Free Resume Examples: Use Them, But Don't

There are lots of free resume examples (or free resume samples) on the web.

Try searching for "free resume example" at Google and take a look at the almost 5 million pages that come back (the less restrictive "resume example" gives you 7 million pages, if you've got more time on your hands).

But what good are they?

Plenty, if you DON'T do what most people do with them, which is copy them.

You want your resume to stand out. Sure, all successful resumes have certain things in common, but you don't want your resume to sound just like everybody else's.

If you download some free resume examples, pick one you like, slap your name and address on it, and tweak the job experience to match yours, what have you done?

You've joined the crowd!

Nothing says "run-of-the-mill" quite as loudly as a copied resume. "Adapting" a free resume example by changing a few words and names is a bad move. There's a better strategy.

The wiser thing to do is to create the content of your resume yourself. Use the resume examples you download as fodder for ideas.

This approach allows you to stretch your mind to imagine new ways to advertise what you've done. It can show you new, visually grabbing ways to present that information. And it can help you make your personal marketing message more hard-hitting.

All of those thing make you stand out.

Do yourself a favor and look at LOTS of examples. Don't just look at a few and pick one.

Why do more work?

Because recruiters see hundreds and thousands of resumes. If you pick one template and make no changes at all, you dramatically increase the odds of looking like everybody else. Your resume will be in the bin within a minute.

Look at lots of free resume samples and pick the best features to meld together into your super-resume. You'll avoid looking like everybody else that way.

(c) Copyright 2005 by Roy Miller

An article by Roy Miller, creator of http://www.Job-Search-Guidepost.com. He has just released a new free report on how you can avoid losing thousands of dollars by copying a free resume example without knowing what you're doing. You can claim your copy here: Free Resume Examples Report.

This article may be reprinted for use in newsletters and on websites provided that this information box is kept intact. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: roy@job-search-guidepost.com.


More Resources

Behaviour To Climb The Stepping Stones To Career Success
The heading of this article could just as well have been "How to position yourself for promotion" or "How to position yourself for career advancement" or "How to climb the success ladder" or something similar.What behaviour will improve your chances for success? Behaviour which can be described as good work ethics.
How To Deal With A Nightmare Boss
It can happen to anyone. there's a change in the organization and -- suddenly -- you find yourself working for the boss from Hell.
Ten Great Careers That Don't Require A Four Year Degree
One of the great myths associated with the "American Dream" is that you need to have a four-year college degree to be successful. As the economy has shifted to the information age, with a greater reliance on technology and services, this belief applies less and less.
Ten Tips to a Job Winning Interview
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1.
How to Write a Better CV (UK), or Resume (USA and elsewhere)
The first point to make is that the terms "CV" and "Resume" (with or more often without the French acute accents over the e's) are virtually interchangeable in the UK; they mean the same thing, but if anything the norm is CV. In the USA and elsewhere, the CV (Curriculum Vitae to give it its full title - literally "Life Study") is a different animal - a dry listing of qualifications and experience more suited for a university faculty listing for example.
Three Ways to Transition to a New Career
As a Certified Personnel Consultant working for Find Great People International in Greenville, South Carolina, I receive telephone calls from people who are considering a career change. For some, transitioning to a new career is easier than others.
Air Liquide: Driving Liquid Air
Have you ever heard of liquid air? The process of liquifying air was a major scientific achievement that took place over 100 years ago. Even after 100 years there are only a few companies that liquify air, which is probably why you've never heard of it before.
Four Job Interview Mistakes That Can Torpedo Your Chances of Success
What are the worst mistakes job hunters make? It turns out there are four big ones. These four mistakes turn up repeatedly when executives responsible for hiring talk about the reasons why someone didn't get a job offer.
How To Start Your Own House Cleaning Business
If you are thinking about starting your own house cleaning business, begin by evaluating your present circumstances. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but how you reply will affect what you do.
Don't Be Too Passionate About Your Work
Of course, she then offered me a six-month process, costing thousands of dollars to get me back on track. However, I must say she was ethical in her approach and suggested I get a medical check up to rule out any physical or mental-health issues.
From The WorkWise Collection: Ten Ways to Win the Job Search Mind Game
Are you one of the thousands of job seekers who question their sanity, marketability, and capacity to make smart decisions-just because you've lost your job? Are you wondering how to overcome these psychological challenges, rebuild your self-confidence, increase your marketability, and regain your sense of sanity?
The Case For Internships
America may be the Land of Opportunity, but this is also the land of the Big Trade-Off. Sure, you can have that nice house, but you're going to have to become a mortgage slave to keep it.
10 Things to Do to Get the Job
10. Understand all of the opportunities available to you.
Discontentment in the Workplace
While more people are finding employment, more employed workers are discontent and experiencing frustration. In most cases it can be boiled down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events.
How To Get Promoted - Take Control Of Your Destiny!
It Is Up To YouSo, you want to get promoted. The possibility really lies in your own hands.
Cover Letter Magic: 4 Ways To ASK For The Job Interview - And Get It!
Just how important it is to ASK for the job interview clearly and directly in your cover letter?IT'S EVERYTHING!So the question remains: how effectively are you ASKING? The following four ways will help you nail down many more job interviews. Try them all and see which ones work best for you.
How to Be Prepared for a Layoff
If you are concerned that your company might be planning a layoff, your best course of action is to be prepared. Employees often see warning signs that their jobs may be at risk.
Great Salary Negotiation Tips
11 Commandments For Smart Negotiating1 - BE PREPARED. The more information you have about your market value and theprospective employer, the greater your likelihood of success.
Surviving The Technical Interview
Ah, the technical interview. Nothing like it.
Recruiting Excellent Job Candidates
An independent recruiter, recruiting agency or executive search firm is charged with tracking down excellent potential candidates for available job positions. Despite the fact that there are innumerable people seeking positions of employment in the 21st century, it often seems to a typical recruiting agency that qualified men and women are few and far between.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

The 10-Step Resume Critique
Your resume will generally receive a 15- to 30-second scan upon first review by an employer. With that in mind, it is critical that your resume -- your "paper handshake" -- makes a positive first impression and compels the reader to put your resume in the "yes" pile and possibly call you in for an interview.
Difficult Relationships at Work - Dealing with Workplace Conflict
Difficult Relationships at Work - How to Influence the UncooperativeWe rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. This is a problem that is beginning to be recognised, but it is still not being dealt with either effectively or sufficiently.
How To Get Promoted - Take Control Of Your Destiny!
It Is Up To YouSo, you want to get promoted. The possibility really lies in your own hands.
Resume Objectives: How Do You Know if Resume Objectives Are Right for You?
Some experts say NEVER bother with resume objectives.While others say they should be an essential element onevery resume.
Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers
As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as much as the trends actually favor it, just contemplating a shift is a glittering invitation to four emotional stalkers who love nothing better than to play a nasty game of team-tag at your personal expense. When you unmask these bandits -- even a little -- they begin to lose their emotional charge - leaving you free to more fully explore the opportunities to re-invent yourself.
Sample Resume Objectives: What They All Tend To Miss
Sample resume objectives. When a harried and possibly panicked job seeker finds one he thinks is good, he feels like the drowning man who just got rescued.
Theres No Need to Pad Your Resume
It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your friends assure you that everybody does it and that employers rarely check resume facts.
Job Tips For The Frustrated Job Seeker
There is nothing more frustrating and depressing when you are out of work and trying to find a job and your job search is going no where. Don't feel bad, you are not alone and there is a good reason why searching for a new job can be so difficult.
Nuts and Bolts of Effective Cover Letters
As a job seeker, you shouldn't overlook the importance of a cover letter. If written strategically, a cover letter increases your chances for consideration, and provides an opportunity to highlight your individuality.
Can You Actually Fail A Personality Quiz?
Q. I didn't get a job that I interviewed for.
How To Power Negotiate Your Next Bonus
A raise in your base salary is a permanent source of increased income. However, to increase your take home pay, you can also negotiate performance bonuses on specific projects, activities, or time frames.
Dont Be Defeated - Be Empowered
Taking a job out of fear and desperation will never satisfy you for very long, nor will it last all that long either, and before you know it your back to square one. As I said; a job is nothing more than "just over broke", and who wants to live like that!I realize how desperate situations in life can be; I lived that existance for many years, fighting and struggling just to make ends meet, if I was lucky.
Careers-Changing Jobs: The Fantasy of the Ideal Job
Most people would agree that the concept of a job today is vastly different from that of 20 years ago. Organisations are changing at speed, technology has changed the face and pace of work, and globalisation is pushing every business to examine it's operations in a totally different context.
Tips on How to Write High Impact Letters of Recommendation
Congratulations. You've been asked to write a letter ofrecommendation for an employee or colleague.
Free Resume Examples: More Is Better
If you ever studied any probability theory in high school or college, you probably remember the marbles.Most introductory probability books talk about drawing different colored marbles out of a bag.
Workplace Violence - 8 Tips For Spotting Early Warning Signs
One of the greatest threats facing both employees and the companies they work for, is workplace violence. It has become the leading cause of death for women and the second leading for men, following closely behind motor vehicle accidents.
Tell Me About Yourself
The need to tell people about yourself may present itself during an informal conversation with a colleague, on the Little League field with a neighbor, on the phone with a past acquaintance, or in a face-to-face meeting for a job opportunity. "Tell me about yourself" is a favorite question that has befuddled many an unsuspecting candidate.
Focus On White-Collar Crime: Accounting Fraud and Computer Crimes Creates Need; Qualified Investing
An epidemic of white-collar financial crime has resulted in the development of specialized education programs focused on economic crime investigation and fraud management. These college-level degree programs attract students who are interested in law enforcement and are attracted by the very unique nature of these types of crimes and the special investigative techniques required to solve them.
Waiting For the Official Job Offer
At the end of the third job interview, Helene was told by the hiring manager, "Congratulations, I am going to recommend you for the position. Expect a call from HR.
In Control - Inside Tips on Interview Success
No, you can't control how the interview will be conducted, nor can you control the outcome. But you can influence it greatly by the way you present your personality and your skills.