5 Online Resume Tools You Need To Try

Your job search is in full-swing. You’ve researched the companies you want to work at, found the right people to send your resume to, customized it for each position, and are about to hit send when you realize how generic it really looks.

Not good.

Sending in a generic resume is a great way to miss out on the job you want. In fact, a 2013 CareerBuilder survey of 2,076 hiring managers and HR professionals and 2,999 workers across industries found that 36 percent of hiring managers will automatically dismiss a resume if it’s too generic.

In today’s competitive job market, you can’t afford to miss out on opportunities because your resume isn’t eye-catching. Here are five online tools that can help you make your resume more attractive to hiring managers who see the same old resume format over and over again:

 

1. Google Docs

Wait a minute, Google Docs is on the list? That’s right, job seekers, Google has found a way to become a part of your resume writing experience, too.

Google Docs offers job seekers hundreds of downloadable resume templates from different sources. Like everything Google does, they’ve integrated reviews into their system, so you know exactly what you’re getting before you make a choice, which saves you time and energy during your search for an effective, eye-catching resume template.

2. Visualize.me

Visualize.me uses the data from your LinkedIn account to build an eye-catching visual depiction of your professional accomplishments and skills. Once you’ve connected your LinkedIn account, Visualize.me generates a visual timeline of your employment history and a breakdown of your LinkedIn skills.

Additionally, Visualize.me lets you add up to four things you want to highlight like sales stats, years of experience or other custom statistics in the “My stats” section, which it depicts visually for the hiring manager.

With six different themes and the option to download a PDF or PNG file, Visualize.me is an excellent option for any job seeker looking for a free way to make their resume more visually attractive.

3. VisualCV

VisualCV does more than just make your resume more eye-catching to hiring managers; it makes sure it can be read by those pesky ATS systems employed by many organizations, as well.

Like many online resume tools, VisualCV gets you started by importing data from sources like LinkedIn or your current resume. Once your data is imported, you can edit the different sections of your resume, manage different versions so you can send a customized CV to each hiring manager, add multimedia and create a custom URL to make sure your online brand is consistent.

Whether you choose the free version (limited analytics, version control and style access) or the $6 per month premium version (advanced tracking analytics, better style options, and more download options), you’ll feel confident your resume is visually attractive and well organized.

4. Flavors.me

Flavors.me is a little different than the first two options on this list. Instead of creating an actual resume, Flavors.me helps you quickly build your own web page -- an “online resume” so to speak. Pull data from over a dozen online sources including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more to give hiring managers a visual picture of who you are.

Flavors.me makes it simple to design an online splash page for everything “you.” This service is especially great for job seekers looking for work in the creative world. Consider it a free online portfolio to highlight content you’ve written, things you’ve designed and more. If you’re looking for mobile, analytics and a custom URL, though, it’s going to cost $20 a year.

5. Easel.ly

Tired of plug-and-play resume templates? Easel.ly lets you create an infographic resume from scratch. Start by choosing a background then just drag and drop hundreds of design elements to make your resume tell a story. With simple editing and an intuitive chart creator, Easel.ly helps you highliht the accomplishments that will make a difference to hiring managers.

Want to start with a template and go from there? That’s OK, too. Easel.ly has a number of prepopulated templates to choose from and, like the services above, if you choose to “go pro,” you’ll have even more templates, design elements, and images to choose from.

Once you've tried out these online resume tools, did you know that you can also upload a resume to Glassdoor, making it super easy to apply directly to jobs?

After you sign into your Glassdoor account, go to the homepage and scroll down to "Upload a resume"