How To Format Your Resume For Internet Job Searching

Email resumes...Web resumes...HTML resumes...Scannable resumes... Keyword resumes...Text resumes...ASCII resumes...PDF resumes...Word resumes...Traditional resumes...

A resume is a resume, right? But then, what are all these different types of resumes you keep hearing about? If you are confused and not quite sure what is being referred to when you hear all these different names for resumes, you are certainly not alone!

Over the past decade, the most common resume-related questions asked by job hunters have progressively shifted. While still of major importance, the majority of queries are no longer about functional versus chronological resume styles, whether to keep or remove experience from twenty-five years ago, or whether to include dates of education. With the advent and subsequent explosive increase in the use of the Internet during the job search, questions have turned overwhelmingly to issues of electronic resume creation and transmission.

What are the different types of electronic resumes?

What are the differences between an e-mail resume, a scannable resume, and a web resume?

How do I know which resume format to use?

How do I format my electronic resume to ensure that the recipient can read it?

No wonder there is so much confusion! In just a few short years, there has been a complete revolution in the tools and techniques of job hunting. As applicant tracking technologies have come into common use among headhunter firms, large corporations, and even mid-size and small businesses, recommended resume formats and methods of transmission have rapidly evolved with the advancing technologies. Further complicating things, have been the increasing availability of personal web space for online resume portfolios and biographies.

What does this mean for today's job hunter? While the Internet has opened unprecedented doors of opportunity in the job search process, for those who have not taken the time to learn and apply the rules it can mean disaster!

While few job hunters have time to spend months studying the most recent technologies and recommendations for the creation of electronic resumes, before venturing onto the Internet with your resume it is critical that you take the time to learn and understand a few simple concepts. Knowing your audience and the formats most acceptable by those audiences are essential pieces of knowledge for the Internet job hunter.

The human reader - The traditional, printed, hard copy resume (yes, it does still have a primary place in job hunting!) is created to attract the human eye and attention. With the advantages of word processing applications, sophisticated formatting is possible and should be applied strategically to create eye-appeal and draw the readers' attention to key qualifications.

The computer reader - The electronic or computer-optimized resume is designed, first and foremost, to be readable by the computer. There are several types of electronic resumes, but the common element of all is the ability to be searched by keyword. Of course, once your resume has been tagged as matching a keyword search, it will be reviewed by a human. So compelling, easy-to-read content is just as important in the electronic resume as in the traditional resume.

Miss these points and the effects could be devastating...you might send out hundreds of resumes only to sit at home and wonder why nobody, not even one company or headhunter, has called you for an interview. There are fundamental formatting differences between traditional and electronic resumes. If you do not understand these differences, your resume will make it into very few - if any - resume databases.

RESUME FORMATS

What are the differences between keyword, scannable, web, traditional, and text resumes?

Traditional resumes are designed, as already noted, to compel the human reader, through persuasive language and design, to take further action and call you for an interview. Layout and page design are critical and should be planned strategically to draw the eye to areas of emphasis. The most effective traditional resumes are focused on achievements and written in powerful, active language that captures and holds the attention of the reader.

Scannable resumes -- also a printed, hardcopy format -- are designed primarily for accurate scanning into a computer. Captured as an image, scannable resumes are fed through OCR (optical character recognition) software that reads and extracts the text. The extracted text is databased for storage and later recalled by keyword from an applicant tracking system. Scannable resumes are very rarely requested any more. If you are asked for a scannable resume, the most efficient option is to email the requestor your plain ASCII text resume (described next).

Text resumes (also referred to as ASCII resumes) are just what the name implies, an ASCII-formatted version of either your traditional or scannable resume. Text resumes are universally readable on all computer systems and platforms and are the preferred format when you are emailing your resume. An ASCII resume received in email can be entered directly into an applicant tracking system without the added step of needing to scan it. Entry into the system is fast, easy, and accurate and so many employers and recruiters prefer this format.

The phrase "keyword resume," as it was first used, referred most often to either a scannable or text resume that incorporated a focus on nouns and phrases that employers were likely to use when searching for an applicant. Sometimes the keyword resume had a section at the beginning or end that listed the keywords separated by commas or periods. Today, there is no need to maintain both a keyword and a non-keyword resume. Keywords have become such an essential element in resumes that you should ensure that every version of your resume, whether meant for the human or the computer reader, incorporates the keywords most important in your field or industry.

Still confused? My recommendation is to simply maintain two separate versions of your resume:

Traditional resume - If you wish to send a hardcopy, paper version of your resume you should send your traditional resume. Traditional resumes are most often stored on your computer as a computer file and printed on an as-needed basis. For example, you will want to print at least several copies of your resume to carry with you and hand out at interviews. You may also be asked to send your traditional resume via email to a recruiter or employer. In these cases, you should have your traditional resume saved in the two most commonly asked for file formats: MS Word and Adobe PDF. You can then attach the requested file or files to an email message and send it to the requestor to be printed on the receiving end.

By far, you'll find that the most requested format for your traditional resume is MS Word. If you comply with the request, be aware that your formatting may be incompatible with the recipient's system. While usually still readable, fonts and bullet sizes and styles may be different from what you intended. These problems can be minimized, although not always eliminated, by embedding the fonts into the document. This is a simple process, and the MS Word help files will guide you through it. You should also take care, while writing and designing your resume, to use design elements that are default and standard on most systems. For example, it is not wise to use a fancy, custom font on your resume that you know will be emailed. Default fonts such as Garamond, Helvetica, Book Antiqua, or Verdana are better choices.

To eliminate issues with compatibility, if the recipient has the free Adobe Reader installed, Adobe PDF is the best format in which to send your traditional resume. The PDF version of your resume will appear on the recipient's system precisely the way it appeared on your system. For this reason, if given the choice of sending an MS Word file and Adobe PDF file, always opt for Adobe PDF. However, many recruiters and employers still prefer the MS Word file format, because this is the format they are most familiar with.

ASCII text resume - If you conduct any portion of your job search on the Internet, ASCII-formatted resumes are critically important tools. Always have an up-to-date ASCII text version of your resume on your computer. This is the fastest way to contact potential employers and to apply for jobs advertised online. You must also have a text version of your resume if you wish to post in online resume databanks.

As previously noted, employers rarely request scannable resumes anymore. If they utilize an applicant tracking system, they will likely request that your resume be e-mailed, either as ASCII text or as an attachment. E-mail allows the recipient to enter your resume directly into the database, eliminating the extra steps of scanning and OCR.

How do you use these file formats and transit them to recipients via email? My recommendation is to actually attach the MS Word or Adobe PDF file to the email in its native file format. Then, ALSO copy and paste the text of your ASCII text resume into the body of your email (where you would normally type a message), along with a letter of introduction or other note explaining why you are sending the resume.

A final type of electronic resume is the web resume, also known as the online resume. Created using HTML, your web resume may be uploaded to space provided by a web-hosting provider. Eliminating the compatibility problems associated with word-processed resumes sent as e-mail attachments, web resumes offer the advantage of maintaining layout and design on the systems of anyone with a web browser. Available for viewing around the clock, conveying a technology-savvy image, and allowing the ability to add supporting content to your resume (effectively creating an online portfolio promoting your qualifications), web resumes are becoming a progressively important tool in the job search. The creation of a web resume or resume portfolio is far beyond the scope of this article, but if web resumes are an electronic format that interest you, be aware that many service providers have begun offering web resume design and hosting at affordable prices.

Preparing Internet Resumes

What do I need to know about writing keyword resumes?

Remember - it is absolutely essential that you create resume content that is keyword rich regardless of the file format. It is not necessary that you maintain a separate keyword version of your resume. ALL resumes must include a heavy emphasis on keywords. Keywords are generally defined as nouns or phrases that an employer will use when searching for an applicant with your skill set. To maximize the recall of your resume in a search, you will want to use as many keywords in your resume as possible.

1. Keywords should focus on technical and professional areas of expertise, industry-related jargon, and your work history. Also, include the names of associations and organizations of which you are a member.

2. Whenever possible, use synonyms of keywords in different parts of your resume and if you use initials for a term in one section, spell the term out in another.

3. Always be specific. For example, while it may be fine to include the phrase "computer literate," you will also want to list the specific software that you are proficient in using.

This is one of the most common areas of confusion, so I'll state it once again...the content of a keyword resume does not need to differ from the content of your traditional resume. With careful attention to rhythm and flow, it is possible to prepare a resume that is keyword optimized, but that also includes the powerful, compelling, active language of a traditional resume. Not only will this simplify your resume preparation, but it will ensure that the content of all versions of your resume will be optimized for both the computer and the human reader. Furthermore, if you incorporate a professional summary and bulleted list of qualifications in the text of your resume, there is little if any need to prepare a separate keyword summary.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to recommend a specific list of the best keywords to use in your resume, as the "best" keywords are different for every individual and depend mainly on your unique career objective and background. What is certain, however, is that a well-prepared keyword resume is so critical to your success in a job market that largely relies on electronic applicant tracking systems, if you have any doubts at all you should consult with a professional resume writer.

How do I prepare an ASCII text version of my resume?

Preparing the all-important ASCII text version of your resume is not difficult, but it does require a learning curve. Once converted to ASCII format, you will be able to email your resume in response to an ad or paste it directly into web-based forms and submit it to Internet resume databanks. The specific directions will vary depending on the software you have installed on your computer. But, in general, to prepare your ASCII resumes properly, follow these simple steps:

1. Using your word processing program, open your word-processed resume and use the "Save As" function to save a copy as a "Text Only" or "ASCII (DOS)" document. Title your document with an easily distinguishable name; perhaps "resume_internet.txt"

2. Close your word processing program and re-open the ASCII file. You will not be able to see your changes until you have done this. Note that it has been stripped of virtually all original formatting.

3. Go through your new ASCII document line-by-line. Align all text flush to the left-hand margin.

4. Remove all "centering," "right hand margin," and "justification" alignments.

5. Although you should no longer see them, if visible, remove all graphics, artwork, and special character formatting.

6. Remove all tab characters.

7. Remove all columns.

8. Replace bullets with a simple ASCII asterisk (*).

9. Carefully check the spelling and the accuracy of your data.

10. If you wish, use ASCII characters to enhance the appearance of your resume. Asterisks, plus signs, or other keyboard characters can be used to create visual lines that separate sections of your resume and make it easier to read.
The above steps convert your resume to ASCII without line breaks. When pasted into a web-based form or email message, your resume will automatically wrap to the size of the window.

Your new ASCII resume will be universally readable, no matter what computer system the recipient uses. It will also be easy to manipulate for entry into applicant tracking databases, eliminating the inherent difficulties of scanning and converting your paper resume with OCR systems.

There is no denying that the Internet has caused what was once a straightforward process to become complex and confusing to many job hunters. Yet, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Like never before, as a job seeker you have immediate access to announcements and advertisements of openings around the globe. You have the ability to conduct detailed research on companies of interest. And you have unprecedented opportunity to cost effectively promote your qualifications to hundreds or even thousands of hiring authorities of just a tiny fraction of the cost of doing so through traditional methods. While the new skills you must learn may seem daunting at first, by understanding the concepts and creating your electronic resumes, you are well on your way to an efficient, effective Internet job search.

Want to Use this Article in Your Ezine or Website? You are welcome to as long as you use the following text with it:

Nationally certified resume writer, career marketing expert, and personal branding strategist, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

Maximize Your Internet Job Search

by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.

We frequently hear from job-seekers who are frustrated with job-hunting on the Internet. (See our article Are the Major Job Boards All They're Cracked Up to Be? Observers and Users Speak Out). They have posted their resume on the major job boards or searched for and responded to job postings -- but have heard nothing back from employers.

Let's face it -- the sheer volume of resumes and job postings on the major job boards like Monster.com (about 35,000 resumes a day for Monster) make it hard for the individual job-seeker to get an employer's attention. When the Internet began to be widely used in the mid-1990s, it seemed as though it would be a magic bullet for job-hunting. And, while the Internet makes many aspects of job-hunting a lot easier than they used to be, it also means that employers are being inundated with responses to their job postings. A single job ad can attract thousands of applicants. Add to the mix a souring economy, and you have a lot of job-seekers who are fed up with Internet job-hunting. The aim of this article is to help you get the most out of job-searching on the 'Net and to make you aware of Internet job-search techniques you may not have known about.

* Try one-stop shopping. If you want to leave no stone unturned and use as many online job boards as possible, you can save a lot of time by going to a site with links to large numbers of job boards. Naturally, we recommend Quintessential Careers with links to almost 900 job sites. Most of these sites boast both job postings and the opportunity to post your resume. Well-known career columnist Joyce Lain Kennedy recommends another one-stop site, the AIRS Job Boards Directory, a directory to more than 3,000 online job boards. Quintessential Careers provides a description of each job board it links to. AIRS offers a handy chart describing the main features of its links -- and here we offer a big caution. AIRS is primarily directed at employers and recruiters, so when the AIRS chart says that you have to pay to use one of the listed sites, they mean that employers have to pay to have their job postings listed; job-seekers do not necessarily have to pay. One of our readers described a good response after using another one-stop site, WorkTree.com (registration required). If you would like a print resource to help you navigate your way through the job boards, the CareerXroads 2002 Directory to Job, Resume, and Career Management Sites on the Web provides reviews of 2,500 sites. Go to the CareerXroads site for more information.

* Take advantage of the extra features of the major job boards. Many job boards, for example have a "search agent" feature that enables you to enter your job criteria and have lists of jobs (or links to lists of jobs) e-mailed to you regularly. Our readers' and our own experience with these agents have yielded mixed reviews. One reader said that the agents that work best use Boolean search terms. Named after British mathematician George Boole, Boolean refers to the logical relationship among search terms, a relationship usually characterized by the words AND, OR, and NOT. In Boolean searching, an "and" operator between two words or other values (for example, "pear AND apple") means one is searching for documents containing both of the words or values, , not just one of them. An "or" operator between two words or other values (for example, "pear OR apple") means one is searching for documents containing either of the words. Similarly, Kim Komando, writer for the Arizona Republic, recommends a Windows-based software research tool, BullsEye, that can search the job boards for the kind of job you want. Portions of the proceeds from purchases of BullsEye before Dec. 31, 2001, are going toward Sept. 11 relief efforts.

* Consider the niche boards. Monster.com announced this year that it had acquired its 11 millionth resume. As Kennedy notes, "That kind of heavy volume is onereason why recruiters and job seekers are turning their attention to specialty boutiques rather than big-box marketplaces." These "specialty boutiques" are the online job boards that cater to one particular occupation, industry, or type of job-seeker (such as new college grads, MBA grads, minority candidates, or freelancers). You can access lots of these niche boards though this section of Quintessential Careers. Another excellent source of niche job listings is professional organizations. Not only do they often have job ads for your specific field, but professional organizations were ranked as the No. 1 networking venue in the survey I did for my book, A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market. Access many professional organizations through this section of Quintessential Careers.

* Think local. A recent survey showed that 28 percent of Internet job-seekers are willing to look at job listings that require relocation -- but 48 percent aren't. If you want to stay put and still obtain a new job, it makes sense to use geographically specific job boards. It also makes sense to use them if you do want to relocate because you can find openings in the city you plan to move to. Link to geographically specific job boards through this section of Quintessential Careers.

* Go retro. A few years ago, when I instructed my students to submit a want ad with their cover-letter assignment, almost all the ads submitted were from newspapers. By 2000, students submitted barely one newspaper want ad with the assignment. Virtually all the submitted ads were from the Internet. While newspaper want ads might be considered an old-fashioned venue for job-hunting, they are actually every bit as current as the Internet because most major newspapers carry their want ads online. Searching online want ads from newspapers is another variation on sticking with local sources for your Internet job search. Access many newspaper want ad sections through this section of Quintessential Careers.

* Go straight to the source. A number of experts recommend the career sections of company Web sites as a better choice than the big job boards because job postings are more likely to be current, the job-seeker can obtain specific instructions for how to apply online, and the overall company Web site provides a feel for the company's culture. Experts say the best way to approach a job search is to research and target the companies you most want to work for. Visiting company career sites is a great way to do so. Applying through a company job site lets the employer know that you were interested enough in the company to come to its Web site. Quoted in an article by Josh Kovner in the Hartford Courant, Michael Dunne of Banker's Life and Casualty said that direct applicants to his company's Web site "are the hungriest; they've sought us out. When we talk to them, they are definitely interested in the job." In a recent search to hire 10 salespeople, Dunne hired all six of those who had applied directly to his company's site, but only four out of 100 that had applied through Monster.com. A recruiter quoted by Stephanie Armour in USA Today went as far as to say that many employers don't want job-board candidates because "they think they're too lazy to do a real job search."

It's not just the big companies that have Web pages and career centers; many smaller companies do, too. Some of our readers have said that they are more likely to have their resume submissions at least acknowledged by employers when applying directly through the company's site than when they apply through the major job boards. For one-stop shopping at nearly 500 company career sites, visit The Quintessential Directory of Company Career Centers.

* Don't submit your resume indiscriminately. Adding to the overwhelming volume of resumes employers receive online is a plethora of resumes sent for jobs the job-seeker is not remotely qualified for. If you think you're covering all bases by responding to zillions of job postings, think again. You do yourself no favors by adding to the clutter that employers must weed through. Managing the information glut that results from the bombardment of resumes is a major headache for employers. Some job-seekers think that even if they're not qualified, the employer will realize how much they have to offer and match them up with other company job openings. Given the sheer volume of resumes and the speed of the screening process, the chances of such a match occurring are beyond remote, so don't waste the employer's time or your own.

Be sure also to pay close attention to employers'/recruiters' instructions for submitting your resume in response to their ads. Do they want you to send it via e-mail as a Word attachment? Via e-mail with your resume in text form in the body of the e-mail? Faxed? Mailed? Make sure you know how to do what the employer is asking. If you frequently send your resume as an e-mail attachment, experiment with sending it to several friends' computers to make sure it looks consistent and nicely formatted. Many employers ask you to include a position code so they can easily identify the job you're applying for. And be sure your resume contains those all-important keywords that will get your resume noticed.

* Publish your resume on your own Web page. Posting your own resume -- your way -- out there in cyberspace can be a terrific supplement to posting your resume -- their way -- on major and niche job boards. Since many employers now require resumes to be submitted in an unattractive and unadorned text/scannable format, publishing your resume on the Web gives employers 24/7 access to a more graphically pleasing version of your resume. Learn how to publish your resume on the Web here.

Rebecca M. Smith, author and guru of the eResumes & Resources Web site, points out that while many recruiters rely on the searchable databases they subscribe to, such as Monster.com or databases within their own companies, they "still also surf the Web for [Web-based] resumes." Smith notes that Web-based resumes can be tools for job-seekers to showcase successful projects. Go here for an excellent example of a Web-based portfolio. Note that the page's author, Alex Bischoff, offers employers the opportunity to download his resume in four formats: PDF (Portable Document Format), MS Word, HTML, and ASCII text.

Of course, if you want to publish your Web-based resume, you need to have Web space in which to publish it. Check with your Internet Service Provider. Many providers offer users space on their Web-servers. A number of portal sites on the Internet, such as Yahoo! Geocities, will host Web pages. For a search engine that enables you to find Web sites with free Web space hosting, go to FreeWebspace.Net. Once you've found a host for your Web page and resume, a key technique for getting employers to notice it is registering it with search engines. Read our article Resume Found: Keys to Successful Search Engine Registration.

* One other resume option is to use a resume distribution -- a resume "blasting" -- service. These services typically send your resume to a select group of recruiters and/or employers. Rather than the passive posting or publishing of your resume, these services specialize in sending your resume to recruiters and employers who subscribe to their services. You can get more information by checking out this section of Quintessential Careers.

* Don't spend all your job-hunting time in cyberspace. Integrate your Internet job search into a comprehensive job-search campaign that devotes plenty of time to traditional job-hunting techniques, such as cold-calling , developing a great resume and especially, networking. When quantifying the number of people who actually obtain their jobs through the Internet, one survey has placed the number as high as 20 percent, but most surveys say the number is between 4 and 6 percent, except for fields such as information technology, where the numbers are much higher. Almost half of job-seekers still get their jobs through networking (see chart), and one survey by the workplace consulting firm Drake Beam Morin indicated that 61 percent of executives found their positions through networking.

About five years ago, the conventional wisdom was that you should spend about 25 percent of your job-hunting time on Internet job-searching, and the rest on more conventional methods. Today, however, using the Internet, whether for job-searching or a myriad of other uses, is a valuable skill in itself, so Internet job-hunting need not be subject to arbitrary time limits. "Communicating online, including the ability to apply for jobs online, is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception as the Internet grows as a mainstay of business today," says Rebecca Smith. "In other words, the Internet is not just a job search tool, but a business communications tool. And to say that a job seeker should only spend 1/4 of his/her time on the Internet for job-seeking purposes is not realistic." Still, job-seekers should integrate the 'Net sensibly into their job-search campaigns. We've heard from job-seekers who spend eight or more hours a day sitting at their computers. Internet job-hunting can be effective, but you've also got to get out there and actually talk to people.

* Finally, don't hesitate to use the Internet for all the ancillary functions that enhance your job search, such as career assessment, company research, relocation, salary negotiation, and networking. For an easy tour of these functions, check out our tutorial about Jobhunting on the Internet.

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy