We offer

Layoffs aren’t personal. We are.

Our Corporate Outplacement services ease the transition by discovering your employees’ strengths and helping them compete in the job market. We give them the tools they need to build their new careers.
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Building careers for 25 years

Riklan Resources has more than 25 years of experience with resume services, corporate outplacement, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching, and more… and we use it to provide results you can take to the bank (literally).
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Resumes that land interviews and stay out of the trash

At Riklan Resources we use proven strategies to give your resume the “something extra” it needs to land you a face-to-face interview.
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Career Services

Riklan Resources offers professional resume writing services, corporate outplacement, and career services for professionals in New Jersey, New York City, throughout the United States, and internationally. We leverage our 25+ years of accumulated experience to help you navigate a difficult job market and succeed at every step of the hiring process.

Our Story

Shoot to the Top of the Pile: The Best Resume Writing Services and Beyond

Executive Resume Writers: Credibility. Authority. Trust.

Put Your Future in a Professional’s Hands

Your resume is more than a piece of paper, it’s your marketing tool to grab employers’ attention and procure job interviews. We do the dirty work for you in a difficult job market to take your career to the next level. Let Riklan Resources use our 25 plus years of experience as executive resume writers and expertise with job search strategies to help get your foot in the door, today!

Build Your Brand: LinkedIn Profile Writer and Other Career Services

Are you looking for a LinkedIn profile writer? Have your profile stand out!

Riklan Resources offers expert LinkedIn writing services. Our highly trained professional have a deep understanding of the LinkedIn platform. This allows us to optimize your profile to leave the most remarkable first impression, compelling those in charge to say, “I’ve got to meet this person!”

Laying Off Employees? Interested in Career Workshops?

Riklan Resources offers a full spectrum of career services for each stage of the layoff process that is tailor-made to the individual or corporation. We serve the Tri-state area from New York City to Philadelphia, with expert corporate outplacement and career transition services. If you are laying off employees, engage with Riklan Resources for our expertise and career services in the New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia areas.

Our other areas of expertise that span throughout the United States and internationally are:

Personalized job search strategies.
Executive resume writers, who write top-notch resumes from mid-level to C-suite.
Speaking engagements and workshops spanning topics such as, “Job Search Marketing,” “Navigating the Job Market after College Graduation,” “Crafting an Effective Executive Resume,” and more.

What Our Clients Are Saying

Michelle Riklan is a highly dynamic professional who has contributed to the professional resume industry as both a top-performer (winner of a CDI Toast of the Resume Industry international resume award) and a member of a publishing team responsible for bringing numerous self-help and educational materials to the general public. Michelle is vibrant and results-focused. She strives to be a leader in the resume writing industry and amongst her peer. It is but a few select professionals who attain the caliber of awards that Michelle has achieved. I would recommend her to job seekers looking for professional assistance.

Laura DeCarlo

Executive Director & President

Career Directors International

Michelle is a BRILLIANT and ACCOMPLISHED professional person, with amazing ideas, insight, and execution. Truly a top-notch player.

Clint Arthur

President, Five Star Butter Co.

I want to take a moment to let you know that I hired Michelle to completely rewrite my resume and can't begin to tell you how very pleased I am with the final results. She was a pleasure to work with, not to mention how quick the turnaround was. I would not hesitate to give Riklan Resources, LLC. my highest recommendation. If you are looking for a true professional that can help you to make that next move, contact Michelle, you won't be disappointed.

Paul Kornfeind

MCM, CCE

Hi Michelle, I wanted to tell you a nice story. Back in June I had applied for a position as a Director of Nursing during an open house event. I had used my old resume that I had thrown together for one of my college classes..yes the same resume I gave you to work off of! I never heard anything back from the facility. A few weeks back I saw the same Director of Nursing position posted on Career Builder, so I figured with my new fancy resume, I would attempt to apply again. Low and behold, I received a call from the HR Director asking for a phone interview. During the interview, she went on and on how she loved how creative my resume was. I made it through 2 additional rounds of interviews, and again each one commented on the quality and creativeness of the resume. I am excited to share, that not only was I offered and accepted the position, but the salary was GREATER than what I had requested! I cannot thank you enough for making me look so impressive, and most importantly sharing my passion for nursing, geriatrics in particular. I am excited to move on to this next chapter and I wanted you to know how grateful I am. Please feel free to use me as a reference! Fondly,

Ilisa

Michelle was able to take the best of my strengths and experience and condense it into a "get-noticed" resume which helped land interviews and eventually a good job. In a time when it is hard to distinguish yourself in the job market, I highly recommend using her services to stand out from hundreds of other applicants.

Robin Spindel

Marketing Executive

Before hiring Michelle, I was not getting any interviews with my resume. Not even a phone call. What a difference now! Thank you Michelle!!

Hervé Lévy

CCM

"Using your e-book program, I've published my first book! You have a very practical course that I was able to put to immediate use. I'm now reading your sections on marketing - I'm very excited about the possibilities."

Jennifer Hay

Melissa Murer Corrigan, Vice President, Development

Michelle guided me in the resume writing process, but I got much more than I expected. We discussed my achievements, my goals, and career aspirations. Her methods helped me structure my thoughts, and improved the way I communicate my qualities and career history not only on paper but also in speech. To write a resume is one thing, but to present it is art. Michelle is an artist.

Perry Chan

Vice President, Information Technologies

Ms. Riklan has exceeded my expectations. The work she had prepared for my professional development has assisted in my career growth within the Club Management profession. Ms. Riklan advice has also raised my level of confidence while I have searched for other opportunities.

Max D. Moreno

CCM

Michelle is a woman of excellence and integrity with a unique ability to connect on multiple platforms focusing on the solution and creating awareness to bring out the best in you. Thank you Michelle for the opportunity to work with you and for taking the time to listen and really hear my needs.

Dr. Lisa Christiansen

I just used Michelle to update my resume and have to let everyone know that it was a real pleasure and worth every penny! Michelle was fast, efficient, extremely professional and very easy to work with. I would offer my highest recommendation for any club manager from an intern to a seasoned veteran.

Paul K.

MCM, CCE

Just wanted to give you some feedback on the resume that you masterfully created and the "hits" thus far. The resume is really doing its job. Since I've uploaded it to all of the job sites, the calls and emails keep coming. I now have three good possibilities and second round interviews with XXX, XXY and a smaller company called XYZ. At XYZ the CIO has contacted me directly. I will keep you posted. Thank You for a wonderful marketing tool!!!

Jose Gomez

NY

The speaker provided great information and was engaged. I was able to walk away with lots of take always to use for my resume and LinkedIn profile.

Zahra, Attendee at ASTD International Conference 2014

I wanted to take a brief moment to highly recommend Michelle Riklan and her firm. Since 2012, Michelle has provided me with professional career coaching and resume writing services. Michelle been a tremendous asset to me in defining my career path and providing me the tools to realize my goals. If you are struggling to translate your accomplishments into a meaningful resume - call Michelle!

Robert Johnson

Michelle was great to work with. She assisted me in reworking my resume which produced great results in a relatively short amount of time. She is thorough, creative and very professional. I would highly recommend Michelle for any professional growth or resume writing services.

Logistics Manager

On behalf of the entire Lehigh University Marketing Faculty, both Beth Gallant and I want to again thank you for your generous time and tremendous effort in making Marketing Career Day a great success for our students.

Your outstanding presentations as one of our two special Keynote Speakers really was one of the highlights of the day with our students. Through you, they see first-hand what it takes to achieve great success in industry. Thank you for being a role model for our students to emulate.

Kindest regards,

Steven L. Savino

Professor of Practice - Marketing Department

John C. Swartley, Jr. '24 Professorship

Area Coordinator - Introduction to Business

Lehigh University - College of Business & Economics

I looked at a number of different resume writers in order to find someone who would not simply copy and reformat my old resume but really put thought into it and provide insights on how to best reposition me. A colleague of mine had used Michelle and was very pleased with the output. I hired Michelle to rework my resume and reposition me to better suite my career interests. I also hired Michelle to complete a 1 page Bio and to refresh my LinkedIn profile. I am a marketing professional and do a lot of writing and presentations so I am a very discriminating client. I have to say, I was extremely pleased with Michelle's work and I enjoyed working with her very much. She did a terrific job on my 3 items and I would highly recommend her to anyone interested in either getting some fresh eyes on their resume or a total overhaul. She is smart, confident, easy to work with and stays with you until you are pleased. You can have confidence in her abilities and in her judgement. She is very seasoned and presents insightful rationale and thinking behind her recommendations. The final product is exactly what I was hoping for.

Anne Rewey

I worked with Michelle recently and was inspired by her knowledge and ideas for getting yourself out there to the right people when entering the job marketplace. She was instrumental in putting me on the right path for my current career. I would recommend her to anyone.

Mike Farber

Executive Chef

I attended a session by Michelle A. Riklan, Executive Resume Writer at the ASTD conference, and one of the suggestions that made sense to me was to better "build my brand" on social media. I've spent the past few weeks thinking about what that meant and how to execute on the idea, and I arrived at "Reflective Fridays." It's a take-off of TBT or Throwback Thursdays that is popular on Facebook, but I'm going to use Fridays to reflect on something from the past week that is worth sharing.

Brian Brauer

Wendy Enelow and I had the pleasure to work closely with Michelle through her participation in the Resume Writing Academy flagship training and certification program (resumewritingacademy.com/rwa.php). We were impressed by her dedication, hard work, and quick grasp of critical concepts from resume strategy through resume writing and page design. By completing this rigorous program and earning her ACRW credential, she truly proved herself to be "best in class" in the field of resume writing!

Louise Kursmark

Founder and Director, Resume Writing Academy

While using the resume and cover you provided I have gotten 3 interviews in two weeks. Will update you soon.

L.T.

Hi Michelle, I will be working as a legal secretary again for a law firm named xxxx. They are in need of my Trust & Estate experience and are willing to pay a salary comparable to what I was receiving when I was laid off a year ago.

So, your resume got me to the top of the pile!! Seriously, it was amazing how it happened. I wasn't even looking and then a friend from my old company sent me an email with the job posting for the new company. When I saw that it was geographically desirable and that they needed my exact experience, I sent my resume. Two days later, I had an interview. A week later, I had a job offer. As simple as that. Thank you so much!

T.K., New Jersey

Dear Michelle, Thank you for a clear and concise overview of creating better resumes. I learned a lot from it. There were a lot of myths that were dispelled, and I appreciated that you explained your rational behind your solutions. Thanks again!

Jane

Hi Michelle, hope you and yours are well!

Wanted to mention that your name came up yesterday when I presented at the NJ Workforce & Development/Jersey Job Club. I only teach what I know, have personally used and seen to work - and obviously, I add to my experience through expert suggestions. I always give my students a short list of my top resources: Careerealism, Social-Hire (Tony Restell) and you. When I mentioned your name, Kathleen S., who runs Jersey Job Club in Neptune, immediately seconded the endorsement! She mentioned that there had been some talk about you coming in as a keynote speaker. I hope that works out sometime, because I’d love to hear you speak and meet you in person! Someone else in the group knew your name and webinars (?) as well and said they were a big fan. Unfortunately I don’t remember which of the students it was or I’d refer you.

Please let me know if you’re presenting in Monmouth County any time. Hopefully, I will land a job soon, but I’d ask for time off to come see you! Sending you good energy and wishes for a great summer! Thanks for all you do!

T.E.

Good morning Michelle -

Long story short - Having my LinkedIn updated to reflect my "new and improved" resume/CV lead to an important and unexpected personal interview. When asked to please send my CV - I was more than ready with cover letter and all. So, Thank You So Much for helping me to be 'armed and dangerous' in just such an emerge-ency.

M.C.

Marshall/Michelle- I just wanted to thank you both for putting on this presentation tonight. I found it to be very helpful. I have some work to do on cleaning up my profile! Thanks again.

John

Michelle was instrumental in my ability to secure 7 interviews, receive 2 job offers, and helping me land my dream job. My resume got results!

M.T., Senior Level Marketing Director

Michelle is creative and has an excellent grasp of today's marketplace. I hired her to assist with an update of my resume to include my new role of President with the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. She was recommended to me by Marshall Brown, Certified Career and Executive Coach, another excellent career resource.

Melissa Murer Corrigan

Hi Michelle, I just wanted to let you know that the resume you created for me worked! I start a dream career on Monday 3/14 and am more than certain I wouldn't be at this point without the resume you crafted for me!

Jerry Jarrett

Sales Management

Through the CMAA I utilized Michelle's skill and expertise to update my LinkedIn Profile, Career Transition Resume, Hospitality Resume and Cover Letters. After following Michelle's insightful process she delivered a superior product working well within the timelines established. I would highly recommend her as she is creative, honest and delivers an exceptional value.

Jay Walkinshaw

Thank you for the seminar tonight. I enjoyed it a lot--and I learned a lot. I sincerely appreciate your enthusiasm. I could not believe how fast time went by. Thanks, Carrie PS - The materials you sent were great. Your presentation and pacing was perfect!

Carrie M.

SUCCESS STORY! I start my new position on 5/2 with my company. Working from home, 20% travel a year (minimal). Many factors went into the new role, but I do believe the work you did for me helped, as the folks in this division were not familiar with my work. The first glance at me that they had was the resume you did for me! Thank you!

Dawn R.

Project/Operations Management

Michelle was a pleasure to work with. She was very helpful in all her suggestions, and really knew the correct verbiage to make my resume stand out. On top of her friendliness, Michelle was also very professional. Not only did she assist me in creating an outstanding resume, but she also taught me key skills of resume writing to assist me in the future.

Max D. Moreno, CCM

I wanted to write to you to tell you how ridiculously happy I am with your work. It has been the BEST investment in my career I have made outside of my degrees. It literally was the a resume makeover. I have gotten several unsolicited calls only one day after posting the resume. Again, the before and after resumes are unbelievable.

Brooklyn Dicent

Director of Learning and Development

"Michelle, This is perfect! I submitted it and got immediate responses...more than I could have asked for."

J.F., General Manager

Thank you so much. You were able to portray me as if you had known me for years! This really exceeded my expectations.

L.C.

I worked with Michelle to review and revise my resume and cover letter process and the end product exceeded my expectations. She is prompt, professional and easy to work with. I highly recommend her and her company and would use them again in the future.

Chad Becker, General Manager / Chief Operating Officer (COO)

You are amazing and I can't thank you enough for transforming my resume. I honestly can't think of any improvements.

Peter D., COO

Thank you! You really opened my eyes. I had a LinkedIn profile but it was subpar. Looking to update as soon as I can!

Matt A.

I want to take a moment to let you know that I hired Michelle to completely rewrite my resume and can’t begin to tell you how very pleased I am with the final results. She was a pleasure to work with, not to mention how quick the turnaround was. I would not hesitate to give Riklan Resources, LLC my highest recommendation. If you are looking for a true professional that can help you to make that next move, contact Michelle, you won’t be disappointed.

Paul Kornfeind, MCM, CCE

Michelle gave a wonderful presentation on resumes to my monthly Job Seekers Support Group. The presentation was very well received and all participants found the information very helpful. I would gladly have Michelle back to speak at a future group.

Elise Prezant,

Project Coordinator, Jewish Family Service

(business partner)

It was my very good fortune to have been introduced to Michelle several years ago when I began the search for a new position.

Being an English Major, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of how to write an effective resume. I could not have been more wrong.

I was not getting any responses to my job inquiries, when a friend recommended I contact Michelle for help.

It was the best decision I had made in my search for a new job. She completely redesigned my work experiences into a format which was clear, concise, filled with pertinent details and quantifiable achievements.

As soon as I began to circulate my new, 'Michelle Riklan designed' resume, I began to receive multiple inquires every day. Happily, several of those inquires led to serious job offers and I was in the enviable position to pick and choose which one I felt best suited my needs.

I give Michelle my highest recommendation and suggest you contact her if you want to create the best resume possible, that will get you noticed and get you inquires.

Very truly and with deepest thanks,

Jonathan Speelman

As a 24-year Association Professional, with nearly 18 years as an Executive Director, I know the way to be successful is to surround yourself with smart, top quality professional people. So when I decided to update my resume and LinkedIn profile, I did just that and honestly I found the best – Michelle Riklan. Michele is very thorough in learning about you and then turns that into the most unique style resume. I would never have thought of putting a chart in my resume! We all know we want our resumes to make us "stand out" over everyone else and that is just what Michelle did with mine. I would highly recommend Michelle for all of your career services.

Anonymous

Jay Walkinshaw, General Manager / Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Good news! I now have a role with XXXX. Thanks to your resume which really stuck in their minds. During the interview process they would bring up different components of the Brand attributes. My new role represents a promotion and compensation increase.

Lisa

Working with Michelle, is working with a true professional! She did exemplary work on updating my profile and positioning me for success. I would highly recommend Michelle to anyone looking to update their resume and profile.

Brian Blatchley, Operations Management, Hospitality

Michelle helped get my resume noticed when I was having a difficult time finding a job earlier this year. In this economy, there are more people applying for jobs than ever before, and I saw a huge difference in the number of interested potential employers after working with Michelle. Michelle is a very knowledgeable, detail-oriented human resources expert, who guided me towards my current position. I'd recommend Michelle's work, as she always puts her clients first and makes sure that out of the hundreds (or even thousands) of applicants vying for that desired position, you'll be the one standing in the front of the pack.

Peter Weintraub

Thanks Michelle for your seminar on LinkedIn with Marshall! It was great!

Deborah M.

"Thanks for sending me the PowerPoint presentation Connecting and Networking in the 21st Century. As suggested I would love to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. The webinar was great and look forward to additional ones. "

Kelly Stern

Marc Kempner

Michelle provides a superior resume writing service! Her professional assistance to create a resume that gets you an interview is unmatched in quality and value! I would recommend and endorse Michelle at Riklan Resources.

Thomas Shonkwiler

CCM

I wanted to drop you a quick line to wish you a joyous holiday season. Hopefully you have had some time to relax as 2012 comes to a close. I also wanted to update you as to my job search. I've recently accepted a position with XXXX in their XXXX Division. As of January 7th, I am the "Global Business Manager for Partnerships." Basically, I am going to play a major role in developing a new platform for XXXX to export their content to classrooms all over the world. There's also a nice finance and venture aspect to it, which is awesome! Tons of traveling initially and then monthly trips to NYC and bi monthly trips to London, but I couldn't be happier with the job specs and the team with whom I will be working! In the end, it all seems to have worked out. So, thank you again for all of your help with my resume. It would not have been possible without you. Have a wonderful New Years Michelle!

J.T. Haskins

Hi Michelle. Your web site and newsletter are wonderful! I teach our Senior Capstone course for the business majors at WVU at Parkersburg and recommend your site every semester! While many of our students are already employed, many are nervous about the next step after graduation. Your recommendations are concrete and current.

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your efforts and work!

Pam Braden, Professor of Business at West Virginia University at Parkersburg

I am very pleased. This is what I was hoping for. Thank you for all your help. I am very satisfied. You have been a tremendous help and comfort regarding this Job search. I will certainly recommend you to others who are looking to upgrade their brand.

Cheryl C.

Healthcare Director

Within a relatively short period of time, Michelle was able to develop for me a resume and Linked in profile that have been judged by various audiences as being well constructed, informative and attention grabbing. In developing the various drafts she understood my comments and formed them into meaningful commentary. It was a pleasure working with her and her advice and counsel were invaluable.

Lee Montellaro

Thank you, Michelle! I am working on making many of the suggested updates to my LinkedIn profile based on your call from yesterday!

Lisa

Elise Prezant

Project Coordinator, Jewish Family Service

Michelle,

Thank you for the help with the resume, cover letter and thank you letters. I just finished the first interview for the big job. I really appreciate your expedition of the product. It really paid off. My resume has never looked so good. Take care.

R.B. - COO

As a college student early in my academic career I was introduced to Michelle Riklan through a colleague. Instantly, Michelle confidently and passionately spoke about her success in the field of communication, career consultation and professional resume writing. Her drive and enthusiasm towards her career is inspiring and contagious. She has generously volunteered her time and knowledge to help guide me towards receiving my own resume writing certification and continues to help mentor me because she sincerely is driven to help others succeed. Since then, I have had the wonderful opportunity to publish an article in her recent book "101 Ways To Enhance Your Career." The combination of Michelle's expertise through both the art of resume writing, and her knowledge of today's workplace truly makes her a powerful asset to career-seeking/changing individuals. As a colleague and friend, I highly recommend this professional.

Natalie Menendez

Intern, Riklan Resources

Hi Michelle, Hope all is well. I just wanted to drop you a note, I have been in transition from my previous position for a few months. I think I have finalized my search down to a few positions. But I wanted you to know that your FB posts regarding the resume tips, asking for raise, how to interview, etc. are great and right on. I only looked at your site today for the first time. I wish I saw it earlier in my search, but would be happy to connect for my next search. Thanks for putting that out there, and if there is anything I can do to help or connect you with anyone please let me know.

Warmest regards,

Rob

Happy to say I finally got a job in medical sales. The resume helped a lot. Thank You!

Cheryl B.

I wanted to say thank you for your expertise and assistance which you so graciously provided. Not 2 days after sending out my 'new' resume, I received a call from a recruiter who instantly recognized that my experiences were tailor made for a job opening he had. After a series of interviews, I was offered the job just last week and accepted the offer. I know that your assistance in reworking my resume brought me the recognition I needed to be seen as a viable candidate. The clear & concise style which you recommended allowed the recruiter to see what was truly important and match me with the job he had.

Jonathan S.

Sales Executive

New York

Just wanted you to see the kind of unsolicited recruiter emails I've been getting via LinkedIn. BTW, had 4 interviews this week, all for VP Sales gigs.

A.S., VP, Director of Sales (Client for LinkedIn Profile and Resume packages)

Michelle definitely found her calling. The resume she created for me led to several job prospects, and eventually a new position. During interviews, words and phrases from my resume were actually commented on in a most positive manner. My resume now stands out against the sea of others thanks to the creativity, ingenuity and expertise of Michelle.

Thank you Michelle!

Kelly Moran Riffey

Riklan Resources Resume and Career Services

We offer

Layoffs aren’t personal. We are.

Building careers for 25 years

Resumes that land interviews and stay out of the trash