 |
| www.realsimple.com |
Have you ever wanted to create the perfect, yet free,
resume? However, when you finally get done putting together the resume, you find
that there is a catch? I wanted to help you find what sites offer items that
are truly “free” and those that aren’t.
There were 4 sites that I worked diligently to perfect my
resume: GotResumeBuilder.com, MyPerfectResume.com, Career Services Resume
Builder, and SIGI3. These sites allowed me to create a resume for free, but
what frustrated me was when I went to download it, there was a fee. As you may imagine, after spending 20-3?"0
minutes on a resume to only find it isn’t truly free, was very frustrating.
I included positives and negatives about each one to help
you better select the resume builder best for you.
1. Got Resume Builder
On the Got Resume Builder website. There weren’t a lot of
templates, but it did give you a breakdown of how to write a resume and offered
samples for you to review. While the design was lacking, being able to add
information was easy. I was disappointed to find that there was a cost of $5.99
for wanting to download it in Microsoft Word format. You could print it in PDF,
but there was no way to edit it after you downloaded it that way.
Pros: Very basic look and nature; good examples
Cons: Costs for basic download; variations of downloads aren’t
editable
2. My Perfect Resume
On the My Perfect Resume website, there were a lot of things
that would intrigue a student. It had thousands of samples and templates. There
were suggested items to put into specific categories. Not to mention the fact
that it was offered as free. The trick is that building the resume is free, but
downloading it or saving it requires a subscription: $2.95 for 14-day access or
$7.95 a month. It can be very frustrating when you’ve put a lot of time in a
resume to have to pay for something you essentially thought was free.
Pros: Lots of editing and template choices; several
recommendations for different scenarios; has multiple ways of saving the format
of the resume.
Cons: Cost $2.95-7.95
3. CSO Resume Creator.
On your Career Services account through CSO there is an
opportunity to build a resume. On the right hand column of the main screen,
below “I want to” there is a “Create resume using Resume Builder.” This resume builder was very easy to use. I
clicked on resume templates, picked the one I wanted, and got to start entering
my information right away. The builder was 100% free and I could either save or
preview my resume at any time.
Pros: easy to use, truly free, quick and efficient
Cons: plain templates, doesn’t have categories for special
circumstances
4. SIGI3
Through your my.oit.edu, on the student resources tab on the
left column “SIGI3” is available to all Oregon Tech students. This site can
pack a punch. It has everything from personality surveys, skills surveys, as
well as, several break down assessment type tools. This information was great
for wanting to think about what I had to offer and what jobs worked best with
what I had to offer. However, on the “Getting There,” “Resume Basics” link
really didn’t provide exactly what I hoped for. If I clicked on the links
provided I was forwarded to MyPerfectREsume.com and Resume Tutor, which both
cost money. This site did have a lot of free references on what a resume is and
basic knowledge on what to put in your resume.
 |
| compositecode.com |
Pros: A lot of information; breaks down items for resume;
gives an alternative way of approaching your resume
Cons: Hard to find what you are looking for; external resume
builder sites cost money
Ultimately, there are both kinds of sites out there. Make
sure you read reviews before utilizing them. You don’t want to be stuck where I
was after 20-30 minutes of effort to find it costs in the end. Great resumes
don’t have to cost money at all.
If you ever need help working on your resume or cover
letters, please contact Oregon Tech’s Career Services at 541-885-1020 or
career@oit.edu.
*All information was based on personal experience. The sites that I utilized were:
GotResumeBuilder.com
MyPerfectResume.com
Career Services Resume
Builder (https://www.myinterfase.com/oit/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2foit%2fstudent)
SIGI3 (http://www.sigi3.org/resume.asp?EQ=425484040&RX=MainAssess)
**Please see reference location for below images within the text above.
