In your job search, you will read classified advertisements or Internet postings that require you to submit your resume in specific formats. Do not be alarmed. As the word format suggests, the contents of your resume will not change. The only thing that will change is the way in which your resume is presented.
Your presentation formatted (or fully-formatted) resume is aesthetic and appealing to the eye. It is usually created using word-processing software such as Microsoft Word. This format may include features such as bold, underline, italics, bullets, shading, columns, elaborate fonts, and even some drawing elements.
A scannable resume must be printed out on paper to a format that can be read easily when physically scanned into a computer database. The employer or recruiter will retrieve your scannable resume at a later time by entering keywords that are specific to the position they are seeking to fill. These keywords must be included in the top 80 words on your resume since some scanning programs only read the first part of the resume into the data base and save the rest as a graphic text to be pulled up later.
This scannable resume format is PLAIN, and lacks the formatting features of a presentation-formatted resume. Tabs are not used since it can cause different lines and information to run together, making your resume hard to retrieve from the database. Likewise, do not include parenthesis around phone numbers. It is good practice to send both a presentation and a scannable formatted resume when you are required to mail or fax your resume.
ASCII (pronounced Ask-ee) or Plain-text resume are generally used when an employer wants you to submit your resume in the body of an e-mail. It is also the format to use when asked to enter your resume on a form on an Internet resume database. In this case, you will copy and paste this version into the space provided. Some job websites now allow you to upload your presentation-formatted resume.
You will notice that this format of your resume is not as appealing to the eye as the other formats. However, you can change this by using some creativity such as making bullets using asterisks, capitalizing your headings, and using hyphens to border them. It is beneficial to use white spaces to achieve a look of a cleaner document.
Always copy and paste your ASCII resume into the body of an e-mail and send a test
e-mail message to yourself. When you open this e-mail, you will see what the recruiter will open on his or her end. Assess if this is the look you want to present even in plain text.
Things to Remember
Take care to follow resume submission requirements. Your prospective employer wants to know that you can follow simple instructions even if you have the credentials of the President of the United States. Also, do not send your résumé as an e-mail attachment unless you are specifically asked to do, so or your precious résumé may very well end up being deleted to trash.
Copyright 2006 - Claudia Samuels Newton
