I realised there must be something that the profesison of advertising can teach people who write CVs. After all, a CV is a marketing tool. So I decided to ask AI which advertising related books are good to read if one wanted to learn the principles of writing memorable copy that would generate sales. Or in the case of a CV, generate an interview.
The couple of AI's that I poked with this question gave me two sets of books to read. One common book they both recommended to read first is Hopkin's Scientific Advertising.
It was a very stern book. Very opinionated. The author frowns on any attempt at humour in advertising. Advertising must convey information. Advertising must generate sales. Anything else is failure.
There are some very good information in the book, some of which challenges current thinking and so the reader must think about whether they agree with Hopkins or not. Hopkins passed away in 1932, and the book itself was written in 1923. It must reflect some of the thinking at the time. But some principles are timeless. So, even an advertising legend as Ian Ogilvy gives the book his heartiest endorsement.
On interesting point the author made is that no one reads advertising (or resumes) for entertainment. They are looking for information. One thing to keep in mind.