I came across someone selling CS resume templates on social media. I checked it out, and for $39 (that is currently 25% on sale), you get access to a fill-in-the-blanks google doc along with some different themes of the same doc.

The sale site made it sound like the resume put you on a sure path to getting a FAANG job. I know many will pay for the idea of an easy jumpstart to their dream job, but I know others out there are new to tech, overwhelmed with learning, maybe even short on funds, and out desperation spend money on this since it was the first person they came across, and they want to believe this is it.

Maybe we can't do much about that, but what if we make resume-making more accessible/approachable? I know you can make an AST-friendly resume for free. Checking in on the "Who wants to be hired?" threads provide real resumes you could look through for inspiration, to guide yourself. There are so many discord communities out there just for SWE career prep that help people out, but I guess the problem is reach—not getting to the newcomers where the other influencers are.

Are there any popular FOSS resume generator? How can we improve awareness for people trying to make a resume for free?

(I learned to create my resume after adapting a free investment banking resume[1] and tailored it to CS and then rewrote it in LaTeX, but I know I'm not a good example. Hoping HN has better strategies for new developers and that they might come across this post in the future)

[1] https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/free-investment-banking-resume-template/