14 DAY TRIAL // Getting a job is one of the most important things in one's life. Everyone knows that the first impression is mainly the one that will either get you accepted, or rejected.
The main instrument that you can use to establish contact with an employer is your resume. This means that you must pay attention when creating it, so that you don't end up misspelling words, or having all your details get mixed up in such a way that the information is incomprehensible.
It doesn't matter if you have a great personality, good experience and references that would get you a job at a top company: if your resume isn't organized well, the employer will not even look at it.
You need to be sure that your resume is created in a professional way, and that it makes the best out of your experience, studies and so on.
You're hired!
For this purpose, programs such as Resume Builder have been created.
This is an easy to work with program that will make creating resumes easy as pie. Not only does it ease your work, but it makes it look like you had a professional assist you.
This is a trial version, and you get a nagging message window that reminds you to register; you cannot close it, but you can move it to a side so that it's not in your way.
Other than that, the program's interface is quite friendly and intuitive allowing you to master the program's functions in no time.
You can access the resume's sections from the main menu (they are located in the "Look at" menu item), or you can activate the shortcuts pane that will conveniently be placed on the right side of the window. If you do this, you will get an Outlook-like interface, with fast access to all features.
Resume Builder allows you to add data in the following sections: biographical data, objective/summary, education history, employment history, honors/awards, skill areas, licenses and certification, military history, references and publications.
For each of these you can add specific information and you are allowed to add rich text formatting (the program features buttons that add html tags for the bold, italic, space, line break and bulleted lists).
A major DON'T for any resume is misspelling words: this means that you're not paying enough attention and respect to the employer's requirements, thus your application will be penalized in the favor of other applicants (that were more thorough in their spell check). But worry no more, because Resume Builder features a spell-check feature that will point out all your errors, and give you suggestions so that you're not left in the dark.
If you think that the built-in dictionary doesn't hold enough words for your spelling needs, you can add new dictionary files that the program will use.
If you want to rearrange the sections' layout in your curriculum vitae, you can do this from the Published sections tab in the Shortcuts panel (using the up and down buttons).
There are resume styles that you can use for your application, and you have plenty to choose from. Also, if there's none that you like, you can edit an existing one, and change either one of these options: heading color, text color, background color, table color and line color.
Ok! So, you've supposedly gone through all the sections that are needed in order to complete the resume, and you've applied the style that suits you better. The only ways that you can have the employers receive your application is by either handing it personally to their HR representative or bye-mail.
Resume builder knows about this problem, and has solutions for all job-seekers: for those who choose to personally delivering the application to companies' location there's a print button that will enable them to print out copies of their curriculum vitae, and for all the others that choose to e-mail their application, the SMTP feature has been created.
This enables you to configure a SMTP account that you will use from within the program to send out your application (you can import your MS Outlook settings). When doing this you will have to create a cover letter, so that the employer will get to know you better and have a better first impression. There are six templates that you can use as a starting point and personalize with your own information.
Adding contacts to the "Send to" list is a little bit difficult: for each entry you have to enter the name, e-mail, title, organization and phone number. This is, however, necessary if you're serious about getting a good job: the more thorough and personalized your work is, the more effective your resume will be.
You can also choose to export your resume, and for this you have four options: export to HTML, export to HR-XML, export to Microsoft Word and Export to text format.
If SMTP isn't what you are looking for, maybe uploading to FTP will be better; the program allows you to do so, but due to the trial limitations you'll only be able to upload the HTML, HR-XML and Text format versions.
If you have trouble getting to know the program's menu and options, you can access the help menu, which will give you a better idea about all of these issues. It's well organized, with step by step walkthrough and screenshot indications.
The good
The friendly interface that the program features makes creating a resume an easy task, and gives it a professional look at the same time. There are plenty of templates that you can use as a starting point, and the customization options will ensure that your resume is like no other.
The bad
This is a 9-day trial version, and there are some limitations that can turn out to be annoying: the Evaluation dialog doesn't go away and uploading to FTP is restrictive. If you're looking for a job, the money is a problem, but spending $24.95 could turn out to be a good investment.
The truth
Working with the program is easy and regardless if you're a beginner or a professional resume editor, you'll know what goes where from the first use. There are many features that ease your job hunt mission, and allow you to stand up from the applicants' crowd so that the employer can notice you. And who knows: maybe that position that you've been dreaming of at Softpedia opens up, and when that happens you won't want to be unprepared.
Check out the screenshots below to get a glance at the program in action:
Instalation:
