Where Can I Create My Resume? 3 Resume Creation Solutions, Tips and Tricks

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Resume Tips Articles : Where Can I Create My Resume? 3 Resume Creation Solutions, Tips and Tricks by Ross Dolac

So you're fresh to the workforce and you know that you can land that dream job, if only the employer knew about you. Whether you're straight out of college or you're just now looking for a great new job, you need a resume.

You might be asking yourself, exactly where can I create my resume, in not only a cost effective manner but also retain that professional look that will practically have mine jumping out of the pile at my potential employer.

You know when it comes down to creating your resume you really have about 3 options. Some options are obviously better than others, but being mindful of all of them will drastically help you when it comes to making a decision concerning the process.

1. Hiring a Professional Resume Writing Service

When a lot of people ask themselves "Where can I create my resume," they may think that a professional resume writing service will be absolutely needed. In my experience I have found this to be a sort of half truth. Yes, I agree you can get a very nice resume from one of these services, but is going to cost you (usually over $300).

I know when I was fresh out of college or unemployed and looking for a great job, I didn't have $300 or more to shell out to one of these guys. If you've got the money, I'd say you may consider this option, but be weary of the following factors:

A lot of people who claim to be professionals at anything, are usually not even close. Anyone can read a couple books on effective resume writing and begin to make these claims.
These services will not likely make your resume stand out. They all have a set template for writing these things, and everyone and their brother uses these services.
As I spoke of earlier, they cost an arm and a leg. If you are tight on cash like most job seekers you'll have trouble dropping $300 or more on this type of service.
2. Free Online Resume Creators

Sounds great.. Everyone loves that word "FREE" huh? If you are thinking of this option let me just stop you right here, and say "Please Don't!" Listen, your resume is serious business, and is the very thing that will land you that dream job. If you don't take it seriously, how do you expect potential employers to react?

I can tell you straight away, your nice free resume, could be the next one face down in the recycling bin! It's not that these services are all that bad, but they just don't offer the flexibility and features you need when creating your resume.

Remember that old saying "You get what ya' pay for?" Well that may be most certainly true in this circumstance.

Moreover, most of these free resume creators are anything but. Sure, you can "create" your resume for free, but what about printing, emailing, or faxing the thing? All of the sudden, you've just wasted an hour spitting out a subpar resume that you've actually got to pay for.

If you can't even trust these people to be upfront with you from the beginning, how can you trust them with the rest of your life and your ultimate career goals? It's kind of a no-brainer.

3. Resume Writing Software

So what are these things? This type of software walks you step by step through a series of questions. Each section has tips, hints, and proven templates for a successful resume. You simply fill in the required fields, and it does the rest.

Once finished it spits out a very nice resume that you can print, email, fax -- or transmit in any way necessary to the appropriate persons.

There are plenty of these things on the market, and naturally some are better than others. Some higher end products will cost you, but you can find some real gems for no more than $40-$100 with all the functionality you will ever need to create a great resume.

In my opinion, this is really the best option to create a personalized, professional, well laid out resume. It really allows you to add your own personal style, but keeps structure and professionalism in mind. It's like having your own professional resume writer by your side, all you've got to do is answer a few questions and viola!

But there are some downsides as with almost anything. Some of these softwares are worse than free resume creators. Here's a tip to finding a reputable piece of software:

Do a simple search in Google for the software's name, and/or it's creator. If the software is good you will find several results and judging by the comments of past customers you will be able to make a pretty safe purchase.

If you are searching for the name of the creator of the software, again you should be able to find several results. Usually over 100,000 results means that the person is highly regarded in this particular field, and they know what they're doing.

When you're asking yourself, Where can I create my resume it can be a seemingly daunting task. It really doesn't have to be, at all. Simply use some common sense, think like your employer would think, and most important of all stand out from the crowd.

Here's an additional tip:

Statistics show that only 1% of resumes received by employers actually grab the attention of the reviewer at first glance. How can you land yourself in this 1% group? Simple. Create an effective cover letter.

Your cover letter is the first thing potential employers see. Some of them will not even go past the cover letter if it's not appealing enough! Seems crazy but it's the truth. Knowing the tips and tricks of creating a great cover letter, will almost guarantee that you have the edge over 99% of your competitors.

About the Author
Download your 3 FREE Bonus Reports from world renowned copywriter and president of CareerJimmy, Jimmy Sweeney at with Amazing Resume Creator -- Get: Cover Letter Templates, Amazing Job Interview Success, and 3 Salary Negotiation Secrets!

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=569195