Free Resume Help
Where to get free help with your resume from real people, and how to get the most out of a review.
You usually do not need to pay anyone for a strong resume. Write it yourself, then have a free coach or volunteer review it. The programs below can connect you with that help.
Where free resume help comes from
Free help with a resume comes from three places: your state's career centers, nonprofit programs, and volunteer recruiters and job search groups. Each program below was confirmed to offer free resume help when it was added. Check who each one serves before you reach out.
Start with your state's career centers if you can. Every state runs free career centers where you can get help from real people. The one near me staffs retired recruiters from Fortune 500 companies who will sit down and work on your resume with you at no cost. That is one center. What each one offers varies. Find your state's career centers.
Before you ask for a review
- Write it yourself first. Writing about your own work teaches you to sell yourself and builds your confidence in talking about it, and it gives a reviewer something real to react to.
- Aim it at one target role.
- Bring a real job posting for that role, so the reviewer can see what you are aiming for.
- Make sure everything on it is defensible. If someone asks about anything on it, you should be able to speak to it right away.
What a good review gives you
A good review helps you frame what you have done. You lived it, so that part is not the hard part. The help you may need is framing it well: what a reader will miss, what to cut, and what to say more clearly.
One exception. If you are in a pinch and need to land a job quickly, by all means use a free service that will write your resume for you. Hire Heroes USA does this for veterans and military spouses, and DE Employment Solutions does it in the Washington, DC area. Ideally, though, writing your resume is a skill you learn and keep up. Update it every few months while you are working, so that if you are ever displaced, you are not in a pinch. Either way, it is worth learning to write it yourself. It teaches you to sell yourself, and you can manage your own resume without anything getting lost between you and a resume writer. The other programs on this page can teach you how.
A word on free resume tools
Some resume builders let you build for free and then charge to download the finished file. Check that before you put an hour into one.
Next step
Once your resume is in good shape, start practicing how you talk about it. Step 7 of the playbook covers telling your story.
The list below is a short, hand-picked selection. For more free coaching programs, see the full Nonprofits and free career coaching directory.
National programs
National programs for resume help, most of them online. Each has its own rules, so check who qualifies before you reach out.
Career Network Ministry (CNM) careernetworkministry.com
Volunteers from HR and recruiting review your resume for free. You email it in Word format and get written suggestions. A Christian group that is open to people of any faith or none.
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Crossroads Career crossroadscareer.org
A free 45-minute video call with a volunteer guide who has hiring or HR experience, covering resumes, interviews, and networking. Faith-based: the guides share the ministry's Christian faith.
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Hopeful Fridays / Accountability & Hopeful Fridays hopefulfridays.org
A free community for people in a career transition, with one-on-one resume reviews, group resume workshops, and weekly online meetings. Register on the site to join.
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Merit America: Job Search Accelerator meritamerica.org
A free six-week program with weekly one-on-one coaching on your resume, cover letter, and interviews. About seven hours a week. For adults 18 and over with a high school diploma or GED who can work in the U.S.
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Pay Forward Coaching payforwardcoaching.com
Volunteer coaches give free one-on-one sessions and a free resume review. Apply for the review on the site. It is a new service with no set turnaround time.
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Recruiters Give Back recruitersgiveback.org
Volunteer recruiters talk through your resume on a call of about 45 minutes, free. You must be unemployed, and you book by email. They ask people who can afford it to use a paid partner. Run by Recruiters Give Back Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong.
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Filters
Find help near you
Directories of local job clubs and search groups. Some of the groups review resumes, so ask each one.
CareerUSA job-club directory careerusa.org
A finder for job clubs in a list of U.S. metro areas, from a Dallas nonprofit. What each group offers varies.
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Crossroads Career groups crossroadscareer.org
A finder for faith-based job search groups, workshops, and mentors near your ZIP code. Whether a group helps with resumes varies, so ask the group.
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My Networking Central mynetworkingcentral.com
A searchable directory of job search and networking groups. Some groups list resume reviews or workshops, so check each group's entry.
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Local programs
Help in specific states and cities. Use the State filter to find one near you.
Chrysalis changelives.org
Free one-on-one resume writing session and practice interviews with an employment specialist at centers across Southern California. Start with an orientation.
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DE Employment Solutions Inc. (DEES) yourdees.org
Send your resume and a job posting, and get back a revised resume, a tailored cover letter, and 50 interview questions, free, within five business days. Serves the Washington, DC area.
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Dress for Success Arizona dfsphoenix.org
Free resume and cover letter help, mock interviews, and skills classes for women at the Career Center in Phoenix. Book an appointment on the site.
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Dress for Success Indianapolis indydfs.org
Free resume assistance, interview practice, and a computer lab for women in the Indianapolis area. Email the career coach to book an appointment.
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Dress for Success Washington, DC dcdressforsuccess.org
A free one-on-one volunteer career coach for women, from building your resume and cover letter to preparing for interviews. Serves the Washington, DC area.
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Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago goodwillgreatermc.org
Free resume help at Workforce Connection Centers in greater Milwaukee and Chicago. Staff walk you through writing it yourself and do not write it for you.
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Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee giveit2goodwill.org
Free one-on-one career coaching with personal guidance on crafting a resume and preparing for interviews, at Goodwill career centers in Middle Tennessee.
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Goodwill of Southern Nevada goodwillvegas.org
Free resume workshops and one-on-one career coaching at Goodwill career centers in the Las Vegas area.
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Goodwill of the Heartland goodwillheartland.org
Free support with resumes and job searches from Goodwill career navigators, online or in person. Request a short virtual call to get started.
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Goodwill Southern Rivers goodwillsr.org
Free career center classes and help with resumes, job searches, and applications at Goodwill Southern Rivers career centers.
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Grace Job Seekers NetWORK gracejobseekersnetwork.org
A Christian job seekers group in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. Members get free resume help from an HR professional. The program is free, but there is an optional $5 workbook.
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Holy Archangels Parish Job & Networking Ministry holyarchangelsparish.org
A parish job ministry in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with free events open to all. Offers resume preparation and critiquing, interview skills, and networking.
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Specific communities
Programs that serve a particular community.
Hire Autism hireautism.org
Free virtual help from volunteer Navigators with resume and cover letter writing, for autistic job seekers. You create an account and sign an agreement first, then work with a Navigator.
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Upwardly Global upwardlyglobal.org
Free coaching for immigrant, refugee, and asylee professionals, including help building a U.S.-style resume. Eligibility rules apply, such as arriving in the U.S. within the last 10 years.
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Veterans and military families
Free help for service members, veterans, and military spouses. Hire Heroes USA will write your resume for you, and the others help you with your own.
American Corporate Partners (ACP) acp-usa.org
A free year-long mentorship with a corporate professional that includes resume review and interview practice. For post-9/11 veterans, service members, and certain military spouses.
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Hire Heroes USA hireheroesusa.org
Free career advisors who rewrite your resume for civilian employers. For veterans of any era and military spouses. Register on the site to be matched with an advisor.
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Still Serving Veterans ssv.org
Free hands-on resume help from veteran career coaches, in person or online. For transitioning service members, National Guard, Reservists, and veterans.
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USO Transition Program uso.org
Free one-on-one help from a USO transition specialist, with resume building, plus virtual sessions on federal resumes. For active duty, Reserve, Guard, and military spouses.
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Warriors to Work (Wounded Warrior Project) woundedwarriorproject.org
Free career counseling, resume help, and interview preparation for injured post-9/11 veterans and their families. You register with Wounded Warrior Project first, and WWP decides who is eligible.
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