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. |
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| The Rules
of Effective Electronic Resume Writing: |
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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 first 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?
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| 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, and 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. |
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| 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 job search tips... |
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| The following
links point to pages with further advice on
resume writing. |
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| Contact
us today. |
| Let us use the
experience we have gained on the other side
of the fence to your advantage. We make experienced,
highly qualified engineers,
professionals
and executives
look even better. Your resume will come to
you custom-built, with the best guarantee
in the industry. |
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| Should
you write your own resume? We think
not. |
|
| |
| Let's
talk about your resume. |
| Searching for
work is time consuming and unpleasant. Common
sense suggests that using a subpar resume
to apply for competitive jobs is a waste of
time. Whether you write your own resume or
employ a professional resume writer, you should
always present the best resume possible. |
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| Contact
us to discuss your options. |
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