April 30, 2009
Staples offers free printing and resume help
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NWjobs
A couple of days ago, I blogged on Hire Ground about the rise of the pocket résumé among many job seekers who want to be ready to network at a moment's notice. The same day of that post, I heard about another development about printed materials from office supply store Staples that will make it a bit easier for you to print a spiffy résumé and create your own personalized business cards.
As part of what it's calling its Career Stimulus Program (Early prediction: The word "stimulus" will be the #1 most overused buzzword of 2009), Staples will offer customers nationwide the printing of 20 free single-sided résumés, in black-and-white or color, and 40 instant business cards from now through June 13. According to the store, Staples is the only national retailer to offer custom-designed business cards in as little as 30 minutes.
Obviously, Staples is making this seven-week offer in the hopes of luring in more paying customers in a bad economy, but they are also giving back in the form of free advice for job seekers. Partnering with CareerBuilder.com, Tory Johnson of Women For Hire and Southworth paper, Staples is posting advice about how to begin your job search, update your résumé, prepare for an interview and network more effectively.
Some of Tory Johnson's résumé and interviewing advice on the Staples site include:
- Incorporate keywords from a prospective employer's job posting in your résumé and cover letter, so your résumé appears toward the top.
- Include only relevant information for prospective employers that support your candidacy and focus on skills and experiences needed for the job.
- Research the employer, its competitors and the industry trends. Be knowledgeable about the current headlines and financial issues impacting the field.
- Keep updating and refreshing your online résumé as you add to your skill set through courses, volunteering, interim projects or other work experience.
- Find out more about the person who will be interviewing you and ask that person some questions about his or her background instead of talking only about yourself.
Twenty free résumés and 40 business cards may not seem like much given the tough task of finding a job during a recession. And if you want to order any more in-store cards beyond the free ones, the price goes back to between $4 and $40 for 100 cards, depending on card stock, design and color selection.
But these days, every little bit helps. It's wise to take advantage of any free offer you can find. A quick search on the Staples site found 15 stores within 20 miles of the Seattle area, so there's bound to be one near you.
Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.
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Karen Burns is the author of The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl, a career guide based on her 59 jobs over 40 years in 22 cities.
Lisa Quast is a certified career coach, mentor, business consultant, former corporate executive and author based in the Seattle area.
Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.
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Every little bit helps -- right on.
VistaPrint.com has a "stimulus program" going on, too(even though it's been going on for years based on how long I've been getting their spam emails): 250 free full-color business cards. I believe these free ones come with a catch: VistaPrint prints their company name and website address on the backs of these cards.
VistaPrint
http://www.vistaprint.com/
And don't forget about your local public library. The King County Library System(KCLS) announced today new services to help job-seekers:
New KCLS Job-Seeker Resources
http://www.kcls.org/looktoyourlibrary/
Good luck to all!
RH
zomackadindin@yahoo.com
I also recommend the library. In addition to books and free computer use, they have a subscription to the online database, ResumeBuilder. ResumeBuilder offers tools for creating and printing resumes. It also includes writing tips, cover letter tips, and 500 interview questions to help prepare.
http://www.kcls.org/databases/subject_categories.cfm#careers
The library also provides all card holders with 75 free pages of printing each week, all included as part of our library service.
-Sean