We have had a lot of discussion on the Ask the Coach calls in recent weeks about resume formats – what works and what doesn’t? Since a lot of NETSHARE’s members are baby boomers, they are using tried and true resume formats that pre-date the Web. Unfortunately, a lot of the old rules don’t apply in the new world of Internet-driven job search. I recently spotted one of Kim Thompson’s career columns on SFGate that talks about strategies for making your resume more data-friendly, and I wanted to share some of the highlights here:
The first thing you have to consider is whether your resume is computer-friendly. When applying for any job online, or submitting your resume to a company where it will be stored in a database, you have to make sure your resume is search-friendly. Whether you choose to use a chronological resume, a functional resume, or curriculum vitae, you need to make sure the format is in plain text so it is machine readable.
Today’s employers can’t keep up with the number of resumes flowing into their e-mail box, so most companies are using an applicant tracker system (ATS) that scans your resume and stores key words and relevant data. That’s why it’s important that your resume can be scanned, which is why you should use plain text. If you know there is a human being at the other end who wants to review your credentials, then you can revert to Microsoft Word or a rich text format in order to take advantage of formatting tools like bullets and boldface to improve readability and make your point.
When creating your plain text resume, be sure to embed strategic key words. If possible, you should align your key words with those of strategy job postings. Use common industry noun phrases and industry terms, and highlight technical skills that align with those of your prospective employer.
Once you have drafted your resume, converting it to plain text for searchability is a simple matter of saving the file in text format. Use the “save as” function in your word processor and designate plain text or ASCII as the output format. Once you have saved it, be sure to scrub the document for conversion problems, like bullets that turn into boxes.
You also should capitalize headings, employer names, and job titles for emphasis. You will lose the formatting tools such as bold face so this is an adequate substitute.
And embed key words in the text flow at strategic points in your resume. Use them in the summary, accomplishments, education, certification, etc., so they will be picked up in a database search.
These days, you are writing marketing documents to be read and to be scanned, so be sure that you use the right formatting to promote search as well as readability.
