Nancy Dolan-Brady was an executive recruiter when the candidates she was interviewing started asking her to help their family members and friends in their job searches as well.

Now Ms. Dolan-Brady, a former marketing executive turned headhunter (though recruiters hate that name), is working both sides of the employment street with separate firms.

In one she is a recruiter specializing in filling marketing positions.

On the other side, she is a coach, using the same skills she has in her recruiting job: polishing resumes and interviewing techniques.

Her background in marketing shows: She calls herself "The Fairy Job Mother" and her view of a resume is that it is a marketing document that should say more about a person than just their job titles and duties.

A job applicant, according to Ms. Dolan-Brady, should display the Five Cs (though all of them don't start with C, you still get the meaning).

The first C is really two: The writing in the resume should be "clear and crisp." It also should be worded in such a way that it is enticing.

"Convince me, coax me, make me want to find out more," she said.

The second C starts with A: Accomplishments ("it's sort of a C", she said, referring to the two Cs after the A).

Ms. Dolan-Brady said accomplishments are very different than duties.

Duties tell a reader what you were supposed to do, accomplishments show how you solved a problem.

The third C is Character. The resume should show your personality and style.

"They all start to look alike," Ms. Dolan-Brady said about resumes. "A generic resume equals a generic response. I believe everyone is gifted and special in his or her own way. ... Show me personality and show me style. You need to show me enthusiasm."

The fourth C is Confidence, which shows in phone calls, in handshakes and interviews.

And finally, the fifth C is for Create, as in create an opportunity for yourself. Know the company you want to work for, either through research or by talking to the people who work there. Then, knowing what a company needs, you can fit yourself in as a solution.

The thing to remember about a resume in today's age, Ms. Dolan-Brady said, is that while computers often do an initial scan for keywords, eventually, as a resume is moved along, it is read by a human being -- and not necessarily the same person who posted the job opening, so it should be in English that anyone can understand instead of codes and jargon of a particular field or specialty.

"It's not just bullet points; it's not a run-on love letter or narrative," she said.

The key is that to get that resume through to the right person, it should be a clearly worded, compelling story of someone you would want to work for you.

There's just no formula for that.

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