In preparation for deploying JobGet.Net, I felt compelled to perform a cursory review of some of the "free" resume template sites on the Internet (I'll write a comprehensive review of free resume template sites in a future article). Good news, there are many sites that provide free templates...the bad news, the quality is suspect.
The larger issue is that many of these resume templates are just bad, poorly written (copied) dribble that will yield nothing but another piece of paper in the circular file of a company recruiter!
My main quibble was the lack of bullet points and reliance on paragraphs! Oh please, please, please do not use paragraphs! You must use bullet points when providing content in your resumes. When it comes to resumes, you will hear the following recurring points from my playbook:
- Assume recruiters and hiring managers review a hundred resumes for a single position.
- Your resume will be pitched into the garbage if not easily readable.
- Bullet, opposed to paragraphs, make the resume easier to review for someone reviewing a hundred resumes.
Of course I'm biased towards the resume templates on JobGet.Net, not because I want you to visit my site, which I do of course, but more importantly because I know they work. The templates I post on JobGet.Net are the result of research I have conducted from various sources, real-life resumes I have personally reviewed and real-life resumes that have been successfully used to get an interview.
Point is...when using a free resume template, ensure it is a quality template designed to high-light your accomplishments and past work history. Many of these sites literally copy the same templates from one site to another just to drive traffic to their website for their advertisers and boot their search rankings in Google.
I'll have more to say on this topic in future articles, in the meantime stick with me and I'll do my best to increase your chances of getting that interview. Keep in mind...resumes get the interview, the interview gets the job!
