About Us

Cliff Flamer, MS, NCC, NCRW, CPRW and CEO of BrightSide Resumes, is a preeminent career counselor, resume writer, and job-search coach with a background in recruiting. He has been writing resumes and coaching job seekers on their approach for over 2 decades in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Cliff leads a smart, positive, lean team of editors and administrative professionals who fully embrace the BrightSide and are masters in their own right.

Image of Cliff Flamer, CEO BrightSide Resumes

Industry Awards

  • Winner of the esteemed "World's Best Resume Writer" competition (People's Choice Award), earning top votes from a seasoned hiring panel of HR specialists, recruiters, executives, and fellow resume writers, as well as from thousands of anonymous job seekers via Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
  • Received the most prestigious award in Counseling from San Francisco State University, becoming an adjunct faculty member immediately upon graduation to lecture a class of 100+ counselors-in-training.

Certifications

  • Nationally Certified Counselor with the National Board for Counselor Certification (NBCC)—a credential requiring 2 years of graduate-level counselor training from an accredited institution.
  • Certified Professional Resume Writer with the Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW). Scored in top 1% in the country on entrance exam. Invited to join exam review board.
  • Nationally Certified Resume Writer with the National Resume Writers' Association (NRWA). Appointed as Certification Chair for a term due to credentials, reputation, and high-quality craftsmanship.

Degrees

  • Master's degree in Career & College Counseling from San Francisco State University's CACREP-accredited graduate program. Ranked #1 in a class of 60 students, receiving the "Most Distinguished Scholar" award.
  • Bachelor's degree in English from Tufts University in Medford, MA. Received scholarship for Writing and Fine Art.

Recruiting

  • Previous career as a lead recruiter based out of Silicon Valley. Collaborated with 200+ hiring executives, HR staff, and in-house recruiters on their wants, needs, demands, and preferences in looking for qualified employees.
  • Well-honed expertise in coaching job seekers through all phases of the hiring process.

Publications

  • It's Not You, It's Your Job Search

    Learn how to navigate applications, resumes, cover letters, interviews, LinkedIn, networking, and branding, in a way that doesn’t drain you.
  • Image of Cover Letters for Dummies book cover

    Cover Letters for Dummies

    Joyce Lain Kennedy. Selected as 1 of 5 career experts whose resume *and* cover letter appears in this series.
  • Image of Directory of Professional Resume Writers book cover

    Directory of Professional Resume Writers

    Louise Kursmark. Selected as 1 of 40 writers whose samples appear in this publication, out of 1700+ resume-writer candidates.
  • Image of Resumes for the Rest of Us Book Cover

    Resumes for the Rest of Us: Secrets From The Pros For Job Seekers With Unconventional Career Paths

    Arnoldt Bolt
  • Image of 50 Tips for Building a Better Document for a Brighter Future book cover

    Happy About My Resume: 50 Tips For Building A Better Document For A Brighter Future

    Barbara Safani
  • Image of No-Nonsense Job Interviews book cover

    No-Nonense Job Interviews: How to Impress Prospective Employers and Ace Any Interview

    Arnold Boldt
  • Image of Career and Adult Development Journal cover

    Written In Black and White

    Cliff Flamer, Career Planning & Adult Development Journal, Vol. 21, No. 4.

Tell Us Your Story

We'll show you how compelling it can be.

We elevate the careers of positive, passionate people of all experience levels: senior executives, managers, entrepreneurs, employees, technologists, consultants, and aspiring professionals.

We welcome opportunities to work with women, people of color, members of the LGBT community, and champions of inclusiveness who seek well-deserved positions of visibility and influence.

When we embrace varying perspectives and life experiences, we increase our capacity for innovation, empathy, and problem solving... which is good for business. And good for the soul.

Welcome to the BrightSide.