Getting professional help with your resume is great if you can afford it.

But here's a way you can polish up your resume for free. It's a computer program that helps you with resume style, format, even the best phrases to help your resume stand out.

Many resumes are immediately disregarded because they miss the mark -- too much of the wrong information, too little of what employers want. With the help of a computer program called Resume Builders, you can give your resume a better chance of getting attention.

Resume Builder walks you through the steps of creating a professional resume. Ordinarily, you have to pay to use the service. But at your local library, it's free!

You can choose from more than a dozen resume styles and formats, from chronological, to functional, to targeted resumes for a specific position.

Resume Builder even shows you how the different styles and formats should look. All you have to do is follow the prompts and fill in the blanks. The program even helps you wording your resume, so you use language that stands out.

"It will suggest phrases to you, so if you're looking for language. It's a really good resource for that." said Lisa Fraser, a librarian at the Bellevue Regional Library.

Your resume stays on file for your eyes only as long as you keep the account. Once you have the access code, you can long onto the public library Web site and access Resume Builder from home. And it's free.

Fraser says the site is especially helpful for people who are trying to look for a job in a different field that where they most recently worked.

"I'm not sure that very many people really know about it," said Fraser.

You can find Resume Builder at all libraries in King County Library System, the Seattle Public Library System, and most other public libraries around the state. The service is also available through WorkSource.

In addition to free resume assistance, local libraries also offer free use of other databases that can help you find potential employers who might not be advertising their openings.

Also ask about:

WOIS/The Career Information System: Describes dozens of different jobs, including duties, educational requirements and job outlook. It's specific to Washington state and included salary profiles.

Reference USA: Lets you identify employers based on specific criteria including field, county and number of employees. Provides names and titles of principals in the companies, details about the business and its functions and names of business competitors.

Morningstar: A well-respected source for detailed financial information on publicly traded companies including financial statements and company filings.

Factiva: Detailed company and market information. Includes SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis and peer group layouts, plus articles from business publications that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

Business & Company Resource Center: Provides information on the history, finances, products and service of hundreds of companies and dozens of industries. Also contains news, and investment reports.

Mango Languages: Lessons in a variety of languages, especially helpful for people for whom English is a second language.

Most of these databases costs hundreds of dollars. Libraries routinely buy them for free use by community residents who have a library card, since their tax dollars help pay for the resources in the library.