Jan Melnik, M.A.
Master Resume Writer (MRW) | Credentialed Career Manager (CCM)
Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)
Jan Melnik founded her private resume-writing and career-management practice, Absolute Advantage, in 1983 and has been writing resumes ever since. She partners one-on-one with clients to create strategic resumes and supporting career collaterals that advance their candidacies. Jan specializes in working with C-suite executives and rising professionals in all fields--as well as their college-graduating and internship-seeking kids. She has been featured in numerous publications, is a career expert on NBC, and speaks frequently at universities, conferences, companies, and libraries nationwide.
Jan has been a board member with Career Thought Leaders, a career "think tank," since its founding in 2009. She authors the think tank's annual brain day white paper (capturing best practices in career management globally). Jan helps clients coast-to-coast with career strategies, resumes, and coaching services and is particularly passionate about not only working with high school, college, and graduate students, but presenting resume and career workshops to those who assist these audiences.
A professor of business at Bay Path University and formerly a professor of English at the University of South Florida (where she now is a program director co-chairing the Carnegie project), Jan develops courses and teaches undergraduate classes in business communications, professional writing, leadership communications, integrated marketing, financial wellness, and career and life planning. Jan earned her master's degree (M.A., Humanities) summa cum laude from Wesleyan University and holds two undergraduate degrees in business (summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland).
Eleven of Jan's books have been published, including "Resume and LinkedIn Strategies for New College Graduates: What Works to Launch a Gen-Z Career" (Mar. 2023) and "Modernize Your Executive Job Search" (2021), both co-authored with Louise Kursmark and published by Emerald Career Publishing; the latter is accompanied by an audio podcast series. Other titles include "Executive's Pocket Guide to ROI Resumes and Job Search" and "One-Hour College Application Essay" (Globe Pequot, JIST). Her first novel, writing as Jan LaFountain Melnik: "Telling Tales: On Merlin's Island," advanced in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award contest from 1-in-10,000 entries to 1-in-100 and earned a positive "Publishers Weekly" review. Her first collection of children's stories is "Adventures in The Wooded Glen."
Her slogan: Be inspired. It's your career. It's your life.
