BrightSide Resumes

Just finished my resume writing with Cliff. So impressed. I am that guy in the restaurant who when they order food have one thousand requests. «Could you do this» «Could you do that» «And make sure it does not have this» So I had a really difficult time deciding on who should do my resume. I was in touch with two other companies before I decided to go with Cliff.
One of the things that really impressed me was on his website he has so many examples of his work. Where as most resume writers only have one or two samples. And his resumes make you think «I want to meet this person. Wow»
I have basically been out of the work force because I have not gained any new skills in a really long time. So I knew my resume would be difficult. What impressed me was how he was able to come up with a style of resume that covered my weakness and highlighted my strengths. Also the format is great. To me the resume he formats look modern and fresh and instead of bland and run of the mill. I can easily add additional experience because I have a workable format. This is why you should spend the money to get your resume done. Its a document your going to use for many years to come. You should always have the best representation of yourself available because you never know when the perfect job comes your way. Invest in yourself.
One more thing. I hate when you pay for something but your not working with the actual person you thought your would be working with. Example: You find a person that has great reviews for doing resumes. You pay for it only to find out you’re working with someone that works for him. Not the actual person. So its impressive that it was Cliff I talked to on the phone who handled my resume.
Another thing I like about using his company is while on the phone interview we talked on a variety of subjects having to do with my future career moves. He even gave me step by step advise on how to pursue those goals. What possible directions I could go in and things I might consider. Similar to a mini mentor session. This was completely aside from the resume gathering process. (He also included a summary of those major points in an email) Things like that only happen when an individual is truly invested and believes in what they do.
Finally when going into this experience try not to think of just the resume. Think of it as «what direction am I taking my life.» «What direction do I want to go in?» This is why I think the phone interview and questioniare were so important to me. It helps you take stock in what you really want to accomplish with your talents. I found this part to be even more important than the resume itself. To be able to sit back and say «I’ve been going this direction, but this is what I really want to do. Time to take that next step toward my true ambition»
I hope that this review helps others make the decision to invest in yourself.

I rarely write reviews and when I do, I am generally extraordinarily pleased and do not take the time to write poor reviews. This is a bit different, as I never used Cliff’s service.
I contacted Briteside resumes for my daughter graduating college in May. I explained we had a bad experience using Thumbtack and explained we needed a resume for the career fair taking place next week and we would be happy to pay a premium. I told her we had waited so long to get the current resume from the previous «professional resume writer» that we were out of time.
I was contacted back by their Executive Assistant, that was happy to suggest a package and wanted to book us 6 weeks out. I explained again the urgency. Keep in mind this is a student graduating from college in May… maybe 2 – 3 jobs and an internship with an already completed resume that needed to be added to, spruced up a bit and reformatted.
I was reconnected saying that 6 weeks out was the best they could do… and «good luck» finding someone who could help… proceeded by, she did not have anyone she could refer me to, and that she further knows no one who could do a resume in a week.
Regardless, I am not sure of anyone who can wait 6 weeks to do a resume unless it is a candidate who is not actively looking for a new/​position.
I am sure they are worth their weight in gold, but this market is only as good as supply and demand. Hopefully they understand that relationships matter.

Great service. Fantastic result. Now time to see the result!

I am still in the process of working with Cliff, but I wanted to write a review while I had time. I anticipate having a job before we are done or shortly there after. So far I have done two career exploratory sessions and plan to do a resume and maybe LinkedIn profile tuneup.
I believe in hiring professionals when things are important and/​or I hate doing them so that is why I wanted Cliff’s services. I am in the midst of my ¹⁄₃ life crisis where I really want a job I can enjoy that will also match my personal needs and values. I have a ton of skills and interests, but have begun to wonder what I will do next. Cliff is helping me put some structure around that. I doubt I will have an «A-​Ha» moment, but I am not easily surprised. What I will have is a resume that looks good that I feel was made in collaboration with me. At no point have I felt swindled or like Cliff was pushing an agenda other than finding me a job I can be happy with.
The prices are a notch higher than I am used to, but I try to justify it with the feeling that I will find a job sooner. I think it’s worth scheduling the free chat with Cliff to see if you like him too. His wait times are quite long for everything too.

When it comes to writing a resume, I go directly to the experts. I hem and haw over how to appropriately phrase a Unilocal review around my latest bowl of spaghetti, so you can imagine how long it would take me to write up my entire career’s list of accomplishments. So I like to go to someone who can pull out what is relevant and frame it a way that still sounds like «me» as opposed to a buzzword-​heavy resume book.
I had used another resume writer a few years back, and while I liked the end product, I was interested in getting a fresh take this time around. I saw all the glowing reviews on Cliff, and although I first winced at the pricing (about double my original writer), I figured if it helped me score a better gig, the extra dough would be worth it.
With the first resume writer, I received a Word document where I had to, in excruciating detail, explain every single job I had. That document was the sole item used to create my resume (which, like I said, still was a good product). With Cliff, I had a short Q&A that tried to capture my personality and the essence of what I was looking for. Then I had a 1.5 hour long phone interview with Cliff where he went through my previous resume and asked me probing questions about each role. I much preferred this method (phone interview vs a document) because his questioning helped bring up key points that I hadn’t considered in the past, and highlighted areas that needed further clarification. Plus he’s just a really a nice guy to chat with, and we need more of those people in our life, right?
When I received the final resume from Cliff a week later, I was impressed! I thought that maybe he was just going to tweak my old resume, but he pretty much started from scratch. The formatting was crisp and clean, making for an easy reading experience despite him having to include about five additional roles on the document. I went off on a lot of tangents during my phone interview with him, and was surprised to see how much he was able to accurately capture and highlight. The overall result made me feel good that I didn’t just waste a few extra Benjamins unnecessarily.
I would definitely recommend Brightside to anyone who feels their resume isn’t gaining traction or doesn’t reflect the «real them.»

I had a great experience all around. I spoke with Cliff on two hour-​long occasions where Cliff delved into my skill set and goals. The conversations helped me to evaluate what it is I want and am qualified to pursue. A week or so later, Cliff provided me with an amazing new resume that I can’t wait to put into service!
It is great to have allies like Cliff and Julianne that I truly believe want me to succeed. Cliff was able to acutely describe my skills and how they relate to the jobs I’m seeking. I am very happy and see this as a life-​changing step in my professional life.

Cliff from Brightside Resumes is a master of his craft, which is being able to effectively articulate a person’s narrative, whether it be for a resume, a LinkedIn profile, recommendation letters, cover letters etc.
At the beginning of 2014 I decided to update my resume after a couple years so I could cruise the market and see what was out there. After extensive research on Unilocal and other websites, I settled on BrightSide Resumes. At first I thought spending hundreds of dollars on something you could do yourself might be excessive. Additionally, Cliff is really busy so the earliest appointment available was not for 6 or so weeks. However, I decided to go for it. Let’s just say when I got my resume back my jaw dropped. Cliff had built a powerful concise resume for me that was getting me calls from potential employers left and right; it was incredible. Probably 90% of the places I applied for contacted me back… and I applied to a lot of places. It was a super exciting time. The results ended up at a salary increase of about 33%.
Now in 2015 I have decided to use Cliff at Brightside Resumes for my LinkedIn profile. The first draft was not what I had expected. After expressing my disappointment to Cliff, he was extremely responsive and accommodating to basically rewrite the entire thing to make it match exactly what I wanted. Once again I am beyond impressed with the results.
I plan on using Cliff for all my future cover letters, resume updates, etc. etc.
The pricing is on the higher end of the spectrum, but you are getting what you pay for; I rather pay a couple hundred bucks more on the front end, if that translates to potentially thousands of dollars more in salary and a more fulfilling opportunity! It’s funny because by the time I get the final product I always feel like I underpaid cause it’s so g$d d@amn good!!! I want to put it on the fridge and just read how awesome I am everyday!

I wanted to interact with Cliff before committing to have him write my resume, so I signed up for an hour-​long coaching session with him.
Cliff is super affable and wise. During the coaching session, I found it hard at first to «sell myself» but Cliff was masterful at helping me get through my defense mechanisms and see my skills for what they really are.
«BrightSide» is a very apt name for Cliff’s business. He really helped me see my talents, and the uniqueness that I brought to the table. I’m sure he’ll be able to do the same for you.
During the coaching with Cliff, he helped me realize that I was shooting too low, and that I should be looking for a Director or VP level position. Having Cliff, who has seen a lot of candidates go by, tell me that I was ready for the next level, made me feel ready to go looking for the right position. I left the session, sure that Cliff knew who I was and that he would write a great resume for me.
Happily, I cannot comment on the resume writing service, because before we were scheduled to meet to write my resume, I applied for and got a job as Director of Technology for an SF startup. Effectively, everything I was looking for, but didn’t realize until after talking with Cliff.

Me: Transitioning Marine of ten years with anxiety off the charts about getting into the civilian workforce.
I was deeply concerned how my military experience would translate into the civilian workforce. What I ended up with was unbelievably and exceptionally above and beyond what I could have imagined. Brightside Resume was hands down the best monetary investment and decision I have made to date.
The staff (Julianne) throughout the entire process was top notch and beyond professional, helpful, and friendly. She answered all questions and kept me very informed of what was going on every step of the way. When I was talking to Cliff for the interview It literally felt like I was talking to an old friend from High school that really cared about what has been going on in my life professionally the last ten years. I literally talked his ear off for an hour and had to take a breath when I was done talking.
Tip: I believe it was very beneficial to have kept an active log of all my accomplishments and job descriptions over the years (all I had to do was clarify and he took care of the rest).
When I received the final product, it was a mixed emotion of speechlessness, childlike giddy excitement, pride and confidence. My first thoughts were, «this guy is a literary genius who writes ‘literary gold.’» I showed my current boss who is a 40 year veteran in my field and he even said, «that’s the best resume I have seen come through here, silence, ever». Bottom line is I would recommend Brightside Resume to anyone looking to add to their self-​worth, increase their professional confidence and leave with a product that is sure to impress the unimpressible to get you in the door for that interview. P. S. my boss is a great guy, he’s just seen everything under the sun :)

Working with Cliff was a really great experience. I used him both for more general career coaching and resume-​writing. As a career coach, Cliff quickly ‘got’ me, my unique strengths, and my varied interests quickly and was able to offer inspiring ideas for next steps. I was often impressed. The work I did with him over time really changed the way I saw myself and my work experience, and for that alone, it was invaluable. The culmination was a resume which was beautifully crafted as well as accurate, and targeted toward a clear goal. Highly recommend!

DISCLOSURE: Ultimately I chose not to use BrightSide services, I did pay for their ‘Creative Package’ but opted out. However, I thought it would be useful for Unilocal users to consider the initial process that subsequently changed my mind, here’s why. I sent the first inquiry and brief description of myself, however unique I may think I am, I did keep it brief, this was on a Monday morning. My question was simply, what was their timeline like? Two days later I received a cheerful hello and the link to the page that explains their packages; I had already read that. They suggest reading everything before contacting them and, like a good school boy I read everything. It was apparent Julianne had not read everything in the email I sent her. I replied and two days later she replied. This went on for a week just to get little tidbits of information from her: Where are you located? What is Cliff’s background? Does he use ghost writers? Can you include a Linked In profile? Finally I gave up around the same time Julianne suggested I go somewhere else if timing is an issue. I don’t know of anyone who needs their resume written where timing is not of the essence. If timing were not an issue for me I would have had to wait 27 days just FOR THE FIRST DRAFT. And in the end I learned nothing more than that from them other than what is on their Web site. $ 500 is a lot of money for me, I’m unemployed, hence the need for a well written resume. Obviously I’m willing to pay for a good resume. Look, in the end consider these things: If you have $ 500 to blindly pay someone you don’t know, if you’re OK with trusting the only information on them from Unilocal (unless you’re successful finding anything else), if you have a lot of time to wait for a final resume you can use immediately, if eager, helpful, customer service is not you’re concern then you may want to do what I did (FINALLY – thank god) pay attention to ALL of those red flags and go somewhere else where they want and need your business. PS most other resume writers are much less expensive, too.

Great service and project management led to an outstanding end-​product!
I would highly recommend them. I’m in the military and needed a military-​to-​corporate resume. That is no easy task because it’s like doing two resumes in one. First you have to be able to translate military jargon and acronyms into civilian terms, and then you have to take that information and tailor it for the specific civilian sector I was applying for.
If you’re like me, you:
— Did weeks of online research beforehand searching review sites and reading articles
— Determined that spending $ 100-​$ 300 on a resume service was a waste of time, but $ 1500+ was too steep
— Wanted a resume writer who was actually going to spend time talking to you on the phone (critical aspect in my opinion)
— Found brightside resume’s site and after looking it over, you knew it’d be one of the finalist you wanted to investigate more (I’d guess that’s what brought you to this website)
— WANT to be part of the resume prep. I didn’t want to simply answer a few questions and be done. I wanted to be part of the resume prep service to make the best possible product
I narrowed it down to 3 writers. Maybe I stressed over it too much making the final decision, but in my opinion a good resume could be the difference between getting an interview or not. I have friends that went the route of getting a $ 100 resume. Bottom line with their resumes: it shows.
I wanted a resume that was professional, yet had just enough unique features to make it to stick out. The deciding factor for me: their website. The other 2 finalist had a lot of experience and great reviews, but their websites were just so… outdated and basic. Why did I care about a website when I was getting a resume? Well, I figure if someone can’t sell THEMSELVES to me on their website, what chance did they ever have for being able to sell ME on my resume to a company. I know it’s very likely that the website is managed by a web designer so it doesn’t 100% reflect Cliff’s work, but… isn’t that what we’re all doing with our resumes? We all want an expert who specializes in making us look golden. In my head I knew exactly what I wanted my resume to look like, but I wanted an expert to ensure it translated onto paper properly.
I sent them an e-​mail asking for more information and got a response within a day.
When I finally decided they were right for me, they were booked with clients weeks in advance. I wasn’t in a rush for a resume so that worked out just fine as it gave me more time to think about some of the pre-​interview questions. If you’re in a rush for a resume, just make sure to talk to them ahead of time first to see if they have a way to fit you in. They aren’t a resume-​writing mill, so it takes time. I knew that going in so it wasn’t a problem.
In the weeks leading up to the phone interview, I filled out those pre-​interview questions and sent them on their way. I was anxious about the phone interview, but Cliff was awesome about facilitating the discussion. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to truly verbalize the stuff in my head, but Cliff made it so easy with his questions. All I had to do was start talking and then cliff would guide the conversation on where it needed to go to get the proper info.
A week or so later I got the resume and it really was fantastic. It wasn’t filled with fluff either. It wasn’t a resume someone else could just slap his or her name on it like you could with some generic $ 200 resume. It was individually tailored to me, yet still had all the sector «buzz» words I asked for.
All-​in-​all, you should stop wasting time searching and go with Cliff. If you’re like me, you’ll still do a few more days of research just so you feel comfortable about your decision. I’ll promise you right now though, you’re wasting time if you don’t at least send them an email within the next 30 mins asking them the questions you have in your head right now. if you go with someone else, well that obviously your call, but you should at least shoot them an email with your questions. again, i got a response from them within 1-​day.
If you just want a resume ASAP and don’t care about quality, Cliff is NOT the person for you. If you want to still consider one of those $ 1500 resume writers, then go ahead (a writer quoting me $ 1700 was one of my other finalist). If you want to ensure you get what you pay for, and want to be involved in the resume process, I promise you, you’re in good hands with brightside resumes.

Worked with Cliff and Jen in late 2011. I found these guys on Unilocal and thought to myself, is this really worth the scrilla? To me it was, because I have a very hard time outlining and bullet pointing ideas. Cliff was good at this, but also very good at identifying key metrics from my past job that I’d have never thought to Include. I am in sales, so it’s very easy to quantify yourself on a resume. The end result? Well, I got an immediate job lined up with literally a one day resume submit. I had later found that my resume was used as a «what to look for in a candidate» for the company’s internal recruiting folks. Overall, excellent value. Priceless, if the resume gets you in the front door, and you seal the deal from there. Also… TAX WRITE OFF.

This is the second time I came to Cliff for a resume update. Cliff is extremely good at what he does, he is very quick at grabbing ideas between conversations and never failed to deliver exceptional work. I have previously worked with other resume writer, the quality and the creativity of their work is no where close to what Cliff was able to deliver.
In fact, I got my first job shortly after getting my resume done two years ago and I am already getting interviews a few days after I received my most updated resume.
I highly recommend Cliff to anyone who is looking to have their resume fix or update.
Good luck.

I used to work for Cliff as the Administrative Manager at Brightside.
Cliff also wrote my wonderful resume and couldn’t be more pleased with the finalized product. My new resume really showcases all of my strengths and accomplishments. I’ve received great feedback and received tons of responses for positions applied for from high-​quality companies.
Cliff is truly a master of his trade and when he completes a resume project, the words just artfully flow from one page to another. Each resume is tailored to the specific individual. No crappy templates. The process is high-​touch, and very in-​depth.
Once upon a time, I used a resume writing service and it was less than stellar. I was pretty unhappy with the final outcome. Basically, the company seemed to be a resume-​writing mill trying to get in as many customers in a short period of time, while also hiring less than qualified «writers» to write resumes.
Even though I didn’t have to use my resume for the current position and company I’m working for, I can’t say enough about my great experience!
Do yourself a favor. If you’re needing your resume done and want it done professionally and also receive a top-​notch final product, run to Brightside!

Cliff was a master at editing my resume and making it enticing to read. The overall appearance was so improved. The white space was perfection. He highlighted what really counts and got rid of some fluff. I thought I was pretty good at this stuff but he just took it to another level.
On a side note, is the most positive and supportive guy. He is really in your corner and passionate about what he does.
Kim Kennedy

«Your resume was, by far, the best resume we have received.»
This was said to me during an interview with the Executive Director of an agency. I wasn’t surprised, I was a bit overqualified for the position and had expected that my experience stood out. But, then the interviewer continued and said that it wasn’t my experience as much as the formatting and the flow of the words. He said that there was something about it that communicated my strengths in clear, concise and intriguing ways.
I must have had the biggest smile on my face. Is there an opposite to buyer’s remorse? My resume was certainly worth the money spent. If you are looking for resume help, Cliff is your man.

I was researching 3 different resume writers, and Bright Side was on the top of my list based upon the reviews on Unilocal.My first, and final, impression of Bright Side Resumes is taking money is a greater priority over customer service. I am VERY disappointed in how Cliff handled a simple requests to have a few questions answered.
I do not feel it is unreasonable to have a 15 minute conversation to ask a few questions about their overall process, expected turn around time, and assistance in determining which package I should purchase. I had to ask via email 3 times, and in between each request Cliff insisted I go online and purchase a package before he would speak with me. After my third request, Cliff offered for me to speak with his assistant, but not him.
Since my last attempt, his assistant emailed me 3 times asking if I received their quote, which I never received, and in only one of her emails she offered to answer my questions.
I gave 2 stars for the number of times they contacted me, while their approach and intentions greatly missed the mark.
The «bright side» to my interactions with this company is I have decided to go with another resume writer, someone I am very excited to build a relationship with, and someone who was more than happy to speak with me.
It is disheartening that 15 minutes of Cliff’s time is more important to him than gaining the $ 625 for the cost of the package I was considering buying.

I’m just not happy with the result. I spent so much money for a resume that just doesn’t represent my skills and accomplishments.
I am not sure if they just didn’t have a feel for the industry I was going for, or what; but it just didn’t work out for me.
My suggestion is to call/​email them and ask what experience they have with the specific industry you are interested in. I suspect that if I would have spent a little more time asking questions, I would have passed on their service and found someone who had a better grasp on what I was going for.

I have been actively job-​searching for 6 months before deciding to upgrade my job-​search skills, in particular, my interviewing skills. I was able to continuously book interviews but was unable to ‘seal the deal’ during those interviews. I literally spoke to 5 different career coaches before deciding on Cliff here.
The first career coach I spoke to apparently seemed to have time for me, but after about 3 e-​mail exchanges, did a 180 degree turn and said she was on a «tight deadline» and could no longer assist me. And so, she referred me to her personal friend who apparently have been coaching successfully for several years as a side hobby.
I e-​mailed her friend inquiring about his background and experience as a career coach via 3 e-​mail exchanges, and on the fourth e-​mail, he decided to backtrack and said he no longer had time available to coach me in my job search. I was shocked and frustrated — all this bait-​and-​switch showed clearly their lack of professionalism. It was a waste of time.
After this incident, I spoke to TWO other career coaches, who were more professional. They called me on time, and expressed a genuine interest for my concerns and had good explanations on their way of doing things. They were good, but I felt what i needed most of all was NOT a holistic «find the right career path» which would take 6+ weeks, but to actually land the job that I want now through sheer willpower and interviewing chomps.
I decided on Cliff because he seemed more competitive in spirit, which is the type of training you need when you want to land the job you want. Cliff was extremely professional, thoughtful, and considerate. He really walks you through unraveling your roadblocks and really told me how to present myself in the best light possible. I had a number of roadblocks which I had initially felt was negatively impacting my performance in job interviews, but Cliff really helped me address these «roadblocks» in such a way that actually made me look good while drastically renewing my confidence.
One phone session with Cliff helped me land the job that I want with my dream company, and that speaks to the quality of Cliff’s expertise. Before I consulted Cliff, I felt I had hit rock-​bottom, unable to come up with any solutions to my roadblocks, and I felt that I really needed to «talk it out» with an expert. I don’t think I could have landed the job that I have now (with my dream company) if not with Cliff’s help.
PS – After I landed the job with my dream company, the recruiter told me that the interviewers were «very impressed» by my background and were «very excited» that I had decided to join their company. This all speaks to the quality of Cliff as a career coach — I went from the low-​end of the interviewing spectrum to getting praise on my interview, and from my dream company too!