ResuMakers is a startup that was funded through the Innovation Hub at Research Park.
The job-searching process is a strenuous one. Many different aspects go into it, including finding a quality position, filling out the application, and writing a resume and cover letter that are unique for each job sought. With the help of one startup company through the Texas Tech University Innovation Hub at Research Park, that process can become a little easier.
ResuMakers is a website that incorporates data and algorithms to create smart resumes unique to the goals, career, and industry of the person who uses the service.
Victoria Banuelas, chief marketing officer for Resumakers, said the team came up with the idea for the company by utilizing the prior experience members of the team had in career advising and resume critiquing.
"Combined, we helped hundreds of students create and edit their resumes as well as provided individualized career guidance to those students," Banuelas said. "We found a need in the market for an automated smart resume tool focused on students in the early stage of their careers."
ResuMakers then became one of the Innovation Hub's 2017-18 accelerator companies. Banuelas said the company's work with the Innovation Hub provided a $25,000 grant as well as access to top mentors and leaders to guide the company.
A smart resume is one created through different algorithms that are customized from the information provided by the user, Banuelas said. It can be individualized by the person's career, experience, resume goals and design preference.
People in different kinds of positions need different things from a resume. Banuelas said ResuMakers develops these smart resumes specifically tailored to the best practices for a specific industry or career.
"For example, many students may not know that in engineering fields, recruiters prefer your resume to be one page and references are not usually included," Banuelas said. "Therefore, our platform will create a resume that best fits your career."
Banuelas said she hopes the smart resumes the company develops will help students and the users of this service have a greater likelihood of getting job interviews and then, eventually, jobs.
Through the smart resumes, ResuMakers wants to cut down the amount of time for someone to create a resume, Banuelas said. Job seekers can instead spend the extra time that would have been spent on the resume on interview preparation, cover letters, and salary negotiations.
As the company grows in the future, Banuelas said she wants the company to cover more than resumes.
"We believe the company will grow into an all-encompassing career services platform," Banuelas said. "We want this company to be a place where someone searching for a job can retrieve all the necessary skills, tools and guidance needed to successfully pursue any career."
The goal for the company is to make all careers possible for everyone, Banuelas said. Expanding from only covering resumes will help ResuMakers achieve that goal.
Banuelas said the advice she has for other companies working with the Innovation Hub is to take advantage of the people you have access to in the program. All the people associated with the Innovation Hub are leaders and experts in their fields and the Innovation Hub gives everyone, including students, the opportunity to launch a start-up company.
"Our advice to students wanting to begin a start-up company is to just do it," Banuelas said. "Don't allow fear of failure prevent you from pursuing a passion you have."
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