Staples joins the office supply store war with free resumes, business cards

First, it was FedEx Office, and then Office Depot. Now Staples wants you to know that you can copy your resume for free at its stores, from Monday, April 27 through June 13.

Its giveaway is a little different than its predecessors. FedEx Kinko's was only for a full day, though it can take credit for thinking of this promotion first. And it let people print out 25 copies. Office Depot went with 25 copies as well -- but its promotion period lasts over a month, ending on May 30. And it's letting people fax their copies to five domestic numbers for free.

Staples' free resume giveaway lasts, as noted until June 13, but... is only letting people copy their resume 20 times. But it's also letting customers design and proof business cards, and it which point the chain will then give them 40 free business cards.

This is available at every Staples across the United States, and it's also launched a new web site aimed at job seekers. I don't think the advice on the site will be mind-blowing to anyone, but it does provide some solid information for people who are recently having to think about things like how to write a resume ("Select strong action verbs, concrete nouns and concise phrases and clauses for easier readability," the site suggests).

At any rate, if you're going to be unemployed, the free resumes and business cards is a nice break. I just wonder what Michael Scott at Dunder-Mifflin (from The Office) would say about this. After all, isn't paper supposed to be expensive?