5 Steps to an E-friendly Résumé

2012-06-14
From: MSN Careers
Today’s Internet-driven world has changed the way we look and applyfor jobs. Gone are the days of handwritten cover letters, typewritten reacutesumeacutes and hand-delivered job applications. Given the increasing number ofonline job boardsthat require Web-based applications, many employers don’t want a hard copy of your reacutesumeacute. Instead, they’ll ask you to submit an electronic reacutesumeacute, either online or via e-mail.

Electronic reacutesumeacutes are plain text or HTML documents, which can also be included in the body of an e-mail for job applications online. It may not be as attractive as your word-formatted reacutesumeacute in all its bulleted, bold-text, fancy-font glory, but it gets the job done.

Why you need one

When anemployerasks you to submit your application materials via e-mail or online, your reacutesumeacute will be entered into an automated applicant-tracking system. These systems don’t care what your reacutesumeacute looks like physically, which is why it’s imperative you reformat yours so the database can read it. The system will scan your reacutesumeacute (along with hundreds of others), keeping those with keywords similar to the company’s job descriptions and discarding the rest.

Make sure you keep a hard (and visually appealing) copy of your reacutesumeacute on hand – not all employers are up-to-date on the latest technologies and may still require a paper copy. Plus, you’ll need one to give to employers at all of your interviews.

Here are five easy steps to format your existing reacutesumeacute into an e-friendly work of art.

1. Remove all formatting from your original reacutesumeacute.
Unfortunately, the same formatting that makes your reacutesumeacute nice to look at makes it almost impossible for a computer to understand.

To remove the formatting, open your word-processed reacutesumeacute and choose the quotSave Asquot option under the quotFilequot tab on your toolbar. Save the document type as Plain Text or Text Only. In the following dialog box, choose the option to insert line breaks.

2. Use Notepad, WordPad or SimpleText to reformat.
Close your original reacutesumeacute document and reopen the text version using editing software like Notepad, WordPad or SimpleText. Your text version should be free of most graphic elements, like fancy fonts, lines and bullets. Text should be flush with the left side of the document.

3. Stick to a simple font and style.
Use clear, sans-serif fonts, like Courier, Arial or Helvetica. This way, the computer won’t mistake your fancy lettering for a jumbled word.

Use a 12-point font anything smaller won’t scan well. Also, stay away from italics or underlining. Rather than using boldface type, try using capital letters to separate sections like education and experience.

Instead of using bullets, use such standard keyboard characters as an asterisk or a dash. Instead of using the quotTabquot key, use the space key to indent. Make sure all headings – like your name, address, phone and e-mail – appear on separate lines, with a blank line before and after.

4. Apply keywords.
Applicant-tracking systems scan reacutesumeacutes for keywords that match thecompany’s job descriptions. Fill your reacutesumeacute accordingly with such words (as they pertain to your experience), but remember that using the same word five times won’t increase your chances of getting called in for an interview.

Place the most important words first, since the scanner may be limited in the number of words it reads. Use nouns instead of verbs. For example: quotcommunications specialist,quot quotsales representativequot or quotcomputer proficiencyquot is better than quotmanaged,quot quotdevelopedquot or quotgenerated.quot

Additionally, avoid abbreviations as best you can. Spell out phrases like quotbachelor of sciencequot or quotmaster of business administration.quot

5. Test it out.
After you’ve reformatted your reacutesumeacute into a text document, make sure it really is e-friendly. Practice sending your new reacutesumeacute via e-mail to yourself, as well as friends who use a different Internet service provider. For example, if you use AOL, send it a friend who uses MSN Hotmail.

Send your e-reacutesumeacute pasted in the body of an e-mail, rather as an attachment. Have your friend alert you to any errors that show when they open it, like illegibility and organization. After getting feedback, make any necessary adjustments.

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