How to Write the Perfect Resume: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Get the Job You Want


Dan Clay - 2018
    As you read through the job description, your excitement builds as you realize that the job is a perfect fit! Not wasting another second, you fill out the application, attach your resume, and hold your breath as you hit “Apply.” Then you wait. And wait. And wait some more. Weeks go by without hearing so much as a peep, and before long you’ve given up hope on what seemed like a match made in heaven. Sound familiar? You’re not alone! On average there are 250 resumes submitted for every job opening, which means that 99.6% of applicants will fail to land the jobs they apply for. To get the job you want, you don’t just need a great resume--you need an outstanding resume, one that puts you in the top 1% of candidates for the job. That means ditching the same old advice you’ve been following with little results and adopting a tried-and-true process for getting your resume noticed in even the most competitive situations. In this book, Dan Clay breaks down the exact method he’s carefully developed over a period of ten years and provides a precise, step-by-step set of instructions for crafting the perfect resume, down to the last period. Unlike the dime-a-dozen recruiters turned career coaches who have never had to put themselves on the line in today’s brutally competitive job market, Dan offers practical, real-world experience gained from applying for and getting job offers from some of the most prestigious, competitive companies in the world. And when it comes to something as important as your career, don’t you deserve to learn from someone who’s actually succeeded at doing what you’re hoping to do? Of course you do! Here are some of the things you’ll learn about how to transform your resume from average to awe-inspiring: How to handle tricky pitfalls like extended time off or unemployment and have your resume come out as strong as ever How to make your accomplishments sound dramatically more impressive without having to tell a single lie How to remove the guesswork about what to include in your resume and build it to the exacting specifications of your target job's requirements How to pass the four tests that companies will put your resume through with flying colors How to strike the perfect composition of content, white space, and page length to accentuate and differentiate your strengths How to avoid the common (and not so common) resume mistakes that leave your resume dead on arrival How to tell a powerful story that demonstrates your capabilities in a way that will knock the socks off anyone reading it How to stand out without resorting to cheap tricks that come off as cheesy or over-the-top PLUS, you’ll also gain access to a free companion website containing fully editable resume templates, a perfect resume checklist, and other bonus materials to give you everything you need to create a stunning resume that will get you noticed and land you interviews. Whether you’re a new graduate looking for your first job, a career veteran angling for your next move, a recent victim of a layoff, or someone looking to dip their toes back int

Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose


Constance Hale - 1999
    Copy veteran Constance Hale is on a mission to make creative communication, both the lyrical and the unlawful, an option for everyone.With its crisp, witty tone, Sin and Syntax covers grammar’s ground rules while revealing countless unconventional syntax secrets (such as how to use—Gasp!—interjections or when to pepper your prose with slang) that make for sinfully good writing. Discover how to:*Distinguish between words that are “pearls” and words that are “potatoes”* Avoid “couch potato thinking” and “commitment phobia” when choosing verbs* Use literary devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, and metaphor (and understand what you're doing)Everyone needs to know how to write stylish prose—students, professionals, and seasoned writers alike. Whether you’re writing to sell, shock, or just sing, Sin and Syntax is the guide you need to improve your command of the English language.

Do I Make Myself Clear? Why Writing Well Matters


Harold EvansEdmund Morris - 2017
    Harry Evans has edited everything from the urgent files of battlefield reporters to the complex thought processes of Henry Kissinger. He's even been knighted for his services to journalism. In DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?, he brings his indispensable insight to us all in his definite guide to writing well.The right words are oxygen to our ideas, but the digital era, with all of its TTYL, LMK, and WTF, has been cutting off that oxygen flow. The compulsion to be precise has vanished from our culture, and in writing of every kind we see a trend towards more--more speed and more information but far less clarity. Evans provides practical examples of how editing and rewriting can make for better communication, even in the digital age. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? is an essential text, and one that will provide every writer an editor at his shoulder.

Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction


Jeff VanderMeer - 2013
    Employing an accessible, example-rich approach, Wonderbook energizes and motivates while also providing practical, nuts-and-bolts information needed to improve as a writer. Aimed at aspiring and intermediate-level writers, Wonderbook includes helpful sidebars and essays from some of the biggest names in fantasy today, such as George R. R. Martin, Lev Grossman, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Catherynne M. Valente, and Karen Joy Fowler, to name a few.Praise for Wonderbook: “Jammed with storytelling wisdom.” —Fast Company’s Co.Create blog“This is the kind of book you leave sitting out for all to see . . . and the kind of book you will find yourself picking up again and again.” —Kirkus Reviews online“If you’re looking for a handy guide to not just crafting imaginative fiction like sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, but to writing in general, be sure to pick up a copy of Steampunk Bible author Jeff Vandermeer’s lovingly compiled Wonderbook."  —Flavorwire“Jeff Vandermeer and Jeremy Zerfoss have created a kaleidoscopically rich and beautiful book about fiction writing.”  —Star Tribune“Because it is so layered and filled with text, tips, and links to online extras, this book can be read again and again by both those who want to learn the craft of writing and those interested in the process of others.” —Library Journal

Simon & Shuster Handbook for Writers


Lynn Quitman Troyka - 1987
    Coverage includes writing college-level essays, source-based arguments, and research papers; thinking and reading critically; using documentation style correctly; designing documents; writing for the Web; writing about literature; writing for business; creating oral presentations; taking essay tests; and using correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanics correctly. Anyone looking to succeed and fulfill their potential in writing.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft


Stephen King - 2000
    Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.(back cover)

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human


Jonathan Gottschall - 2012
    We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It’s easy to say that humans are “wired” for story, but why?In this delightful and original book, Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life’s complex social problems—just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival.Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more “truthy” than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler’s ambitions were partly fueled by a story.But as Gottschall shows in this remarkable book, stories can also change the world for the better. Most successful stories are moral—they teach us how to live, whether explicitly or implicitly, and bind us together around common values. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.

Perfect Pierogi Recipes


Rose wysocki - 2013
    Some are recipes from her Polish Mother and Grandmother. Others are recipes she's collected or developed over the years. You’ll find a total of 51 recipes. There are an additional 26 toppings listed without recipes. They are very easy to make. That includes recipes for: 10 different pierogi doughs (traditional and contemporary), 15 savory fillings, 6 sweet fillings, 3 traditional pierogi toppings, 2 contemporary toppings, 9 compound butters and 6 sauces. I also included a list of 16 additional traditional toppings and 10 contemporary toppings (without recipes.) Finally you’ll find a lot of information about the history of pierogi, how to make pierogi dough, different methods to cut, stuff and seal the pierogi, how to best boil, saute, deep fry or bake pierogi, how to freeze pierogi and more. She also provides links to a couple of pierogi cutting and sealing tools that will save you a lot of time preparing pierogi.Making pierogi at home is really easy if you have the right directions. This book will give you a head start on making perfect pierogi.

Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words


John Bemelmans Marciano - 2009
    Eponymous, adj. Giving one's name to a person, place, or thing.Anonymous, adj. Anonymous.Anonyponymous, adj. Anonymous and eponymous.The Earl of Sandwich, fond of salted beef and paired slices of toast, found a novel way to eat them all together. Etienne de Silhouette, a former French finance minister, was so notoriously cheap that his name became a byword for chintzy practices—such as substituting a darkened outline for a proper painted portrait. Both bequeathed their names to the language, but neither man is remembered.In this clever and funny book, John Bemelmans Marciano illuminates the lives of these anonyponymous persons. A kind of encyclopedia of linguistic biographies, the book is arranged alphabetically, giving the stories of everyone from Abu "algorithm" Al-Khwarizmi to Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Along with them you'll find the likes of Harry Shrapnel, Joseph-Ignace Guillotine, and many other people whose vernacular legacies have long outlived their memory.Accented by amusing line portraits and short etymological essays on subjects like "superhero eponyms," Anonyponymous is both a compendium of trivia and a window into the fascinating world of etymology. Carefully curated and unfailingly witty, this book is both a fantastic gift for language lovers and a true pleasure to read.

Productivity Tools for Writers


Gwen Hernandez - 2013
    Can't find that amazing idea in your pile of sticky notes? Distracted by blog posts, social media, and email? Looking for an easy way to keep track of your research?This booklet (about 30 pages) introduces handy--and often free or inexpensive--computer-based tools to help you eliminate distractions, track your progress, organize your research, capture new ideas anywhere, streamline your writing process, and safeguard your hard work.Lessons in this booklet are based on a week-long class Gwen taught for the Romance Writers of America in June 2013.

Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style


Benjamin Dreyer - 2019
    L. Doctorow, and Frank Rich, into a useful guide not just for writers but for everyone who wants to put their best foot forward in writing prose. Dreyer offers lessons on the ins and outs of punctuation and grammar, including how to navigate the words he calls "the confusables," like tricky homophones; the myriad ways to use (and misuse) a comma; and how to recognize--though not necessarily do away with--the passive voice. (Hint: If you can plausibly add "by zombies" to the end of a sentence, it's passive.) People are sharing their writing more than ever--on blogs, on Twitter--and this book lays out, clearly and comprehensibly, everything writers can do to keep readers focused on the real reason writers write: to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. Chock-full of advice, insider wisdom, and fun facts on the rules (and nonrules) of the English language, this book will prove invaluable to everyone who wants to shore up their writing skills, mandatory for people who spend their time editing and shaping other people's prose, and--perhaps best of all--an utter treat for anyone who simply revels in language.

Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking


Grant Barrett - 2016
     Language learners of all levels can turn to this easy-to-navigate grammar guide again and again for quick and authoritative information. From conjugating verbs to crafting sentences to developing your own style, Grant Barrett provides you with the tools and motivation to improve the way you communicate. Perfect English Grammar helps you clearly say what you want to say—and the best way to say it. Never Be Wrong: Catchy examples help you remember core grammar rules Sharpen Your Style: Composition guidelines let you express yourself fully Look It Up: Seamless navigation makes it easy to find answers quickly Geek Out: Explore the tricky questions with Grant Barrett’s help Whether you’re a busy professional or on the job hunt, Perfect English Grammar makes it easier than ever to improve your grasp of grammar.

Cambridge IELTS 1 Academic


Vanessa Jakeman - 1995
    The Student's Book contains an introduction to the different modules of the exam together with an explanation of the different IELTS question types and how to approach them. The inclusion of annotated keys and tapescripts for each test makes the book ideal for students working partly or entirely on their own. The Audio CDs contain listening material carefully chosen to reflect the reality of the exam in terms of timing, format and the types of speaker and accent used.

Accidence Will Happen: A Recovering Pedant's Guide to English Language and Style


Oliver Kamm - 2015
    Yet, as Oliver Kamm cleverly demonstrates in this new book, many of the purists' prohibitions are bogus and can be cheerfully disregarded. Accidence Will Happen is an authoritative and deeply reassuring guide to grammar, style, and the linguistic conundrums we all face.

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation


R.L. Trask - 1997
    Do you find punctuation difficult? Are you puzzled by colons and semicolons? Unsure of where commas should go? Confused by hyphens and apostrophes? If so, then this jargon-free and succinct guide is for you.•Contains precise and up-to-date definitions of every type of punctuation mark and shows how each should be used•Gives numerous examples of good and bad usage•Explains the correct use of capital letters, contractions and abbreviations, italics, boldface and the special characters available on a word processor