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Resume Writing
Tips and Tools |
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Job Search Tools |
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Online
Resume
Writing Tips |
These days,
anyone with an Internet connection can search
for, and apply for, hundreds of jobs. Recruiters
and staffing managers are inundated with
electronic and online resumes and cannot
spend more than a few seconds scanning each
resume. With the recent explosion in the
number of applicants, the recruiter's traditional
role of finding qualified candidates has
been transformed into the role of corporate
gatekeeper.
Most recruiters will scan electronic resumes
on a computer monitor in order to decide
which resumes merit further review. The
scan lasts only a few seconds and the resume
will not be printed or reviewed in detail
if it fails. If you want your resume to
stand out in this environment, you must
understand the rules on writing effective
electronic resumes.
Here are the rules: |
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| Sell
Above the Fold. |
| Ever notice
that the juiciest stories in a newspaper
are placed in the top half of the page (above
the fold)? The folks at your local newspaper
do their selling above the fold because
they understand how people scan text. When
it comes to resume writing, "above
the fold" is the part of the resume
that is visible on a computer screen without
having to scroll down; typically the top
half of page one. Your resume should contain
a summary or other device that sells in
the first half of the first page. |
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| Strive
for Human Scannability. |
You are online
because you are comfortable using the Internet.
Most of the jobs you will apply for will
request an emailed version of your resume.
Most resumes sent via email are viewed (i.e.
scanned) by humans on a computer monitor
and must look good on a computer screen...
Ask yourself if your resume draws the eye
to important areas? Does it meet standard
formatting guidelines (objective or summary
first, reverse chronological order etc.)?
Does it make the reviewer work too hard?
A resume that looks good on paper may be
difficult to read on a computer screen.
Graphic lines look pretty on paper but can
be a distraction on a computer screen. Times
New Roman is an example of a font that looks
good on paper but does not present well
on a computer monitor. Ever see a Web site
that uses Times New Roman?
Do not justify the text - left align. Avoid
magnifying your resume because it reduces
the on-screen viewable area. Do not use
a header on the first page. Although the
header data is visible in Microsoft's "page
layout" view, it disappears in "normal"
view. Also, avoid tables, resume templates,
reverse type, crazy fonts, excessively large
fonts. Do not hit "enter" after
typing in your email address because it
makes the text turn blue on a computer screen.
A blue email address on a black and white
page stands out and is a visual distraction.
Recruiters and scanning software know where
to find your email address if they need
to contact you.
Disable spelling and grammar checks to reduce
distractions caused by the red and green
underlines Microsoft Word places below spelling
and grammatical errors. Don’t forget
to re-enable spelling and grammar checks
whenever you edit your resume. Disable the
spelling and grammar checks after you edit
the resume. |
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More electronic and online resume writing
tips... |
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