Creating Friendly Electronic Resumes
By Vicki S. Steere
President, CareersColorado

Creating Friendly Electronic Resumes By Vicki S. Steere President, CareersColorado Have you ever been asked to send an "electronic" resume? Probably not in so many words. An electronic resume is simply any form of resume that is sent or used in conjunction with computers. The technology savvy Human Resources department will use phrases like ėcould you email it to me'? Or... "could you fax it to me so we can scan into our database"? Or... "I saw your resume on the internet".

Why Spend the Extra Time

So, you're changing jobs and brushing up your resume. Do you need a separate resume to be sent in this format? Yes, most definitely. Why? Just like employers today expect you to customize your resume and cover letter for their opening, they also appreciate candidates who customize their resume for their technology. The easier and quicker it is for the hiring company to receive and read your resume, the easier and quicker it is for them to hire you.

Email is a great tool for sending resumes to companies. It's quick, it's efficient, it's environmentally friendly, and it causes havoc. That's right, it causes havoc. If you're a Human Resources professional on the receiving end, trying to decipher every document format known to man is more trouble than it's worth. And email is just one form of the electronic resume. Like every other department within a company, the Human Resources departments are becoming more and more automated.

How to Convert Your Resume It's not necessary to go out and spend hundreds of dollars having someone write a separate resume. The main difference between a regular resume and an electronic resume is simply formatting. The following are some tips to help convert your current resume into an electronic-friendly resume:

Remember, an electronic resume does not have to be as pretty. When HR is using computer databases, they're looking for content, not looks.

Always bring a clean resume with you to the interview. While the electronic resume content got you the interview, you are still looking to impress at the interview.

Always ask before faxing a ėscannable' resume format. There are still many HR departments that are not automated and prefer to see your formatted resume.

Do not fax both a "scannable" and regular resume unless asked to do so.

When sending an email:

Copy the text of your resume directly into the email, whenever possible. This does 2 things.. 1) You have the most control over what it looks like, and 2) viewing and printing the resume can be done in one place.

If you are sending an attachment, ask the individual what word processing software they use, including the version. If you have MSWord 7.0 and are sending it to an office that is still using MSWord 6.0, they can't read it. If you are uncertain of what software they are using, save your word processing file in .txt or .rtf formats.

Left justify all information within the resume. Many searchable resume systems do not understand indenting or columns. And while they will all understand key words, when the resume is printed by the company, the formatting will not look like you intended it. Some examples include

REGULAR Resume
Objective:To work for......

ELECTRONIC Resume
Objective
To work for...

REGULAR Resume
Computer Skills:
•MSWord
•Access
•Excel
•Windows '95
•Unix Etc.

ELECTRONIC Resume
Computer Skills: MSWord, Access, Excel, Windows '95, Unix, Etc.

Remove bullets, graphics and other special characters. Many databases or emails still do not recognize these, and they will choose a character they do understand, making your resume again appear differently than you intended.

Do not create a separate section for key words. All softwares will search the entire resume. Just ensure that the key words are represented with the text.

When placing your resume on an internet resume bank or sending it to a headhunter or staffing company, generic is better. But don't be so generic that you'll get skipped in key word searches. For instance if you're willing to work in either accounting or finance, include both in your objective. Again, after you receive the interview, follow up with a more detailed and directed resume.