Resumes
An electronic resume is simply your resume in a format that can
be sent over e-mail or the Internet. The advantage to having an
electronic resume is simple--you can respond via e-mail or the Web
to job openings posted all over the world. No faxing or mailing
necessary.
If your resume is on a
computer or floppy diskette, you already have it in electronic
format; that's not to say, however, that it's in the most
useful format. While it's true that most e-mail systems can
accommodate document attachments--be they in Word, WordPerfect,
Quark or otherwise--it won't be true that every person or
organization to whom you'd like to send such a document is willing
or able to receive it in that format. Plain text (also called ASCII
Text or MS-DOS Text and recognized by its three letter file
extension: .txt), however, is universally
accessible and, in many cases, required.
To make your electronic resume universally accessible, follow
these steps:
- Using a standard word processing application, compose a resume
as you normally would. Note that plain text format is very
basic--it does not recognize formatting such as bullets, bold
facing or italicized text. Consider using asterisks (*), plus
symbols (+) and capital letters to achieve similar effects. In any
case, make sure your resume is legible in the absence of these
formatting features.
- If the word processing application permits, set your margins
at 0 and 65 characters (This means that your longest line,
including spaces, exceeds 65 characters before wrapping to a new
line.) This makes your resume easier to read and, just as
importantly, safe to print.
- Using the "Save" command (or, if you're converting a document
from another format, the "Save As..." command), save your document
as an ASCII or MS-DOS Text document. Remember to append the .txt
extension on to the file name, e.g. "resume.txt"
When sending an electronic resume, remember to:
- Include a cover letter and be sure to note where you found the
ad.
- Send the resume and cover letter in one file. You can do this
by writing or pasting your cover letter in the space before your
resume. You can also send your cover letter as an e-mail message
with your electronic resume as a file attachment.
- Use the job title and/or job reference number as the subject
of your message. Cite any relevant job numbers noted in the ad.
- Follow up with an e-mail or phone call a week or so after you
submit it.
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