Top Resume books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Resume books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Resume

Understanding the concepts of Resume starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Ed: First-Ever Book on Federal Resume Writing Featuring the Outline Format Federal Resume

Stumped? Stuck? Need info or inspiration to write your federal resume? Top fed jobs trainer Kathryn Troutman's Federal Resume Guidebook was the 1st book on these longer resumes, and it is the best-selling guide to writing them. The 7th Edition is 90% new with more resume samples and case histories than ever! You ll find 17 sample federal resumes and 20+ accomplishment stories. The resumes incl…

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The 20-Minute Networking Meeting - Professional Edition: Learn to Network. Get a Job.

Welcome to The 20-Minute Networking Meeting!Whether your meetings are virtual or in person, this book will successfully serve any job-seeker from any background—field sales to customer service; doctor to bartender; teacher to derrickman; legal aid to construction; retail to management. All you need is desire; the rest is in this book!

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The 2-Hour Job Search: Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster

The 2-Hour Job Search shows job-seekers how to work smarter (and faster) to secure first interviews. Through a prescriptive approach, Dalton explains how to wade through the Internet’s sea of information and create a job-search system that relies on mainstream technology such as Excel, Google, LinkedIn, and alumni databases to create a list of target employers, contact them, and then secure an…

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Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook

Based on 25 years of experience working with thousands of leaders – from early-career product managers to CEOs – Never Search Alone gives readers a time-tested, multi-step process (with exercises, tools, and templates) to find the right job now.
This new approach to looking for a job and building a good career focuses on three big ideas learned from helping thousands of job seekers:

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The Job Closer: Time-Saving Techniques for Acing Resumes, Interviews, Negotiations, and More

Steve Dalton’s 2-Hour Job Search simplified the process of finding work by utilizing technology, and now The Job Closer helps you seal the deal by applying his time-saving techniques to the surrounding steps. As a career consultant, Dalton has found that job seekers routinely overinvest in trivial aspects of the employment hunt while underestimating the important ones.

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The 7 Second CV

It takes an employer just seven seconds to save or reject a job applicant’s CV. In this book the chairman of Britain’s largest recruitment company offers invaluable and specific advice on what employers want to see in the CVs they receive and how you can stand out from the crowd. Unlike other career development books, the honest advice presented here has been compiled from one-to-one interview…

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Additional Resume Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Resume, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The Google Resume: How to Prepare for a Career and Land a Job at Apple, Microsoft, Google, Or Any Top Tech Company

The Google Resume is the only book available on how to win a coveted spot at Google, Microsoft, Apple, or other top tech firms. Gayle Laakmann McDowell worked in Google Engineering for three years, where she served on the hiring committee and interviewed over 120 candidates. ...

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damn good resume guide

For hundreds of thousands of job seekers, The Damn Good Resume Guide has been the go-to resource for writing and refining their resumes to damn near perfection. Filled with savvy advice and written in a straightforward, user-friendly style, The Damn Good Resume Guide will help you zero in on that dream job, then craft a winning resume that gets your foot in the door.

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Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed Get Hired

Based on today’s real-world job search trends, MODERNIZE YOUR RESUME shows you how to craft a winning resume to meet the complexities of today’s highly competitive and technologically driven employment market. The 2nd edition has been updated with new resume samples, new designs, and new ATS and e-resume guidelines, along with new chapters for jobseekers with special circumstances – career cha…

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Modernize Your Resume

Based on today

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How to Write an Amazing IT Resume: Get the Interview Every Time

Finally, a resume book created for IT professionals. Whether you're just getting out of school and looking for your first job, or you're an IT veteran with years of experience, this book has everything you need. In How to Write an Amazing IT Resume, You'll learn how to write a resume that makes an impact. ...

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Knock 'em Dead Resumes: A Killer Resume Gets MORE Job Interviews!

Writing a resume is right up there with hitting yourself in the head with a hammer. Yet your resume is the most financially important document you will ever own. When it works, you work, and when it doesn't, you don't. With Knock Em Dead Resumes 11th edition you get the very latest resume writing advice from the globally renowned career expert and someone who has been writing resumes for clien…

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This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Resume books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 5 Spot Left

Hi 👋 I’m Raul — a software engineer with over a decade of experience in the tech industry. Throughout my career, I’ve developed a strong blend of technical expertise and soft skills that have helped me grow, adapt, and thrive in different roles and environments. Like many others, my journey …

$240 / month

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👋 Hi! I’m Kuai, currently a Director of Engineering at a Fintech unicorn. With experience at Two Sigma, Google, and Citadel, I have a decade-long track record in tech and finance. I mentor both software engineers and managers, helping them navigate and succeed in their engineering careers. My mentees have …

$160 / month

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With 17+ years of experience in the industry, I have worked as a tester, a lead/manager, and as a developer. I have worked on large teams (OneDrive, Power Automate), as well as taking a v1 product from inception to running at a global scale. Delivering interviews, designing systems to work …

$340 / month


Sunny Zhu refers to herself as the bridge between people and data and as a “statistics geek”. She has been engaged in a broad range of analytical works across diversified industries to empower companies to turn data insights into solid business decisions. Working for a decade in data analytics, she …

$180 / month

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I manage a small data science team for a startup (<40 people) and can help you learn about data science products, what makes a good analysis great, applying machine learning beyond pure model building, managing realtime models, moving to a startup, and lastly how to get into or move up …

$170 / month


Hi, I'm Eric in Seattle! Do you need help achieving success in your career or startup? Let's collaborate! My mentorship approach is personalized, practical, hands-on, and creative. I will show you how to create opportunities for yourself and help you execute, so you can achieve your career goals as quickly …

$120 / month

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  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

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