Traditional, Scannable and Electronic Resumés

Once upon a time, a job seeker would have created a good resumé and printed about 50 high-quality copies of it. In today’s world, job seekers must be able to quickly create dynamic resumés in different styles and formats. Three variations of resumés are traditional, scannable and electronic.

The traditional paper resumé can be set up in different formats, as you have seen in the above article. There is free software that will arrange your information on a page, so your resumé can look like a professional did it for you! Don’t be afraid to use bold letters, italics, bullets and underlines to emphasize information and to add visual appeal without going overboard! You can save it on a disk or CD to revise and print as often as needed. For other tips, please refer to the “Do’s and Don’ts of Resumés.”

The scannable resumé is designed for reading by a computer, rather than a person. It can be emailed or provided on hard copy to employers whose computers look for certain key words and phrases that have been pre-programmed by the human resource department. Hint: make sure you get a copy of the job opening or speak with a hiring official. This will enable you to use the words that will match your resumé to employer qualifications.

Here are some special Do’s and Don’ts to remember:

DO:
• Use plain white paper
• Use 12-14 point font size
• Use a laser-quality printer
• Use clear, concise wording
• Use structured format with common headings, each on a separate line: name, address, phone number, fax number, email, objective, skills, qualifications, accomplishments, work history, education, and certifications.

DON’T:
• Use bullets, italics, underlining, shadows, or varied type
• Use lines, borders, graphics or boxes
• Use colored or dark paper
• Fold or staple paper

The electronic resumé is a paperless creation submitted to employers and job banks on line. Registering with Job Service North Dakota at www.jobsnd.com provides an electronic resumé (or up to 20) that can be updated and sent from any computer anytime of day. America’s Job Bank www.ajb.dni.us allows you to submit resumés and cover letters as well as search for jobs on line. There are numerous resumé banks available, so use as many as you desire.

Important things to know about electronic resumés:
• You are not limited to 1 or 2 pages, but don’t get carried away. Employers do not read lengthy resumés!
• Some electronic resumés will create a bulleted list when you list your skills, abilities, education, work history, and other qualifications.
• Leave plenty of white space so your resumé will be visually appealing
• Some electronic resumés allow you to add graphics and animation. Most employers are NOT impressed with such things, so leave them out!
• You want your resumé to open quickly and easily.

Some electronic resumés can be good paper resumés when printed; others cannot. Some electronic resumés are scannable; some are not. Scannable resumés usually do not make attractive paper resumés. Scannable resumés are usually “tailor made” for a specific job. As you can see, with some work you can change your resumé variation into the one that best suits your needs. Employers are not looking for glitz; they want to get to your qualifications and read them quickly and easily. Remember, your resumé represents you, so always put your best foot forward.

Traditional, scannable or electronic: Use them to your advantage!

There are volumes of free information on resumés on the internet. Use search engines such as google.com, yahoo.com or the one of your choice.