Editor's note: In this bi-monthly feature, CareerJournal.com presents before and after resumes of actual job hunters. The name of the candidate, his prior employers and contact information have been changed.

Eric has proven leadership and strategy skills, plus experience with international operations. These are the credentials that many large multinational companies seek in senior executives. So why wasn't he wasn't selling himself that way on his resume?

Very simply, Eric, a top human-resources executive, did not see his abilities in perspective or present them in a way that made his resume a showcase of his value to employers, says Martin Weitzman, principal of Gilbert Resumes in Englishtown, N.J.

Mr. Weitzman revised Eric's document recently. "Many executives don't recognize the positive impact their contributions make on the bottom line," says the resume writer. "I could see that he had accomplished what HR professionals strive for and don't always achieve, but his resume sold him short."

The job-search situation: Although still employed, Eric had sought help revising his resume because of the uncertainty at his company following a large acquisition and a period of lackluster revenue performance. Since he didn't know how his career might be affected by the company's situation, he wanted to put out feelers for new opportunities elsewhere.

The resume challenges: Because Eric's old resume devoted more space to his responsibilities than his abilities, it didn't show his strategic talents, alliances with top managers and the positive impact of his actions during his 14 years with Hewlett-Packard Corp. As such, it was unlikely to help him find a new role worthy of his capabilities.

Problems with the old resume started with a poor beginning. It opened with a bland professional summary, which was followed by descriptions of his prior jobs and responsibilities. Then came a brief list of accomplishments at each employer. But the summary could have been about any number of executives, and his accomplishments were understated, says Mr. Weitzman.

Another issue was the light treatment of Eric's broad cross-functional experience. In addition, there was little emphasis on his ability to identify and capitalize on cost-cutting opportunities, success helping senior managers run their units and specific areas of expertise. What's more, his global track record was scarcely mentioned. "With today's emphasis on corporate global business strategies, this needed to be given the merit it deserved," says Mr. Weitzman.

The topper was the old resume's dull formatting. The layout didn't entice the reader and encourage greater examination.

The resume fix: After sizing up Eric as a capable senior-level executive with business-strategy expertise and track record of success in human-resources management, Mr. Weitzman presented him in this way on the new document.

Among the first steps he took to improve the document was adding a boldfaced, capitalized, large-type heading at the top. This label advertises Eric as a top-performing business manager.

Next, Mr. Weitzman wrote a descriptive and powerful summary. It positions Eric as a global leader for a Fortune 500 company, describes key management skills that many employers are seeking and, again in bold-faced type, lists his specific areas of ability.

He also composed in-depth descriptions of what each job required and what Eric accomplished. They show the number of employees he managed directly, the number in the groups he supervised as a manager and the size of his budgets.

Descriptions of his primary accomplishments are clear and itemized by specific functional strengths. Note that each strength listed is different, which demonstrates Eric's wide-ranging capabilities. In most cases, the achievements are expressed in numbers to give the reader an indication of the degree of his impact.

The new document emphasizes his role at HP, where he excelled in HR leadership and strategy, because he wanted to join a company similar in size and industry prominence in a top HR role. Most of the resume is now devoted to his 14-year career at HP. "That's his claim to fame, and you want to be selling that," says Mr. Weitzman.

Lastly, it omits inessential information. The new resume cuts out a list of professional-development courses that appeared on the old version and didn't support Eric's image as a senior executive. This leaves the new resume at a comfortable reading length of a page and a half, while providing much more valuable detail.

At first glance, the new resume might seem somewhat dense. However, the boldface type for the headings and the list of strengths at the top helps the important elements to stand out. In short, as he begins networking and contacting employers, Eric can feel secure in knowing his new document puts across his most marketable skills.

After only a few months, this resume has opened doors for Eric. "He already has some things in the works," says Mr. Weitzman.