Paul Freiberger

The Force Behind Shimmering Careers

Leading authority on career advancement whose services have helped thousands of people reach their career goals

  • New York Times best-selling writer
  • LA Times Book Prize winner
  • Co-author of one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time
  • Award-winning career advice blogger
  • Reaches over 500,000 LinkedIn users with his career advice
  • Author of When Can You Start? career book series
  • Former McKinsey & Company communications strategist
  • National Resume Writers’ Association former board member

Paul has contributed to respected media including:

Award-winning Writer and Career Expert

Paul started out as a reporter for NPR programs including “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” He then covered Silicon Valley and the high-tech sector as a founding editor of the magazine InfoWorld, and at the San Francisco Examiner and San Jose Mercury News. Through interviewing business leaders, Paul discovered that he had an extraordinary ability to draw out what makes a person special and then convey it quickly and effectively on the page – a talent that enables him to create truly exceptional resumes, cover letters, bios and LinkedIn profiles.

Paul’s time as a journalist gave him privileged access to Silicon Valley pioneers and a ringside seat for the personal computer revolution. He was there to introduce the world to Steve Jobs’s first Macintosh computer and to IBM’s first PC. Paul captured the era in his best seller Fire in the Valley (with Michael Swaine), which was turned into the Emmy-nominated movie Pirates of Silicon Valley and was named one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time by Business 2.0 magazine. For his book Fuzzy Logic (with Daniel McNeill), Paul was awarded a Los Angeles Times book award.

Books and other publications by Paul Freiberger:

Career Manager of Visionary Team in Silicon Valley

“I had the fortune to help shape the careers of some of the best and brightest during one of the most exciting eras in Silicon Valley. In the same way, at Shimmering Careers, I help guide my clients toward truly extraordinary achievements in their careers.”
– Paul Freiberger

When Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen started his visionary technology company Interval Research in 1992, he tasked Paul Freiberger with recruiting the most brilliant minds in Silicon Valley and around the world. Paul built and managed elite teams which developed leading-edge technology aimed at transforming the way we live and work. Paul led a number of advanced research projects during his years at Interval and is a co-inventor on 4 patents.

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McKinsey Communications Strategist



At the world’s most prestigious management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, Paul wrote and edited business white papers and articles for the firm’s flagship publication, the McKinsey Quarterly. His writing also appeared in the Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times. While leading West Coast communications at McKinsey for 7 years, he was responsible for communicating the value of the firm at a global level. He worked closely with individual directors and partners to help them build their reputations through corporate bios and executive resumes, and he advised McKinsey consultants on media strategy.

The Creator of Shimmering Careers

“At McKinsey, I found that my colleagues were increasingly seeking my advice on advancing their careers. They had seen how well my career-development strategies worked and wanted to know my ‘secret.’ By mentoring them, I discovered my passion: to help people achieve their career ambitions.”
– Paul Freiberger

In 2005, Paul established Shimmering Careers, where he writes stunningly effective resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles, and provides comprehensive career strategies and coaching. A thought leader in the career field, Paul is on the Board of the National Resume Writers’ Association, and his articles are read by hundreds of thousands of professionals on LinkedIn, the Huffington Post, Vault.com, Monster.com and elsewhere. His book series When Can You Start? is packed with practical advice on how to conduct a job search, write resumes, ace interviews and get hired.

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Paul has helped clients find roles at these companies and more

Get career guidance from the man who helped the co-founder of Microsoft and the world’s top management consultants realize their dreams.

“A successful job search isn’t about just getting your resume done and then crossing your fingers. While you want – and need – a great resume, the best job search puts that resume to use in a really effective and organized way. I’ve helped thousands of people do exactly that.”
– Paul Freiberger

At Shimmering Careers, Paul has a proven record of guiding people on the path to reaching their full potential. Because of his background and expertise, he knows how to strategically leverage your skills, experience and networks to catapult your career to the next level. You have ambitions, and Paul can help you make those ambitions a reality.

Turn Career Dreams into a Career Strategy

Making the World a Better Place

Shimmering Careers donates a portion of its earnings back to the community, and Paul Freiberger provides pro-bono resume writing and job search assistance to individuals who cannot afford it. He does this through the Transitional Housing Program / Family Supportive Housing, Inc. in San Jose, California.

Paul is an advisor and volunteer for the Square Peg Foundation, an organization that rescues retired racehorses and retrains them for use in therapeutic riding by children on the autism spectrum. It also teaches kids of all ages responsibility by working on the organization’s ranch in California.

Paul volunteered for 8 years in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program. He has also been on the board of Camp Unalayee, which provides scholarships for inner-city kids to attend a wilderness summer camp in the heart of Northern California’s Trinity Alps Wilderness.