I spent the last month testing every free job search tool I could find. Most were terrible — bloated with signup walls, upsells, and "premium features" that should be free.
Here are the ones that actually work. Every single one is genuinely free — no trial periods, no credit card required, no "free tier" that limits you to 3 uses.
Resume & Application Tools
ATS Resume Checker
What it does: Paste your resume text and a job description, get an instant match score showing how well your resume aligns with the posting.
Why it matters: Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to filter resumes before a human sees them. If your resume doesn't contain the right keywords, you're rejected automatically. An ATS checker shows you the gaps before you hit submit.
Where: charliemorrison.dev/resume-checker — runs entirely in your browser, no data sent anywhere.
Job Description Keyword Extractor
What it does: Paste any job posting, get a categorized breakdown of every keyword — technical skills, soft skills, tools, certifications, action verbs. Color-coded by frequency.
Why it matters: Instead of guessing which words to put in your resume, you see exactly what the employer is looking for. Keywords mentioned 3+ times are the ones they really care about.
Where: charliemorrison.dev/job-keywords
Cover Letter Generator
What it does: Input your background and the job details, get a tailored cover letter that hits the right notes for that specific role.
Why it matters: Generic cover letters get ignored. Tailored ones that reference the specific role and company stand out — but writing them from scratch for every application is exhausting.
Where: charliemorrison.dev/cover-letter
LinkedIn & Networking
LinkedIn Headline Generator
What it does: Enter your role and skills, get multiple headline formulas optimized for recruiter search.
Why it matters: Your LinkedIn headline is the most important piece of text in your job search. Recruiters search by keywords in headlines, and a generic "Software Engineer at XYZ" gets lost in the noise.
Where: charliemorrison.dev/linkedin-headline
Follow-Up Email Generator
What it does: Creates professional follow-up emails for post-interview, post-application, and post-networking situations.
Why it matters: 80% of candidates never follow up. A well-timed follow-up email puts you ahead of everyone who didn't bother.
Where: charliemorrison.dev/follow-up-email
Interview Preparation
Interview Prep Tool
What it does: Enter the role you're applying for, get curated practice questions — behavioral, technical, situational — with frameworks for structuring your answers.
Why it matters: The difference between a mediocre interview and a great one is preparation. Most people wing it. Don't be most people.
Where: charliemorrison.dev/interview-prep
Job Tracking & Organization
Huntr (External)
What it does: Visual job tracker with a Kanban board for managing applications. Also includes a resume builder and contact manager.
Why it matters: Once you're applying to 20+ jobs, you need a system. Spreadsheets work but Huntr is purpose-built for job hunting — saved jobs, application status, interview dates, contact info all in one place.
Where: huntr.co — free tier is genuinely usable.
Google Sheets Job Tracker Template
If you prefer spreadsheets, a simple template with columns for: Company, Role, Date Applied, Status, Contact, Follow-Up Date, and Notes works fine. The key is having a system, not which system you use.
How to Use These Together
Here's the workflow I'd recommend:
- Find a job posting you're interested in
- Run it through the Keyword Extractor to identify must-have keywords
- Update your resume to include those keywords naturally
- Check your resume with the ATS Checker against the job description
- Generate a tailored cover letter with the Cover Letter tool
- Apply and log it in your tracker
- Follow up 5-7 days later using the email generator
- Prep for the interview when you hear back
This entire process takes about 20 minutes per application. Compare that to blasting out the same generic resume 50 times and hoping for the best.
The Tool That's Missing
Honestly, the one tool I wish existed is a real-time job market analyzer — something that scrapes current postings and tells you which skills are trending up or down in your target role. If you know of one, drop it in the comments.
All the tools above (except Huntr) run at charliemorrison.dev — 100% client-side, no signup, no data collection. I built them because the paid alternatives charge $30/month for features that should be free.