Nationally certified resume writer, personal branding, and career marketing expert, Michelle Dumas is the executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC, one of the Internet's leading resume development firms, since 1996. Through Distinctive Documents and her Executive VIP Services, Michelle works virtually from her New Hampshire office and has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of "101 Before-and-After Resume Examples" and "Secrets of a Successful Job Search".

Full Bio

	Is Your Resume Template Holding You Back? by Michelle Dumas - Sep, 2011 Is a resume template a practical method to quickly and simply develop a superb resume? Or, will the utilization of a resume template actually restrain and slow your search for a job? In an employment market that becomes more and more competitive every day, even if you are currently employe...
	How-To Write a Job-Winning Resume When You Don’t Have a Clue What to Write by Michelle Dumas - Jul, 2011 If you’ve ever toiled to write your resume, battling writer’s block for every word you put on the page, but still unsatisfied when you get to the end, sure that your resume won’t make the cut, you aren’t alone. For many job seekers, writing a resume is a scary task. Yet, for nearly ever...
	Choose It. Don't Excuse It! Mindset Changes You Can Choose to Jumpstart a Stalled Job Search by Michelle Dumas - Aug, 2009 Are you in the job market right now? Is it taking longer than you want? Do you find yourself getting frustrated, depressed, anxious, and fearful that you'll never find a good job, or maybe even a little bit angry at the circumstances in which you find yourself? If so, you aren't alone. But...
	The Importance of Managing Your Online Identity When Job Searching by Michelle Dumas - Aug, 2009 Last fall, while at a political event, I had several opportunities to be interviewed by newspaper reporters. While I contributed to their stories, I did so anonymously. Why? Simple. I conduct business on the web and am acutely aware of the importance of managing and controlling my online i...
	Differentiate Yourself and Land a Job Fast Even In a Recession by Michelle Dumas - May, 2009 When unemployment is high and you find yourself in a competitive job market, it is easy to get discouraged. It is a fact that there are more and more people competing for fewer and fewer jobs. And, there is no doubt about it! In a time when it seems like no one is hiring and you hear about...
	Quick Tips to Get Started Using Twitter for Your Job Search by Michelle Dumas - May, 2009 Do you Tweet? If not, maybe you should. Perhaps it would be misleading to say that as a job searcher you MUST be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social and business networking sites. But, assuming that you use social media in appropriate and professional ways, being connected a...
	Rewrite Your Executive Resume to Generate Top Results Even in a Recession by Michelle Dumas - May, 2009 Are you struggling to get your resume up to par? You aren't alone. With such a shaky economy and uncertain business future, managers and executives everywhere are scrambling to update and strengthen their resumes. Whether you are looking for a job now or expect you will be in the near futu...
	"Must Knows" for Working With Recruiters During Your Job Search by Michelle Dumas - Nov, 2008 For most job seekers, conducting a comprehensive job search includes—at least to some degree—interfacing with recruiters (a.k.a., headhunters). But, for many people, this is also one of the most misunderstood aspects of a job search. Here are some quick tips and "must-knows" to demysti...
	21 Tips to Speed Your Job Search Even In a Recession by Michelle Dumas - Nov, 2008 Are you worried about the economy? Concerned about rising unemployment figures? If you have a job now, you may find yourself questioning your security when you read the daily reports of layoffs at company after company. If you are currently out of work and job searching, you may find y...
	How-to Create a Compelling, Branded Elevator Pitch for Your Job Search by Michelle Dumas - Nov, 2008 The elevator pitch. You are probably familiar with the term. It is most commonly used to describe the concise 60-second speech that business owners and executives, as well as salespeople, use to describe their business, product, or service to others. More importantly, it is a speech that i...
	Networking Made Easy: Tips for a Fast, Successful Job Search by Michelle Dumas - Nov, 2008 You’ve heard it before: at least 80% of all the jobs are found through the "hidden" job market, also known as the "unpublished" job market. These are jobs typically landed through word of mouth and referrals as opposed to the hit-or-miss method of answering ads, posting your resume to inte...
	Top Tips For Incorporating Your Personal Brand In Your Job Search by Michelle Dumas - Nov, 2008 When you think about your next career move, how would things be different for you if you were HUNTED rather than being the HUNTER? Personal branding (the process of clarifying and communicating what makes you and your unique value proposition different and special) allows you to make a nam...
	Your 2008 Job Search Checklist by Michelle Dumas - Mar, 2008 The days of simply browsing through the Sunday newspaper and sending out a few resumes in order to win your next career opportunity are over. The days of retiring after having worked for just one or two companies are also over. Downsizings, mergers, offshoring, acquisitions, corporate reor...
	Is Your Resume a Lie? by Michelle Dumas - Mar, 2008 Lying on your resume can be tempting. Perhaps you know, without any doubt, that you have the skills and abilities an employer is looking for. You just don't have the degree. So, you are considering exaggerating the semester of coursework you took 15 years ago, into a degree. Is lying too s...
	If you know of an article that should be listed here, please let us know.