Information & Resources

Resume Writing

Electronic Resume

The purpose of an electronic resume is the same as a traditional resume: to obtain an interview.

What is an electronic resume?

A resume (chronological or functional) formatted to read well when scanned and searched by optical scanning systems.

Why is resume scanning becoming so popular?

To manage massive numbers of resumes via the internet, companies use a scanning and tracking system to process applications.

When should we use an electronic resume?

It is important to understand an employer’s screening process. If you do not know what type of scanning or tracking system the company is using, you should contact them to determine which format of resume will be compatible with their screening process.

Prepare two versions of your electronic resume:

• If the company uses the same software application you used to develop your resume, you can send your traditional resume with all the formatting as a Word or WordPerfect document by mail, fax or as an email attachment
• If the company uses a scanning system to select resumes out of a database, you should send an electronic version in plain text (.txt), without extensive formatting and with a keyword summary.

10 Steps to a Scannable Resume

Many organizations require job candidates to submit their applications online as a plain text resume. The following is a simple, step-by-step method of converting your resume to a plain text document.

Do not underestimate the value of making your resume scannable. If your resume is formatted in Word, it will be difficult to read when it goes through a scanner. This means that you will no longer be in the running for the position. Employers have many resumes to look at in a short period of time, and they will not spend the extra time and effort to decipher yours.

• Copy the entire Word resume.
• Paste the document into Notepad.
• Click on ‘Format’ and then uncheck the ‘Word Wrap’ feature.
• Save your document as a .txt file in Notepad for future use.
• Replace all bullets with asterisks (*) or dashes (-)
• Make sure your name, phone number and email are all on separate lines from everything else and that your name is the first line of your resume.
• Keep your document, including dates, justified to the left.
• Convert the entire document to Courier font.
• Use keywords and verbatim wording from the job description (that way, the scanner will pick them up). Support the skills with your work experience.
• Save all of your changes. You are done.

Do not use:

• Bullets
• Tabs
• Page numbers
• Graphics
• Bold, italics or underlining
• Fonts smaller than size 10 or multiple font sizes
• Mathematical symbols or quotation marks (“,”)

Do use:

• Courier font
• Dashes typed together to form a line to separate sections
• Asterisks (*) or dashes (-)
• Individual lines for your name, phone number and email
• Your name as the first line on your resume
• Keywords and verbatim wording from the job description

Example of a Scannable Resume