Meet the people behind the work.
We blend Fortune 50 recruiting and leadership development experience, certified career writing, coaching, and sharp storytelling to help people and organizations move talent forward.
The Brains & The Barks
A small, focused team built around career strategy, writing, coaching, and a little brand personality.
Don Pippin, MHRM, CPRW, CDCS, CIC, CPBS
Hi, I’m Don. I’m a former corporate recruiter and leadership development executive with Fortune 50 experience. I’ve spent my career on both sides of talent: helping organizations hire and develop people, and helping professionals position themselves for what comes next.
I founded area|Talent in 2008. Today, I work directly with professionals on résumé writing, career strategy, interview coaching, LinkedIn positioning, and personal branding, while also partnering with organizations on leadership development and talent strategy. Clients have landed roles at Google, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Aston Martin, TikTok, and more. I also consult with Stewart Cooper Coon.
I volunteer with Chrysalis and as a crisis prevention counselor with The Trevor Project. When not working, I’m traveling or managing my dog’s Instagram, hoping she becomes the breadwinner.
Robin Jarvis, MBA, CPRW
Robin is a certified higher-ed professional and résumé writer with 10+ years in career services and recruiting. As Director of Career & Internship Services at Culver-Stockton College, she helped CSC earn #1 School in Missouri for Getting a Job in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Outside the office: camping, hiking, kayaking, and traveling. She’s visited 49 states and three countries.
Who she helps: upcoming or recent grads with 0–2 years of experience.
Brynston L’Barque
Brynston gives her paw of approval to every project before delivery. She supervises all client work, maintains office morale, and is actively seeking sponsorships.
Follow her adventures and help her become the family breadwinner.
I ghostwrite careers.
When an author wants to write a book but doesn’t know how to get it on the page, they hire a ghostwriter. Someone who listens, draws out the story, and writes it in the author’s own voice. The book gets published under the author’s name because it is their story, just told the way it deserves to be told.
That’s the exact model I use for résumés and LinkedIn profiles. You’ve lived the career. You’ve done the work. But most people are too close to their own experience to see what’s remarkable about it, or they don’t have the language to communicate it in a way that lands with recruiters and hiring managers. That’s where I come in.
I ask the questions a ghostwriter asks. I listen for the details that matter. And then I write your career story in your voice, with the clarity, confidence, and impact it deserves. The résumé has your name on it because it’s your story. I just know how to tell it.
From Don.
A few of Don’s original articles on recruiting, AI, résumé strategy, and what is changing in the job search.
What I Fix First When a Client Brings Me an AI-Written Résumé
How I retarget, restructure, fact-check, and rebuild AI-written résumés so the final version sounds credible, specific, and human.
Read the article →AI Can Find the Questions. You Still Have to Find the Right Answers.
What two recent interview-prep conversations showed about using AI well, and where real preparation still requires human judgment.
Read the article →The Job Search Is Moving Beyond Keywords. Is Your Résumé Ready for Semantic Search?
How recruiter search is beginning to understand evidence, scope, and transferable experience instead of relying only on exact keyword matches.
Read the article →The Job Market Isn’t Broken. You’re Just One of Many Qualified Candidates.
A recruiter-informed look at market saturation, candidate sameness, and the parts of a job search professionals can actually control.
Read the article →How we do the work.
The standards behind every résumé, LinkedIn profile, coaching session, and client conversation.
Human-First
Every résumé is written for a person, not a system. We lead with your story, your wins, and your voice, then make it recruiter-ready.
No Outsourcing
Your project stays with the person you hired. We don’t farm work out. Every word comes from someone who knows your career and your goals.
Results Over Fluff
We measure success by interviews landed, offers accepted, and confidence rebuilt, not buzzwords on a page. If it doesn’t work, we fix it.