Writing your own resume can be a daunting and time-consuming process. If you have little experience composing your own resume it’s hard to know where to start.
Even if you have had past experience in creating a resume, chances are that the style, format and content could do with a refresh to suit needs and desires of today’s HR professionals and recruiters.
With a little perseverance and the help of some fantastic online tools, you can write your own winning resume that will highlight your skills and experiences in the best possible way.
All of the below online tools are free to use and have not been sponsored in any way. You might find that there is some variation between how the different tools grade your resume or what recommendations they make for change.
Remember, writing a resume isn’t just science but an art. Look between the black and white to write a resume that speaks in your voice and lets you shine.
1. RezScore
An absolute favourite website which is super quick and simple to use. From the front page, you simply upload your resume and within a few seconds you get to see a graded score just like you’re back in High School.
Click on the report button to see a more detailed analysis; the summary tab places you in a percentile range to compare your submission against that of others in the RezScore database, along with an estimated salary range.
However, what’s really worth looking at is the resume tab. You’ll find a personalised selection of tips for improvement along with three scores graded out of 100. These cover Brevity, Impact and Depth.
Finally, take a look in the Jobs tab. This will show you what broad industry group your resume falls into and how well it matches that industry. This is really useful if you want to see how well your resume highlights your customer service skills.
2. CV Word Checker
(http://www.cvwordchecker.com)
A basic website but undoubtedly useful, especially if you wonder what type of language to use in your resume.
There are two ways to use the CV Word Checker. First, view a comprehensive list of good and bad words to use in your resume, as well as phrases to avoid at all cost.
After that, copy and paste your resume into the CV Word Checker and let it do its magic. You’ll see every good and bad word highlighted throughout your resume.
Carefully read through your resume and look for paragraphs where you don’t have any good words. Time to be ruthless and start editing.
3. Jobscan
Jobscan works on the strategy of using keywords in your resume that match keywords found in the job description. This website is all about keyword optimising your resume to gain a good score in the ATS.
Paste or upload your resume into the website, then paste the job description for comparison. Jobscan compares your resume against the job description and gives you an ATS success score. Anything over 85% and your resume stands a good chance of being shortlisted.
Remember, although optimising your resume for keywords is advocated by some, it can ruin your resume. Anything you write in your resume has to be included in context and ATS systems will know if you are trying to cheat the machine.
4. Naukri Resume Score
(https://resume.naukri.com/resume-quality-score)
The Naukri Resume score website makes sure your resume is formatted properly – both for the Applicant Tracking System and for recruiters.
You get a score out of 100 and an indication of how much improvement your resume might need.
You then get tw0 separate scores for Format and Content and a list of important points that you have either done correctly or need to fix.
5. The Ladders Resume Reviewer
(https://www.theladders.com/resume-reviewer/)
This one is a little different. The Ladders Resume Reviewer tells you how an ATS would categorise your resume.
It then lists key points in the content and formatting of your resume and highlights areas of concerns that you need to improve.
This is a good insight into what type of person an ATS thinks you from your resume.
