Pierce County Library System announces a free career assistance service, in cooperation with Resume Maker.

People may access the Resume Maker service free with a current Pierce County Library card through the library’s Web site, piercecountylibrary.org, search site: resume maker. People may also use the service by using public computers for free at all Pierce County library branches.

The service offers breakthrough technology in three areas: resumes and letters, interviews and salary, and job search tools. Certified professional career counselors developed the Resume Maker software.

Resume Maker provides guided resumes in dozens of styles in formats proven to be preferred by employers. It also offers letters for every career situation using samples written by professionals.

The service includes video simulations representing top interview questions, hundreds of interview questions and answers, information about salary standards, and salary negotiation tips.

Through Resume Maker people may search millions of jobs and companies, consult a job search checklist, access federal forms for government positions, and create a portfolio.

In addition to this free online service, the library offers free computer classes to help people learn or brush up on computer skills to search for and find jobs.

With the current economic situation, some of the people using the library’s computers have said they cancelled their high-speed Internet at home and are now using the library’s free public computers with high-speed Internet to access their e-mail, search and apply for jobs online, and write resumes. In addition, the library is helping people who are entirely new to searching for jobs or have been out of the job market for years.

Pierce County Library has been providing the free services people are asking for, and in this tough economic time the library is responding with more offerings to meet people’s needs as they look for employment and money-saving ideas.