Post resume?

Converting to an Electronic Resume

The first step after you decide to post a resume is to create an electronic version of your resume. Keep two versions of it. Use the electronic resume when you post to a database or send it via email. Save your word processed resume for interviews and for sending to employers who have already shown an interest.

Follow these steps to create a résumé that will look good when you post it. These directions will work for most word processing programs:

1. Open your résumé in your word processor.

2. Save the resume as TEXT ONLY. (This feature is usually available by choosing Save As from the File menu).

3. Close the resume and reopen the new text-only version in Notepad or a similar plain text editor.

4. Edit your resume so that it looks good to you. See the Formatting Tips section below for suggestions.

5. Save the document.

6. To send your resume in an e-mail or post it to an Internet database, Select All of the text in your resume, Copy it, and Paste it into the e-mail or web page.

Note: The maximum size allowed when you post a free-form résumé is generally limited to about six pages, or 1500 words.

Formatting Tips for Internet Resumes

• Do not use tabs. They are ignored by web browsers, and behave unpredictably in e-mail programs.

• Avoid trying to indent or center text using the spacebar. Keep all lines left justified against the page, and use line breaks to separate headings and sections.

• Don't rely on exact positioning of text using spaces or specific fonts. The font that you use to create your resume is not necessarily the same font that will be used to display it on the Internet or in an employer's e-mail program.

• To emphasize a word or words, use ALL CAPS, or surround the text using *asterisks* or #other characters#.

• For bulleted lists, use the asterisk (*), hyphen (-), plus sign (+) or a similar character. Keep in mind that long lines of text may wrap underneath the bullets.

• Don't try to control the width of lines using carriage returns. If you allow your text to wrap normally, it will look consistently good even if the browser window is resized.

Tips for Maximizing "Hits" On Your Resume

Employers will search an Internet resume database using keywords. You want to make sure you can be found. Here are some tips on how.

• Use enough key words to define your skills, experience, education, professional affiliations, etc. Be sure that each of your most marketable skills is mentioned at least once.

• Use abbreviations and acronyms specific to your industry. Spell out the acronyms for human readers. This will ensure that your resume comes up whether the employer searches by the abbreviation or the full word. Example: RN, Registered Nurse.

• Increase your list of keywords by including specifics. For example, list the names of software you use, such as Microsoft Word, Lotus 1-2-3, Borland C++, etc.

• Use common headings, such as: Objective, Skills, Experience, Work History, Employment History, Positions Held, Education, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Papers, Licenses, Certifications, Honors, Technical Skills, Personal, Miscellaneous, etc.

• Be sure to include a clear objective statement that tells employers what kind of job you are looking for. This is especially important if you have many different skills or experience in different fields.

• Describe your experience with concrete words rather than vague descriptions. For example, it's better to use "managed a team of 7 software engineers", rather than "responsible for managing, training...". Be concise and truthful.

• Use more than one page if necessary.

• If you have extra space, describe your personal traits and attitude. Key points could include: skilled in time management, dependable, high energy, leadership, quick learner, self starter, professional, team player, etc.

Where to Post Resume

There are many Internet databases where you can post your resume. Here are a few you might want to check out.

• ResumeRabbit.com

  ResumeRabbit.com is a good way to save time and data entry labor. For a reasonable fee they will post your resume to over 75 of the big career sites, including Monster, Headhunter, HotJobs, and Dice. Your resume is then searchable by upwards of 1.5 million employers and recruiters daily.

• ResumeZapper.com

  ResumeZapper has a simple, straightforward service that they've been offering since 1998. They will email your resume and cover letter to over 1,000 recruiters and placement firms.

• Job.com

  Job.com allows you to post your resume for free, but charges for premium services.

• Employment911.com

  Employment 911 promises over 3 million job listings from more than 350 sites. You can also post your resume to thousands of employers.

• CareerXpress.com

  CareerXpress.com's service: (1) Email your resume to 60,486 employers and recruiters registered in 79 disciplines; (2) post your resume to 40 top job sites; (3) conduct a job search and find 20 current job openings that match your criteria.

• WorkTree.com

  WorkTree is the largest job portal. You can search their database of over 3,000,000 (!) jobs.