how to use Manual
Hi there! Welcome to Manual. This is our help center where we post tutorials and answer FAQs — we do our best to keep it updated in real time, but we’re a very small team with lots to do. If you have feedback or questions this site can’t answer, we’d truly love to hear from you on our Discord.
what is Manual?
Manual is a platform where you can tell the full story of who you are at work. Our mission is to make work a better place to be by building more self awareness and empathy. We think that starts by helping people replace the broken, ridiculously outmoded job application process with something much better and more adaptable than a resume.
People who use our platform create a personal manual — like a set of operating instructions for a person. You can then use our AI-backed tools to gather insights on how you can best work with others, or create a custom glimpse of your profile tailored to a specific context and audience.
examples of real manuals in the wild
You can see if your friends or colleagues are on Manual by looking them up in the search bar, or sending them an invite!
what information is included in my manual?
The default elements of a complete manual are your name, a photo, a handful of questions about how you like to work, and a bio. When you set up your manual for the first time, you’ll be taken through a series of other questions around your work style, communication style, and preferences. If you have a hard time writing about yourself, you’ll have the option to take a multiple-choice assessment and generate first draft answers to edit in your own words.
Your profile also includes a section called vitals — things we think are important for coworkers to know about one another. Some of these might seem oddly personal for a work context. We’ve included things like relationship status, love language, and religion because we want to give you the option to represent whatever information you deem most important.
Any part of your profile can be edited by hitting the button in the top right of each section.
what is a glimpse?
A glimpse is basically a custom URL that combines the best of a resume, a cover letter, a personality quiz, and a personal social profile. When you create a glimpse, you have the option to tailor the content to a specific job listing, conference application, or any situation where you need to pitch yourself to somebody who doesn’t know you yet. The result is great for helping your name stand out in a pile of old-school PDF applications. Here’s a little demo video from our head of product, Chris Grayson:
You can either add an attachment to a glimpse when you create it for the first time, or head to glimpses in the navigation menu, hit edit > edit attachments > toggle the the “include attachments” option on.
In the future, we’ll likely add the ability to upload multiple files in more formats — stay tuned.
how do people get in touch with me?
Rather than sharing your email address with the world or giving you yet another inbox to manage, Manual puts you in control of how, where, and with whom you want to talk to potential employers, candidates, or whoever else you’re sharing your glimpses with. When you create a glimpse, a get in touch button is automatically included on your profile. When viewers hit this button, they’ll be prompted with a form to fill out their email, phone number, and a short message. Once they submit, you’ll receive an email at whatever address is associated with your Manual account — then you can decide if you want to respond to the request.
what am I supposed to do with my manual?
Some people use their Manual or a glimpse as a replacement, or in addition to, a standard resume. We’ve also seen them linked in Instagram bios, on LinkedIn, or e-mail signatures.
does it cost money?
Creating your Manual is free for everyone. You can create up to 3 custom versions of your Manual — which we call a glimpse — tailored to a specific job listing, hosted on a unique URL. Free users also have the ability to use our insights feature, where you can ask questions about yourself, get advice based on your profile, and even ask questions about other people on Manual.
In case you are wondering, the reason why it costs money to upgrade for more glimpses or insights is because we don’t want to sell your data or build a business around ad sales.
about our team
Read more here – and don't forget to check out our open roles!