Not quite certain what to say about transitioning. For me the learning curve was steepest in the first six months. I still had to learn after that but I had the basics down by then.

The library has several books dedicated to preparing resumes. There are different styles and the books show you how to write cover letters and stuff. Have you got references yet? For not too much money you can buy some nice resume quality paper at Staples, I would go with something in ecru.