With the world as wacky as it is, a lot of folks are rethinking their employment situation right now. The first step is often getting your resume in order, and typically we can help with that by providing computers on which to write your resume, books with examples, internet access to find job hunting suggestions. Thanks to our Library to Go service, you can now request books to pick up, but there’s more we can do, even while we’re closed.
So, if you want to polish up or even start a new resume, there are some great books available electronically from The Ohio Digital Library and Hoopla. (Just search the word resumes on both to get started.) There are also some online tools you can use if you need help building and formatting your resume. Below are a few that all end with you having a finished resume for free, but there are some additional features that might require a fee. Some also require setting up a free account. Let’s look at each.
There’s a good chance you already have a Google account, which is free and easy to set up if you don’t. And in Google Docs, you can choose from a wide range of resume templates. Log into your Google account and then go to Google Docs. (There are lots of way to get there, including this link, or choose Docs from the menu at the top right of any Google page.)
Once there, scroll through the Template Gallery for your perfect resume. The templates just have filler text and no tips for what you might want to put in each section, so this is a good option for folks who already have some idea of what goes on a resume but don’t want to have to fight with the formatting.
Your resume is saved to Google Drive, and you can access if from any computer, phone, or tablet with an internet connection. You can download the resume to a computer or save it to a flash drive in a variety of formats, including PDF or DOCX. The DOCX option is a good one if you will later have access to Microsoft Word and want to edit the resume there. Remember, if you save it as a PDF, that’s a great format for emailing to potential employers or uploading to their website, but not a good one if you think you’ll need to edit it later.
If you’re doing serious professional jobhunting, you might want to set up a free Indeed account to get the full range of their services. They have job postings and allow you to save your resume for employers to view. They also have an extensive collection of information on resume and cover letter writing, interviewing tips, and more advice folks looking for a job might find useful in addition to their resume builder.
If you don’t want to set up an account with Indeed, you can still use their resume builder and download it as a PDF. But remember—PDF is a great format for emailing to employers and printing hardcopies, but it’s not a good format if you need to edit later. You can, of course, set up an account so you can save it for editing later, and it will be accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. To get started, go directly to the resume builder, select Build your free resume, and then select a template and follow the prompts!
Just remember that as soon as you close the page, your work is not saved if you aren’t logged in with your Indeed account.
Much like Google Docs, you might very well already have a Microsoft account you can use to access OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service, which includes basic free versions of their Office software, including Microsoft Word. If you don’t have an account, it’s free and easy to set up here. Like Google, your work is saved online, so you can access it anywhere you have an internet connection. However, this might be a better choice for folks who need a little more help knowing what to put in each section of their resume.
Once logged into OneDrive, select New–>Word document.
Then select File–>New–>Chronological Resume. (This also works if you have Microsoft Word software on your computer.)
The document that opens is not just a template, but the text you will be replacing with your resume has tips for making your resume better. This option is great because it’s saved online, and you can download and save it as a PDF file and a DOCX file, the latter of which is great if you need to make revisions.
Resume.com works a lot like Indeed—you can create a free PDF resume that you can download and save without setting up an account. However, you can get a free account if you want Resume.com to save your work so that you can access your resume anytime online and revise it.
To get started, head over to this link and follow the prompts. One of the nice features of Resume.com is that they help you along the way with what information to place in each section of the resume. Download and save the PDF when you finish so you can send it off to employers!
One last option I want to mention is Ohio Means Jobs, a service offered by the State of Ohio. If you have filed for unemployment, you likely already have an account with OMJ. If so, you might want to use their resume builder, which has lots of suggestions for how to complete it. The account is free, and the site saves your resume, so you can access it anywhere with an internet connection and edit and download it whenever you need.
And if you need additional help with your resume or any of the other services offered by the state, there is an Ohio Means Jobs location in Canton you can visit. They are located at: 822 30th Street NW, Canton, Ohio 44709, and you can give them a call at: (330) 433-9675.
Shelia
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