how the interviewer was highly impressed with their resume.

However, I have rarely received a compliment or testimonial quite like the one I received from Tara, a resume client living in a semi-rural area who contacted me through our website (name changed to protect client privacy… all other details accurate).

Dear Grant,

Just call me one more employed, happy customer. The resume you did for me took me from a $10 an hour job to a six-digit income! I'm not joking. I was expecting good results, but nothing like this. If you would like to use me as a reference, please feel free to do so.

Sincerely,

Tara

When I first interviewed Tara to gather information for her new resume, she warned me that she "didn't have much to work with," that she had been a stay-at-home mom, that she had not had many "normal" jobs, and that she felt at a disadvantage in rejoining the workforce in competing with younger, more corporate jobseekers.

At first glance, Tara's background and situation, though non-traditional, were not all that rare, particularly for many female clients who have been out of the workforce for a period of time. Tara was basically a stay-at-home housewife who had earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education many years prior and had not had a traditional job history, primarily due to raising 2 young children.

Her previous jobs consisted of a couple of retail sales positions prior to attending college, working as a student teacher during the completion of her university studies, and later serving as a substitute teacher for several years, with a few long-term substitute teaching assignments. Tara was currently tutoring a young child with autism, a position she took more for love than money, earning $10 per hour.

In other endeavors, Tara had sold kitchenware through a company that targeted school and non-profit fundraising promotions, and had served for two years as fundraising chairperson for a local animal welfare organization. I also highlighted Tara's many volunteer activities for her children's schools and several area civic organizations.

My big surprise in interviewing Tara was to discover that she had recently helped her husband in his (unsuccessful) write-in campaign to run for Congress, something that she was reluctant to even mention, saying that "it's not important." I dug deeper and asked her if she was her husband's campaign manager. She laughed and said, "I suppose so." I found out that she was the one who arranged press conferences and wrote press releases, deposited donations, wrote checks for expenses, submitted the campaign finance reports, and handled all other aspects of campaign administration.

I was able to weave a creative non-traditional resume based upon her various activities, previous jobs, and her "campaign manager" experience. The result was an attractive, compelling document targeting non-profit positions, something she agreed she would enjoy. After submitting her resume to area non-profit agencies and organizations within a 1-hour commute, Tara landed a six-figure position as director of an advocacy organization. Tara explained to me that they were attracted by her background in fundraising, campaign management, and community involvement. Of course, Tara felt that she "aced" her interview" and "connected" with the search committee members who interviewed with her… But, as she says, it was her creative resume that opened the door.