Tasmania's oldest and best professional resume writing and job search coaching service. We specialise in successful job search strategies and our clients win jobs. That's why we are called The Job Winners.

Resumes, chronological, functional and hybrid, cover letters, addressing selection criteria, government applications, preparing answers to possible interview questions and anything to do with job search.

And we help you choose and plan your career path to maximise the likelihood of job satisfaction and success. The two go hand in hand. Your success is our aim!

Resume service

We firmly believe that, to be effective, a resume has to grab the employer's interest within the first few lines and then hold that interest through to the end. It can only achieve this if it talks about what the employer wants to read: your ability and motivation to do that specific job and to fit into the corporate team. The employer is not interested in in you as a person; he or she is only interested in finding the right person for the job. So we ensure that your resume demonstrates this and nothing else.

We want the employer to say, after reading the whole resume, 'Yes! This is the person I want.'

If you would like to see the various types and styles of resume we produce, go to http://www.jobwinners.com.au/sample-resumes. There you will find the 20 sample resumes from my book, How to Get a Good Job After 50.

There are basically two main types of resume. They are (1) chronological and (2) functional or hybrid. We help you to decide which sort would be the more likely to get you an interview.

Writing a winning chronological resume

This is the more traditional type of resume. We usually recommend this sort when the position you are seeking is similar to your current and/or most recent jobs, or when the resume is to accompany a statement addressing the selection criteria.

A chronological resume contains a detailed record of relevant employment usually going back no more than 10 years. This is because it is the capabilities gained in this time that would be most relevant to the job being applied for. Generally speaking, the skills developed for positions more than 10 years ago are no longer relevant to the job being applied for.

A good example of a chronological resume is that of Marama Tuatini with a detailed work history. You can find it at http://www.jobwinners.com.au/sample-resumes. Then scroll down to Marama's resume and download either the PDF or the MS Word version. Note: if you want to use Marama's resume as a template, download the MS Word version - it is editable.

Because it does not contain a sometimes lengthy Skills and Achievements section, a chronological resume is usually shorter and therefore takes less time than a functional/hybrid one. Estimated time to complete a chronological resume and cover letter is 2 hours and 20 minutes and the fee is capped at $189. This means that, should the resume take longer than the estimated time, the cost won't be greater than the $189. If, on the other hand, the resume takes significantly less time, the cost is reduced proportionally.

Writing winning functional and hybrid resumes

We normally recommend a functional or hybrid resume when you are applying for a position that is significantly different to your most recent employment because this format allows you to demonstrate that you do have the qualities and capabilities that the employer is looking for in spite of your most recent employment being different to the job you are applying for. When your recent career history does not clearly demonstrate that you have the skills to do the job, you can show how you meet the employer's needs in the Skills and Achievements section. It is, in effect, a miniature statement addressing the selection criteria.

Like a statement addressing selection criteria, the Skills and Achievements section, normally the second section of a functional or hybrid resume, lists the required capabilities and qualities required for the position and, under each one, then demonstrates in a convincing way how the applicant meets those requirements using achievement statements.

Writing an interview-winning functional/hybrid resume almost always requires considerably more time than does a chronological one and therefore costs more. The estimated time required (ETR) for a functional/hybrid resume is 4 hours and the cost is capped at $327. If it requires 5 hours instead of 4 to complete a top-quality resume, the cost remains $327. If somehow we manage to create a winning resume in say 3 hours, the cost would be three-quarters of $327, or $245. You will never be charged more than the cap for a specific service.

Have a look at the first five sample resumes at http://www.jobwinners.com.au/sample-resumes. These are hybrids. See how they show a prospective employer that, in spite of the difference of their current positions to the ones being applied for, they do have the qualities and capabilities that the employer is looking for. To read through them, download either the PDF or the MS Word version.

What are hybrid and functional resumes and how are they different to chronological ones?

Hybrid and functional resumes focus on skills that are specific to the position being sought while a chronological one works to build suitability for the position by showing experience gained in recent jobs. Hybrid and functional resumes contain what I term a Skills and Achievements section which usually begins in the top half of the first page. Chronological resumes don't have this section and place the Employment History section there.

What is the difference between a hybrid resume and a functional one? A true functional resume does not contain an employment history section whereas a hybrid does. However, in our experience, it is very rare for an effective resume not to state the applicant's work history and, therefore, I have tended to use the word 'functional' for what is really a hybrid resume simply because the word 'functional' is a better descriptor than 'hybrid' for a resume that does describe the skills required for the functions of the position being applied for.

Addressing selection criteria

Government jobs and positions with government-funded organisations usually demand applicants to address the selection criteria online or on paper. We have developed a structured approach ensuring our clients the greatest likelihood of getting an interview.

Once again, gaining the employer's interest and holding that interest all the way through is essential. We achieve this through well thought out and carefully written achievement statements, including STARs (Situation, Task, Action, Result), clearly demonstrating that you have the required skills and, more importantly, the right attitude to succeed in the position.

This takes time to do properly. Estimated time required for just addressing the selection criteria is 5 hours. However, it is worth spending the time. If it's rushed and not done to the highest quality, it's time and money wasted. Remember that it's the best application that wins the job and we strive to make your application as good and convincing as it can possibly be.

Addressing selection criteria alone costs $385. When combined with a chronological resume and cover letter, making all the documents alike in style and presentation, the ETR is 7 hours and the cost capped at $573.

Preparing for the interview

The aim is to enable you to go into the interview with confidence and to convince the panel that you are the right person for the job. This includes helping you prepare answers to likely interview questions and questions for you to ask at the interview. We also cover how to psych yourself for success, how to build and maintain confidence, how to build rapport with the interviewers and so much more.

We offer two packages: a 2-hour basic package for $163 and complete interview coaching, including preparation of answers to possible interview questions with an ETR of 6 hours and capped at $491. Further interview coaching can be arranged at $82/hour.

Preparing answers to possible interview questions

We have developed a three-step process to preparing answers to interview questions and it has proved to be very effective because it gives the answers that interviewers want to hear. We can also work out what the questions are likely to be. This means that you can be confident and convincing in your answers.

This is part of the complete interview preparation service described above. Additional sessions to prepare answers to possible interview questions are charged at $82/hour.

Researching the position and the organisation

Thorough research into the organisation and the position you are applying for makes such a difference to the likelihood of your success. When you have a good understanding of the position and of the corporate culture of the organisation, you can envisage yourself working there and this makes you considerably more confident and more highly motivated. You will be seen as someone with a can-do attitude, someone who will hit the ground running, and they will want you on their team.

Detailed notes and initial coaching are provided free. This may be sufficient for you to carry out the thorough research required. If needed, further coaching can be arranged at $82/hour.

Networking with key people

Networking with key people is essential to success. Building a rapport with prospective co-workers, demonstrating that you want to be a part of the team, this is what sets you apart from other applicants. We have all heard the expression, 'It's not what you know; it's who you know'. It's actually not that either; it's who knows you that is important. Some job seekers take to networking like ducks to water but others find it difficult. We coach you through the process so that no matter how difficult you find it at first, you soon become adept at it and start enjoying it.

We provide network coaching when it is needed. This might be through a 5-minute phonecall immediately before a meeting. Short calls like this are provided free of charge. Longer sessions are charged at $82/hour.

Job search coaching

Our aim is to help you get the sort of job you are seeking and whatever it takes, whatever you require, we will deliver. If you require any form of job search coaching other than the above, we will provide it at the same rate of $82/hour.

Career path planning - deciding on the next steps

Career planning, deciding on the next steps is an important element in successful job search. Those who say 'I want a job, any job' usually end up with nothing whereas those who say 'I want to get a job marketing left-hand threaded widgets' end up getting a job marketing left-hand threaded widgets. Why? Because they focus all their efforts into getting just the jobs that really motivate them.

Career planning can mean changing a totally new career direction but equally it can mean just deciding on the next steps. If you need to make a change in career direction, if for instance you're getting too old for hard manual work or you no longer enjoy the work you've been doing, then you may need the full career planning program. If, on the other hand, you are thinking of following the same occupation but in a different industry or a slight change of role in the same industry, you may find that just a small part of the program is sufficient. The important thing is that you do have a clear plan for your next steps.

The full program is capped at $551. It usually takes three or four 2-hour sessions and includes the use of JIIG-CAL Australia's Career Voyage program and the Majors PTI as well as a number of low-tech questionnaires, card sorts and other activities to help you determine your future.

Career Voyage is an internationally recognised, high quality career planning system. An interactive questionnaire asks clients about their occupational interests and these are compared with the database resulting in suggesting the occupations that best match the answers given.

The Majors PTI (Personality Type Indicator) is a development from programs like the Myers-Briggs. One great benefit is that it can be used to identify the conditions an individual needs for job satisfaction - an important indicator for success in the position.

The set fee for each of these proprietary tools is $147 if they are taken alone. If they are undertaken as part of the career planning process, the fees are included in the overall $551.

Schedule of fees

When we charge by the service, the cap is based on the ETR. If it takes longer than the ETR to achieve the highest quality, the fee is capped and we do not charge any more than the quoted price. If, on the other hand, the task can be completed without compromising quality in less time than the ETR, the fee may be proportionally less than the quoted price.

Recognising that job seekers may have limited financial resources, we offer a deferred payment option to approved clients. When such an arrangement is made, no payment is required until after the job has been secured. Payment can be commenced in agreed instalments from the date the second salary 'cheque' has been received.