Competency-Based Resumes

I bought this book largely due to the high ratings, and I am really disappointed. The book spends three or so chapters talking about why "Competency-Based Resumes" are the greatest thing ever, showing examples of "Competency-Based Resumes," telling you why they are better than the old-fashioned kind, listing companies that use this system, and basically talking all about "Competency-Based Resumes." The actual "how-to" of creating one is largely implied. The best part of the book is a list of action verbs to use in your resume, which is probably available for free from any of a number of career websites. I think I was handed a similar list in high school, with the same advice of leaving out "I" and beginning lists of skills and experiences with action verbs.Also, I admit I'm very picky, but this book is terribly written and organized. Chapters 1,2, and 3 are repetitive - they tell you the same information in only slightly different ways several times. I know writers of how-to books like to repeat themselves in order to get their point across, but it felt like this book was trying to cleverly hide that it didn't actually have enough content to fill its 185 pages.The way these chapters are organized confused me. Each chapter went from why to use this resume form, to who uses it, to how to use it, and back to why again -- but not always in that order. Both chapters one and two could have been condensed and made into an introduction. And I'd like to strangle the copyeditor for the bulleted lists of incomplete sentences with periods after each item. To my knowledge, that has never been acceptable punctuation. You can use periods for complete sentences, or you can use commas for a list of items with a period after the last, but not periods after each word. Ever hear of Chicago Manual of Style?I would give it fewer stars, but I think there is *some* value for a person who loves to learn by example and wants to basically copycat the example resumes. Also, important to note that this book is really for sales professionals, human resource managers, and people in medical fields, other than physicians. The authors highlight these types of professions and don't really talk much about any others. And it would probably only really help you if you worked for a company that actually uses the competency-based resume system.After all my bashing, I do need to admit that I did not make it through the entire book (how could I, with grammar like "...and companies who..." throughout?), and only read about the first 4 chapters. I couldn't bear it. It's not so much "excellent" as the other reviewers said as it is "circularly logical" and "cleverly ambiguous," leaving the reader "nonplussed."If you want a good resume book, get Resume Magic -- it gives good advice and great examples in clear, logical language. Plus, the author is encouraging, which is great when you just want to find a better job.

The competency based approach has been common overseas but is now becoming more common here in the U.S. Fortunately, wise recruiters realize that instead of focusing on standardized test scores, schools that folks have attended, or whether or not a candidate has ever stepped foot in China or India, it is much more important to consider what a candidate CAN ACTUALLY DO - AND DO WELL. I have been fortunate to hear Robin present her framework live and in person and I believe that she has done an excellent job assembling this valuable resource. The examples in the book are excellent and provide very clear guidance on "how to do it". Highly recommended.

This book is not terrible, but it is terribly repetitive. This should have been a 15-20 page PDF file. Instead the author repeated himself 2000 times, added useless info, and is now making money selling a book. I had to buy this for a class, otherwise I would have never bought it.

Competency-Based Resumes: How To Bring Your Resume To The Top Of The Pile I have both the paperback and Kindle edition for convenience. I recommend this to anyone who wants to submit a Competency - Based Resume. I was asked by my current employer to submit a Competency - Based resume and I remembered I had a resource from Robin. My current employer loved my new format and my resume was submitted and the rest is history. A former student of Robin's.

This book helped me in reshaping my resume for a specific job I wanted to get, in getting me an interview, and finally in getting the job. And I was coming back to the job market after an entrepreneurial adventure. Do I need to say more? It is very well written and wonderfully organized in relevant sections. My advice: BUY IT, if you are looking for a job and want your competencies to get noticed.

Great source for writing resumes for Government related and middle to upper management job positions.

You need to read and understand, but when you do you'll make a powerful resume

This will help me take my resume a step higher... I'm always improving my resume. I received it quickly and got it at a great price.

Arrived quick and book was New as stated. Very Happy.

but lots of material copied from "competency based interview" book, so don't buy both if you're thinking about doing so.