Looking for a job can be a big job in itself. Whether you need to write a resume, track your networking contacts, or build a portfolio, Office can help you do that and more. Try these tips for using Office to help manage your job hunt.

Graduates and other job seekers who use these tips also show prospective employers that they are proficient in using the same software tools that an estimated 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies¹ use. So once you're on the job, you can continue to use these tips to help you shine.

Use professional resume templates from the Web

If you use Microsoft Word to create your resume, you can get a jump-start with the dozens of resume and cover letter templates available on the Templates site on Office Online. And after your interview, you can return to Templates on Microsoft Office Online for follow-up letter templates.

For more ideas on resumes and cover letters, see the articles Get Started on Your Job Hunt with Word and Templates on Office Online and Keep Cover Letters with Your Resume in Word.

Templates on Office Online also features templates for business plans, accounting spreadsheets, and more. Use them to make a splash at your first business meeting or to draft your first report for your boss.

Get a second opinion by using reviewing tools

Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint® offer a set of editing and reviewing features that make it easy to send your resume to a professor, mentor, or friend for proofreading. It is easy to merge their changes into your original document. With the enhanced reviewing capabilities in Office XP, you can review several people's suggestions, distinguished by color, at once. And you can use less paper, too!

To find out how to use the reviewing features in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, see The Review Cycle in Office: Comment on Documents.

Power up your portfolio with PowerPoint and Microsoft Producer

A PowerPoint presentation is an easy way to display your work portfolio in an interesting way. PowerPoint can make your work easy to read and professional looking, and by using it you can show your prospective employer that you have remarkable presentation-making skills.

You also can download Microsoft Producer for PowerPoint as a free add-on to narrate your PowerPoint slides with video and/or audio and to automatically post your presentation to the Web. This is especially handy if you're applying for a broadcast or advertising position. (Depending on your Internet service provider, connect-time charges may apply.)

Note  To install Microsoft Producer, see Producer for PowerPoint. You need to have PowerPoint and either Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000 to download Microsoft Producer.

Use vCards in Outlook to send contact information

Microsoft Office Outlook® supports the use of vCards, the Internet standard for creating and sharing virtual business cards. By adding a vCard to your e-mail signature, you can include your contact information with each e-mail message you send.

Also, when you receive a vCard, you can double-click it to open it as a contact item that you can easily save to your Outlook Contacts folder.

To include a vCard with your e-mail signature

1. On the Tools menu in Outlook, click Options and then click the Mail Format tab.
2. Under Signature, click Signatures and then click New.
3. Type your signature, select the options you want, and then click Next.
4. Under vCard options, click a vCard in the list or click New vCard from Contact.

Add watermarks to give your resume style

To add a little style to your resume, apply a watermark text, graphics, or pictures that appear as a muted background behind the text in your document. In a business scenario, you can use watermarks to indicate that a document is confidential or a draft. With Word, adding a watermark to a document is easier than ever.

To add a watermark

1. On the Format menu in Word, point to Background and then click Printed Watermark. (To see this option, make sure you are in Normal or Print Layout view on the View menu.)
2. Do one of the following:
   • To insert a picture as a watermark, click Picture watermark and then click Select Picture. Click the picture you want, and then click Apply.
   • To insert a text watermark, click Text watermark, and then select or enter the text you want, and click Apply.
3. To view a watermark as it will appear on the printed page, click Print Layout on the View menu.

Note  To see your watermark on the screen, on the View menu, click Print Layout. Or, on the File menu, click Print Preview.

Track your prospects and progress

Organizing interview trips and tracking company contacts—not to mention your progress and impressions—can become a paper-trail nightmare. Set yourself up for success by using Excel to organize all your data in a single spreadsheet for easy reference.

By using the Sort feature, you can easily reorganize your list in alphabetical order by company name, contact name, company location, or sent or unsent resumes or letters. You can also use Excel on the weekends to track your favorite sports scores.

Ensure speedy delivery of your resume

These days, employers often receive hundreds of resumes by e-mail within 24 hours of posting job openings on the Internet. Don't get left behind by sending yours through “snail mail.” Send your documents as Word attachments using Outlook. Or send your text in the body of an Outlook e-mail message in plain text or using HTML, whichever the employer prefers.

Be sure to find out exactly how the recruiter wants to receive your resume—for example, don't send an attachment if they prefer plain text, and vice versa.

Keep yourself organized

Outlook is useful not only for sending your resume electronically but also for keeping track of appointments and deadlines with its calendaring tools. Further, you can set it up to remind you when it's time to follow up with contacts. And you can store your to-do list in your Outlook Tasks folder.

Market yourself with your own Web site

Use the Microsoft FrontPage® Web site creation and management tool to build your own Web site to market your skills and portfolio on the Internet. Not only will you stand out to potential employers, but you'll also catch the attention of recruiters, who scour the Web for resumes daily.

Creating your own home page also shows you're comfortable with the technologies that organizations use regularly.

The more familiar you are with common software products before starting your new job, the easier your first few months on the job will be. Knowing a few tips and tricks can help you hit the ground running and make an immediate impact.

¹ “Enabling Adults and Kids to Get Started,” Chandra Devi, The New Straits Times, May 6, 2002