Natalee Roan
May 4th, 2009
What if you could see the resumes of candidates that are competing for similar jobs, just like employers do? Let’s face it – many job seekers have never seen a resume for their job description other than their own, so they have no idea what their competition looks like. A competitive resume review is just what the doctor ordered. Every company researches what their competitors are up to – why shouldn’t you?
There are several sites where employers can conduct resume searches for free – go ahead, sign up as an employer for a change! One website I like is Jobvertise. It’s not as comprehensive as the largest job boards and their free employer account won’t let you see resumes posted within 21 days, but for doing a gut-check on how your resume stacks up, that doesn’t matter. You’re just trying to get an idea of what’s out there. To see the free resumes, just sign up for a free employer account, go to the "Search Resumes Now" section, and click to begin a search. When you get the results, note that you won’t be able to see the first few pages of resumes unless you upgrade to a premium account. Hit the "next" key under the results a few times until the resumes are no longer in bold type – those are the ones you can check out for free. Although there are other sites that let employers review resumes for free, if you’re seeking a manager-level job or above, or you’re in a technical specialty, I highly recommend trialing the larger job boards as an employer so you can do a more thorough competitive resume review. It’s worth the few hundred dollars in this competitive job market. Get together with other job seekers and share the cost!
There are a few benefits to going through this competitive resume review process:
