10 Reliable Sources for Resume Advice
While Resify might be our favorite website for resume advice, it’s really just one of many. In fact, the Web is chock-full of resume info. But if there’s one thing us Internet-savvy folks know, it’s that we can’t trust everything we read on the Web. So, today we’re sharing ten amazing resources we’ve found. These are all high-quality, trustworthy websites that aren’t just trying to make a quick buck off of you. If you have a favorite resource that’s not listed here, please add it in the comments below.
The OWL at Perdue
The good folks of Perdue University created this award-winning Online Writing Lab with hundreds of pages of resource material for students as well as the public. Their section for “Workplace Writers” is a top-notch spot to grab writing advice for all kinds of business documents. You’ll find great information for creating well-organized, attention-grabbing resumes and cover letters, but the OWL also provides so much more! Keep this site bookmarked – you’ll want to reference it long after your stellar resume has landed you that dream gig.
QuintCareers.com
This is a great site for all kinds of career advice but the section on resumes is exceptionally comprehensive and well researched. While other sites peddle dime-a-dozen surface level “tips”, these guys have several experts who know how to dive deep into complicated topics (like resume keywords) in unique and engaging ways. Trust this website to break the most current news in resume innovation. And they’ve got something for everyone – articles, tutorials, quizzes, and samples abound.
Emurse.com
We love this site! The straight-forward, easy-to-use resume builder is as cool as it gets. But the Emurse Blog is a strong runner-up in this contest of cool. The topics focus mainly on job search advice, but the resume tips are unique and thoughtful. Rarely do they claim a one-size-fits-all approach, which makes these guys a sweet reprieve from the quick-fix sites so commonly found on the Web. Yes, we likey a lot.
PongoResume Blog
PongoResume is super cool for many reasons. Most people land there looking for the resume builder, but we recommend their blog for a little insider resume information. These guys live and breathe this stuff. And while you may think resume tips would get dry, they find a way to keep it cool. Unusual tips like College Career Centers You Should Follow on Twitter make this blog a unique must-read.
Resumania
Created by the founder of the specialized staffing firm Robert Half International Inc., this website celebrates the fabulous errors his recruiters find in resumes, applications and cover letters. A few of the pages are on an automatic scroll, which is kind of annoying, but some of the lines and commentary are so hilarious it’s definitely worth sitting through it for few minutes. You wouldn’t believe the stuff that people put on their resumes. Some are just simple editing errors but others leave me shaking my head, wondering, “What were they thinking??” A few classics:
- COVER LETTER: Upon your humble request, I will forward to your personal attention my letters of reference to be attached hereto and made part thereof. (Is this a cover letter or a legal contract?)
- COVER LETTER: I would love to interview for the position of (insert job title here). If you grant me an interview for (insert job title here), I feel confident you’ll see why I’m the right person for the job. (Due to your failure to proofread, we can’t help but [insert polite rejection line here]).
- DUTIES: Walked from one point to another.
- OBJECTIVE: To work.
- REFERENCES: My girlfriend.
Use this website to learn what NOT to do and while you’re at it, check out our own What Not To Do section, where we critique every element of resumes from real-world candidates to show you how to avoid the same mistakes.
Ask a Manager.com
This gal is the real deal – an HR manager who hires, fires, promotes and answers your questions about the process! Her advice is down-to-earth, straight forward and usually somewhat surprising. She certainly isn’t afraid of speaking her mind and, yes, that’s why we like her. It’s always nice to find someone who speaks the truth, even when it ain’t pretty. If websites could marry, we’d propose to AskaManager.
Job-Hunt.org
Okay, so this site is really poorly designed but it still has lots of great info. We all know that beauty is on the inside and this site is beautiful once you dig beneath the layers of ugly. In particular, we like the free downloadable e-books and comprehensive Online Job Search Guide that’s full of high-tech tips for the modern job seeker. Great advice. And hey, they obviously don’t waste any time on “fluff” like graphics or whatever. These guys are all about the info.
Daily Writing Tips
This website made our list because it houses one of our favorite resume writing articles of all time. And, while resumes aren’t the main focus for this blog, the tips are certainly applicable for any writing endeavor. Just as the name implies, you’ll get a new nugget of writing advice at least once a day (usually more). Subscribe via email or RSS and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your writing improves. Plus, spend a couple years reading the hundreds of articles in the archives and you’ve practically earned an honorary English degree.
About.com/Job Search
I’m really glad that the clever person who was lucky enough to buy the domain “about.com” made it into an awesome online resource. There are literally hundreds of topics here to explore and the job search category is one of the most robust. Resumes are just one small piece of this information pie. With all kinds of samples, templates and helpful information, you’ll find everything you need to create cover letters, resignation letters, follow up letters, networking letters, and much more. The experts on about.com are also some of the most qualified and reliable writers I’ve seen around the Web. Check out Alison Doyle, the kick-ass woman behind the Job Search section.
Workbloom.com
The Workbloom.com Resume Center has literally hundreds of resume samples to view (no download required) categorized by job title primarily. These are great to help you get inspiration for layout and organization, but be careful – a few of these resumes could easily land in our What Not to Do Section. That being said, it’s still a very helpful site and the vast majority of the resume samples are well put together.
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Great post.
I think that it’s fairly obvious that with the internet we are still in the ‘wild west’ phase, where no one quite knows what is going on. And it is ‘cooler’ to say things like ‘ditch the resume’ than to give solid advice like you give here. Especially because it can be easier and more fun to add some fancy graphics to your resume rather than do the harder, and more useful, work of tailoring your resume to the specific situation (which I think means not only industry, but company and position).