Meet Carolyn

The fact you’re here means that you’ve probably realised (the hard way) that landing your dream job in today’s competitive market isn’t that easy.

You may be confused, exhausted, anxious, and uncertain about HOW to leverage your career . . .

As a former recruiter turned career story teller and executive resume writer, I take your career seriously. My clients land top jobs – quickly – with a combination of powerful personal branding, job search strategies and interview coaching.

I’ll rewind for a moment.

12 years ago, after a successful period in business management, I began a journey in recruitment and training. I discovered very early on that I was good at it too! I was able to match employers with candidates with precision, and still get a buzz today when I see candidates working in the same jobs I placed them in many years ago.

This is where my passion for writing resumes began. As a recruitment specialist, I was viewing 200+ resumes on a daily basis. 95% of those applications were inferior, failed to sell the client’s expertise, chock-full of errors, dull or too long, and ended up straight on the “no” pile. Further, the person I was interviewing did not match the piece of paper in front of me.

You must understand that the recruitment process is ruthless! It’s not personal — it’s just business.  Hiring managers/recruiters are time poor and in many cases are matching your CV with a job description. With just 6 seconds to capture the reader’s attention (a wide variety of readers too), the first page of your resume is prime real estate and MUST be captivating to make you stand out from the other 249 other applicants who may well have a similar experience to you. A brand-driven, accomplishments-focused resume is the best way to achieve your goal!

I knew very early on in my recruitment days, that I wanted to help people shorten their job search journeys, raise their salaries, and improve their interview success rates… “one client at a time.”

To begin with, I became a Workplace Trainer and Assessor specialising in group and individual training. I facilitated training in resume development, interview coaching, selection criteria writing, job search techniques, along with employability skills, retail, customer service, business administration and information technology certifications.

Resumes however were still my passion. But how could I have confidence in knowing that what I was producing was industry standard?  Resume writing is unregulated in Australia and the market is saturated with self-proclaimed experts. With a 98% success rate in getting clients to interview, I knew I was getting something right… but that wasn’t enough for me. You’ll get to know very quickly that I’m very driven to achieve client success.

I set out to learn as much as I could. I read everything I could get my hands on, quizzed recruitment industry peers, and was distinguished as one of a handful to have achieved the 5 Star pass in the renowned PS… You’re a Résumé Expert course!

Before the ink dried on my first resume writing certification acquired through the Career Directors International (CDI), I was already preparing portfolios and coursework for 4 additional credentials. I’m now the only multi-certified Executive Resume Master in Australia to hold multiple certifications in resume writing, career storytelling, job search and interview coaching.

But I kept pushing forward and worked tirelessly as a sub-contract writer for leading resume writing firms around the world. Like a sponge, I soaked up all that I possibly could from industry trailblazers. I then went on to learn the powerful craft of career storytelling from world-renowned, elite resume strategist and chief career storyteller, Kimberly Robb Baker. This method is more compelling than the regular resume writing you may have seen before. 

Fast forward to today. I’ve built a thriving business supporting executives, aspiring leaders and professionals in their careers, and I can honestly say that I’m living my purpose every day. Today, my team and I support our clients—both private and corporate clients — on how to land more job offers and scale their businesses.

I am so inspired every time someone new finds us and says “yes” to investing in themselves for this potentially life-changing work. Whether I’m helping someone get clarity on job search strategy or writing career marketing documents, I am in my bliss.

I was honoured (and humbled) to be nominated for an award in the Career Directors International annual Toast of the Resume Industry (TORI) awards in 2019, 2018 and 2017. My persistence paid off, and I won 2 TORI awards in 2019. 2019 was a big year for me and I was also invited to be a member of the Career Director’s International’s certification committee. This role is something that aligns with my passion for helping people. 

I’m glad you asked, because I can assume that you are actively researching resume writers and rank quality service highly.

As a career storyteller, I take an ineffective resume and turn it into a power-packed personal campaign–using your unique career stories to define your brand and showcase you as the obvious choice. My exclusive dedication to each one of my projects—taking the time necessary to do it right—and my bone-deep commitment to making your unique value shine. This is backed by a recruitment background, exceptional writing skills, extensive knowledge of resume strategy, and a talent for creating customised, modern, industry-appropriate resume designs.

I’m focussed solely on client success (quality over quantity) and only work with 4 clients at a time. In addition to working exclusively with clients, I lead and mentor a small, elite team of TORI-award-winning and CMRW/CERW certified career experts and storytellers. When selecting a service, professional-level clients have the choice of working with me, or a member of my world-class, multi-certified team.

As the Founder of Total Resumes, I guarantee professional quality work, effective and customised career marketing documents, and personal customer service. Documents produced by Total Resumes are achievement-based and results-driven, positioning our clients as highly qualified interview candidates for positions they want to target while instilling the confidence and mindset of knowing they ARE one step ahead of their competition.