About ResumeGuru
A brief introduction
Robert Dagnall, President of ResumeGuru.com, has created resumes for more than 6,000 clients since 1992. His clients represent nearly every profession you can name, from Fortune 100 management to students and transitioning military launching new careers. He has been featured on national television and radio for some of his most unusual cases--including resume writing for two members of the world's oldest profession. Mr. Dagnall holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UC Berkeley, and is a member of the Career Management Alliance.
The single coolest job description I've written
Submarine Captain
Captain in the world’s 13th largest submarine fleet. Led “voyage
of exploration through liquid space,” including a course beneath
the polar icecap. Demonstrated conspicuous bravery and sound judgment
in rescuing 32 civilians from surface storms, the Graveyard of Lost Ships,
and attacks by giant squid. Spearheaded underwater archaeological expedition;
located the legendary lost continent of Atlantis.
And it's all absolutely true—for a captain in Disneyland's Submarine Voyage. This is an excerpt from my own resume, by no means appropriate for everyone. Humor in a resume is a calculated risk: if it falls flat, so do your chances. But it also stands as an example of a creative approach that paid off. Employers just had to meet the 'Submarine Captain'; it doesn't hurt that Disneyland has a reputation for world-class service and fond associations for most people; and you can guess who stood out when it was time to decide among candidates.
Company history
I founded this professional resume practice on May 27, 1993, following employment as Branch Manager and Trainer at an executive placement firm. Their approach to resume writing was mass production; I felt that clients deserved better, and that I could deliver a more effective product. 15 years and 6,000+ clients later, I have been proven correct.
The company motto, “Resumes Expertly Written, Not Merely Typed”, remains unchanged from that opening day, though the business name does not. I changed the business name from Words That Work Resumes to ResumeGuru.com in 2001 to eliminate confusion with another business.
My business has had an Internet presence since 1995—nearly prehistoric in Internet terms. Expert knowledge of Internet job searches and electronic, scannable, and government resume formats is a by-product of my longstanding involvement with the Internet as technology and community.
