How to Build a Killer Online Resume for Free


One of the emerging ways to put together a great resume is to use an online resume generator. Not only do you save time, but your productivity increases. This allows you to spend more time searching for work and less time putting together a resume that is attractive. Some of these services do charge a nominal fee, others are available to use free of charge. While it’s a good idea to keep your resume updated in terms of skills and experience, it’s also not a bad idea to freshen it up every once in a while. Below we’ve listed 6 services that allows you to build a killer online resume that gets you noticed – without you having to dip into your pocketbook.

CeeVee

CeeVee allows you to use a customizable and interchangeable theme for your resume (or résumé, as they call it) and then post it online to the public.  You can then save it as a PDF to use offline, or share it via Facebook and Twitter as well.  As with any service, you need to sign up to use it – but it conveniently allows you to login using your Facebook account to speed up the process – if you’re one of those who are comfortable with using that option.

JobSpice

Claiming that it can have your resume up and running in 15 minutes, JobSpice boasts a user base of over 100,000 people. With mentions in mainstream news and testimonials emblazoned on the home page, this services considers its ease of use and ability to serve as a better option than MicroSoft Word. JobSpice does have a pricing structure for those that want to get more from the service – and its “trial mode” does not allow for PDF creation or posting online…unlike the aforementioned CeeVee.  Still, it is simple to use and you can save your work as part of the trial mode, so it is worth a look.

Krop: Creative Database

Krop is not only a place where people can find work (and employers can find people to do their work), but also has a Creative Database feature that allows creative professionals to host resumes and their portfolios. As with most of these types of services, you must sign up – but they tout that there will “joining is free forever and will never have advertisements”, which is a bonus for those who aren’t fond of seeing ads clutter their workspace. The service was designed with creatives in mind, and Krop consulted with both clients and creatives to ensure the design was liked by both. If you’re a creative professional and you’re looking for a place to show off your talents, this service might just do the trick.

DoYouBuzz

Referring to itself as “The NextGen Resume”, DoYouBuzz has a features set that includes importing from several sources, including your LinkedIn profile, which can really speed up your productivity. You can also export your resume to Facebook. They also claim that their site ranks pretty much at the top of Google rankings when it comes to online resume generators – 92% of searches for online resumes result in a DoYouBuzz resume appearing in the top three. Not too shabby if you’re looking for work and are hoping someone will find your resume in the giant “online” pile. You can even check out your traffic using their Statistics feature.  A premium version allows for custom URLs and more. A pretty robust feature set for free users makes this service one that you may want to give a test drive.

Jobrary

Jobrary takes the resume and portfolio game and allows you to blend them into one powerful web presence. Sure, you can also download the PDF, forward your credentials off to prospective employers and the like, but Jobrary also gives you the ability to create a custom URL (or landing page) where you can show off your work and your experience. You can also upload videos and hide your resume if you’re not currently looking for work. Then when you’re on the job hunt again you can simply bring it back to the public eye for all to see.

VisualCV

VisualCV allows you to build dynamic and stylish resumes online, really letting you put as much (or as little) of what you’re created or developed out there for potential employers to see. There’s a sharing option, a multitude of attachment types that you can augment your resume with and VisualCV even has a job search function built right in. With varying levels of privacy, the ability to embed a video resume as part of your profile and countless other features, VisualCV is a solid player in the online resume game.

Conclusion

Online job hunting (and employee hunting) is growing in leaps and bounds. While the traditional resume may be around for a while, there are plenty of creative templates out there to ensure that you have an advantage when looking for employment. Some people are even going further than that and abandoning resumes altogether, sticking with just an online presence or other alternatives. With online resume generators becoming increasingly popular (and increasingly easy to  use), creating a killer online resume and having an online presence is something everyone can – and should – do.


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Mike Vardy an editor on Work Awesome. We could tell you where his personal productivity parody site, Eventualism and all of his other projects reside on the web, but you'd be best served going to Vardy.me and following the trail of virtual bread crumbs from there.

Discussion

  1. David DeCapua on the 15th September

    Hi Mike: Outstanding piece – I hope people take the time to read it! Since you really appear to know this space, I was hopeful you might check out our website and share some thoughts…. I’ve been in search, recruiting and staffing for 15 years – no question the traditional paper resume is on the ropes. This is why I created TalentRooster.com, home of resume intelligence. I’d be happy to let you or your readers try our technology, free of charge. Following is a sample of a completed profile – let me know what you think – thank you. http://www.talentrooster.com/Candidate/Profile/JV5JXSMH2Q

  2. Michael @latteperday on the 15th September

    Ahhhh…. just in the knick of time too ; )

    Good collection for adding portfolio links too.

    Thank you.

  3. Naomi on the 15th September

    Just another reason why I love WorkAwesome. Great stuff!

  4. Ed G on the 16th September

    As part of a recent very casual job search (i.e. wait for something to fall in my lap), I’ve had very good results with resumes on linkedin.com and careers.stackoverflow.com. I’ve received a number of quality job leads from both services, including the sweet new job I’m at now.

    linkedin is not really an online resume (and looks god-awful when printed), but rather you list your prior jobs including roles, responsibilities, and other details. It is in theory searchable by both recruiters and employers, but in my experience contacts are from recruiters who want to put in the extra effort to find good candidates.

    Stackoverflow is very much oriented towards techie jobs and is free to create and publish a resume, but also has a pay-for model to make your resume searchable by employers. The quality of employers is orders of magnitude better than monster, hotjobs, or The Ladders. I have no interest in either of these except for being a very happy customer.

  5. Jesse on the 17th September

    Great list, thanks for that!

    I just used SlideShare this week and had 8,000 views in 24 hours.

    http://www.slideshare.net/GlobalGossip/really-ugly-resumes

    Jesse

  6. rod rodriguez on the 17th September

    Hi Mike, I have a baby on the way too, and your post may just be my ticket to getting that dream job that would allow me to buy diapers 😀 Thanks for posting this awesome compilation and the descriptions is very helpful.

  7. Shovan on the 18th September

    Thanks for amazing links

    I use Krop, its cool need to try other services

  8. william on the 23rd September

    Hey, nice collection of online resume builders. Have you seen http://www.connectcv.com? I signed up the other day and pretty happy.

  9. Alfonzo Carco on the 19th May

    Does your blog have a contact page? I’m having problems locating it but, I’d like to send you an email. I’ve got some recommendations for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it develop over time.

  10. Brian on the 10th August

    I’m a real proponent of google sites. They offer high quality templates and hosting for no cost. IMO, setting up a site is a terrific online representation of your resume. Add links to your blog, linkedin, affiliations etc. One page for your experience, one for education and a home page for a summary/cover letter. A fun idea is to also add in a “contact me” that links to a spreadsheet in google docs!
    Why spend anything but time?
    Thanks,
    Brian
    http://atomictower.com – Web Reporting Engine

  11. Ivano on the 16th August

    Thanks for the great article. I appreciated it.

    I would like to suggest you a new free online CV generator

    http://www.a-cv.info

    all the best!

  12. Matthew Wickstrand on the 5th December

    Love this article! A Lot of great sites are mentioned that are sure to help out job seekers. I’ve recently launched a site myself at http://www.kareer.me. Our main focus is on helping recent graduates and new professionals create beautiful and trackable online resumes that will help them stand out against other applicants. Candidates can attach a video pitch, images, documents or any other item to help them showcase the work they have completed during school. It’s free to signup and I’d love to know what everyone things.

    Lots of great options here. Nice article WorkAwesome!

  13. Laura Cooke on the 16th July

    Hi Mike. We’ve recently launched Successore which goes a bit beyond the online resume in that it lets employers see past your job history and credentials. You can include a video, write an introduction, answer up to 5 of the top interview questions, have your referrals post direct and upload a copy of your traditional resume/samples of your work. You can then create as many unique share links as you like to attach to cover letters, recruiting software, LinkedIn profile, etc. These unique share links are tracked so you can see how many views each version has had.

  14. Nathan on the 18th January

    CeeVee seems to have changed dramatically since this article was written – it has NONE of the features mentioned! You’re just asked for some personal info, asked what job you are looking for, and then nothing else to do. I’m not sure if I even want to leave my newly created profile on there or just delete it, I don’t see how it will help get a job…

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