Are there really universal 'best practices'? What we teach is the most widely accepted thinking on how to best write a resume. We explain how to make the ordinary seem extraordinary. We offer techniques that communicate the information that will break through and impress the resume reader.

We also teach how to best adapt our techniques because not everybody's situation is the same. Rarely, there are extreme situations where another approach is better.

For example, I recently helped a college athlete that was looking for a summer job in the financial services sector. He had extensive amazing press coverage that focused on his personal attributes that are universally desired in business environments, so we focused his resume on the press quotes instead of the usual techniques for someone without experience. Even so, we adhered to standard practices for organization and presentation as much as possible.

He is unique, but you may also have extraordinary strengths that may allow you to break the mold