Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited

Return to career-consulting-limited.com
Managing
People
Managing Your Career
CV Examples
Coaching
Cover Letter Examples
Pre-Employment Tests


Free Resume Template: Beware!


Downloading a free resume template can be so alluring. No work to do! You just download it, fill in the blanks, and get the job of your dreams!

If you buy that, I've got lots of other things I'd like to sell you.

That's a pipe dream. Listen, folks. All you get with a template is a structure that you have to fill in.

Granted, coming up with the structure can be a challenge for some people, but that's not the real head-buster. The real challenge is filling in the blanks.

There's also a not so trivial set of risks involved with using a free resume template. One of the biggest risks is that there's an extreme temptation to make minimal changes. That leaves you with a "me too" resume. Nothing hurts your chances like being like everybody else.

For that reason alone, I suggest you be very wary of resume templates. Temptation can be hard to resist. If that weren't so, it wouldn't be tempting!

Now, just because free resume templates (or ones you buy) MIGHT be risky, doesn't mean they aren't good tools. I think they are. In fact, there are some great packages of templates you can buy for less than the cost of a family dinner and movie night these days (I dropped over $75 on my last one). If that cost saves you a single day of delay in getting your new job, it more than paid for itself.

For that very reason, I'm always looking for the best-of-the-best resume template packages on the market. You can find some relatively cheap ones online, and their quality isn't bad.

By far, though, I believe the best strategy is to start with a very basic skeleton, and then essentially "grow your own" personalized resume template. What you'll end up with is something that's more you than a free resume template you download from somewhere. That subtle difference may be just enough to set you apart. And that's the name of the game.

In general, I'd say free resume templates, or purchased ones, are a fine place to start. But even if you buy a great product that gives fantastic advice about how to fill in a template, don't put your brain on a shelf.

When you're done filling it out, assess it for uniqueness, or at least for differentiation. Always change it at least a little bit.

A free resume template is a tool. Use it wisely, and carefully, and it should be a great help.

(c) Copyright 2005 by Roy Miller

An article by Roy Miller, creator of http://www.Job-Search-Guidepost.com. He recently developed a simple, powerful, job-winning resume template package. You can get your FREE copy here: free resume template. And if you liked this article, be sure to sign up for Roy's free weekly newsletter.

This article may be reprinted for use in newsletters and on websites provided that this information box is kept intact. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: roy@job-search-guidepost.com.


MORE RESOURCES:
Careers at Prairie View A&M University  Prairie View A&M University

Corporate  Lowe's





Careers  Baxter


Commonwealth Job Fair  Governor Tom Wolf







Careers  ontarioca.gov



Employment at IEA  Illinois Education Association



Careers | Home  USDA.gov



Employment opportunities  Department of Taxation and Finance

Jobs  City of Rochester (.gov)


Store Hourly Job Areas  Target Corporate


Careers at TWU  Texas Woman's University

Work at Butler  Butler University








Careers and Jobs at CRS  Catholic Relief Services


Work With Us  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Work for the City of St. Louis  City of St. Louis



Careers at Willamette  Willamette University

Careers  BASF

Career Opportunities  Gilead Sciences



Job Seekers  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign


Careers  Washington State University

IOM career gateways  International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Careers  West Virginia Department of Education










UF Health Careers  UF Health - University of Florida Health


Careers  CrowdStrike




Job Opportunities  Bellevue School District

Current opportunities  Turner & Townsend

Careers  KPMG




Work at UI Health Care | University of Iowa Health Care  University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center



Careers  S&P Global


Recorded Video Interviews  Target Corporate


Explore BCG locations around the world  Boston Consulting Group

WORK AT LVMH  LVMH





Work with us  JPMorgan Chase

Internship Opportunities | BCG  Boston Consulting Group

Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024  University of North Dakota


Students and graduates  JPMorgan Chase

Careers at Discovery Education  Discovery Education

Careers  Turner & Townsend

Careers at Sinai Health  Sinai Health


Employment Opportunities  Unity Health Toronto


Careers  City of Norfolk (.gov)

Need More Information?
Site Home | Site Map | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
© Career Consulting Limited.com 2011

tumblr visit counter