In today’s job market, finding a job after college can be difficult.

Many people are competing for the limited jobs available and employers are expecting more qualifications than ever before.

A good first impression is extremely important and standing out from the crowd is crucial.

That is why Missouri Southern’s Career Services department is now offering Optimal Résumé.

This online tool can assist job seekers in maximizing their potential and be a great learning tool as well.

Optimal Résumé is easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere. It allows students and alumni to log in to their account and create, manage and edit their cover letters, résumé s and e-portfolios.

The program has more than 100 outlines available that go much further than the templates on Microsoft Word and Works.

Cover letters can be hard to word and may take a job seeker a long time to write. With the Optimal Résumé program, a person can choose from a variety of templates that are categorized by job field.

The résumé  section also uses templates and is easy to format.

Along with templates, Optimal Résumé also offers tips on ways to improve your résumé  such as lists of action words and adjectives, spell check and specific job field outlines.

The program even contains a template that is specific to the education department and people seeking teaching positions.

The e-portfolio tool is a great way for a person to organize and manage projects, papers, videos and much more.

A person can add impressive examples of their work and create a well organized presentation for employers.

Free web space is available for this information, so a simple web link can be given to employers who are interested in seeing examples of work.

Another great aspect of this program is the Hire a Lion link. This link opens a large list of positions that companies currently have available. These job listings are not limited to full-time job seekers.

Part-time positions are also listed and most of them are within a reasonable driving range from campus.

Jennifer Zortman, a health sciences major, has found the Optimal Résumé program to be greatly beneficial.

She was able to use the program to create a powerful cover letter and résumé  plus submit them online. Through the Hire a Lion link, Zortman found a position at Freeman Hospital  that had not yet been posted on their web site. Optimal Résumé  also allowed her to edit her résumé to make it specific to the position that she was applying for.

“People want to hire Missouri Southern students,” said Nicole Brown, director of Career Services. That is why there are hundreds of current job listings available for students and alumni. Brown has worked very hard to rebuild relationships with area employers and has made a lot of progress since she took her position in the fall.

Creating an Optimal Résumé  account is easy and free. Log on to mssu.edu/career to get started today. For assistance using the program or for any questions please visit the career services office located on the 2nd floor of the Spiva Library.