Resume Writing - Can Software Make a Difference?

It's a dog pile of bad news - plants closing, banks foreclosing, thousands more out of work just today. If you're somewhere in the middle of that pile, you already know that "recession" has a human face. Maybe you've got a resume, but it's getting you nowhere. Or maybe you haven't yet started to work on that resume, and you're wondering how to make it the best it can be. It's got to be the best it can be - competition demands it.

What About Resume Software?

A resume builder (i.e., resume software) is an interactive tool to help you craft your own resume. Some you buy off the shelf at your office supply superstore. Others are downloadable straight from the internet - and available to use within minutes.

There's Good News, And There's Bad News

The good news is that many of them work well, quite well. Of these, if you can compose a straightforward sentence and follow step-by-step instructions, you can create a resume to be proud of. The bad news is that a lot of these resume builders are junk. Here are 3 things to keep in mind when looking for a product that will deliver real value.

1) Relevant Bells And Whistles

There are a lot of bells and whistles out there, with each product trying to distinguish itself in the marketplace. The question is, what is relevant? Some are obvious. Help with phrasing is relevant. Spell check is relevant. A list of action verbs is relevant. The ability to work up a companion cover letter is relevant. One company's online resume builder displays thumbnails of all the resumes you've created, organized by the modification date. And it keeps track of which companies you've submitted to, and which resume version each received. Those little extras become more and more valuable the longer your job search.

2) Formatting Options

MS Word remains the standard format for resumes. But a resume formatted in MS Word won't always cut it. For example, if you plan to post your resume to an online job site, you'll likely need that resume formatted in ASCII text. If an employer requests a resume as a PDF attachment to an email, clearly you'll have to be able to accommodate. So give extra points to the resume builder that offers or facilitates formatting in ASCII text, PDF, HTML, and RTF.

3) Ease Of Use

Often you can't tell how easy a product is to use until you use it - then it's too late to discover it's no good. You can get an idea, though, with a bit of study. For those companies offering online resume builders, visit their websites and see that they navigate smoothly, that key information is readily available and well organized. Odds are their builders will be likewise well organized and easy to use. At least one company I reviewed lets you build your resume before paying for it; you can study the finished product from every angle before deciding if it's worth the money.

Final Thoughts...

Can resume software make a difference? It can. Keep in mind that it won't write the resume for you. Still, a good resume builder can do the heavy lifting of template design, layout and organization, formatting, help with phrasing, and error checking. And that might be just enough to fight your way out of the dog pile.