I would like to note that I am in a career field that does, in fact, require a chronological resume, and yet I use the wonderful self-selling techniques Ms. Pontow shares on my own resumes consistently, and it has truly paid off, not only financially, but in my belief in my own abilities. In just the four years since applying this system, my income has increased by half, paying me back a thousand fold, yearly, of my initial purchase price!

I have also used Proven Resumes to help other people with their resumes, and MOST of them have used the skills-based format, and MOST of them have achieved their employment objectives with these resumes. For instance:

A part-time teacher aide with teaching credentials but no professional teaching experience is now a full-time kindergarten teacher. A grocery store cashier obtained a position as a paralegal secretary. Another grocery store cashier, who had worked at the same store for 20 years and had never written a resume before, is now happily settled in a full-time bank teller position. A veterinarian friend who was applying for a year-long leadership training project was rejected the first year she applied, but the second year, after I re-wrote her resume using Proven Resume techniques, she was accepted. Oh, yeah, and I helped my teenage son with his skills-based resume, and he is now working as a website technician / reporter... an incredibly amazing first job!

I would like to make one more plug: These techniques can be used for more than just job resumes. I write up a skills/project based "annual report," if you will, for my annual reviews, so that I can prove to my boss that my skills are growing, and I'm consistenly making the workplace better (You don't stop selling yourself just because you've landed a job). I've used the quantifying and qualifying techniques to write persuasive proposals. And I used a skills-based resume to apply for, and obtain, a position on a state-wide board of directors. It's not just about GETTING a job!

For just a few dollars more, this book has nearly twice as much information as the still-available-online version. It's a bargain!

Unfortunately, the recruiting industry may not be ready for this radical change in resume strategies. Nearly 100% of the people who responded to my resume submissions said "You have a great skill set, but I really need this resume re-done in a traditional, chronological style." Who knows how many never bothered to respond?

Some of the information in the book is valuable, especially the keyword mapping items, but it certainly is not worth the price tag.