Article by Kirsten Dixson, originally published on TheLadders.com.
What do our technology choices say about us? With email now the standard method of resume distribution, a lot!
A professional-looking resume on paper is well and good, but digital resumes are a necessity. A resume garbled in transit brands you immediately as someone who isn't tech-savvy. A resume that looks impressive when emailed shows that you're current with the job market.
Because computer systems vary widely, the painstaking formatting that you put into your resume could all be for nothing when your contacts open it up. For example, if you design the resume in a font that the recipient lacks, your resume will appear in a default font and you'll lose control of how it looks. While it seems like it would be simple, there's actually a lot of room for error.
In my work teaching executives to leverage technology for career success, I've come up with some guidelines to keep you in control of how your resume looks.
Format for the Lowest Common Denominator
Since most recruiters still prefer resumes as Microsoft Word files, it's a good idea to use a common system font like Times New Roman, Arial or Verdana. Beyond that, your best bet is to have a text (ASCII) resume that's compatible with all systems. Use this text version for all emailing and posting!
Here's how to create a text/ASCII resume:
1. Open your formatted resume in your word processing program and change the right margin to two inches. This will reduce the number of characters on each line, so your resume looks good when pasted into email.
2. Choose "save as." Rename your document with a ".txt" suffix so you don't lose your original formatting. Be sure to name the file something that identifies you, for example "jsmithresume.txt".
3. For Microsoft Word, go down to the "save as type" list and choose Plain Text from the options. A new dialog box will come up. Choose ASCII there. If you're emailing your resume, also select the box that has "Insert Line Breaks." To create a text resume to paste into an online form, leave this box blank.
4. Close the document and reopen it in a text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit (Mac OS X), to make sure that all of the characters have been converted correctly.
5. Make the formatting more attractive and searchable. Some tips: Left-align all text and eliminate tabs, replace characters that converted incorrectly, and insert asterisks or plus signs for bullets (bullets aren't available in ASCII). Also capitalize titles for various sections of your resume and insert extra spaces where necessary. You can also use a consistent series of equal signs to make dividers after your section titles.
Email for the Lowest Common Denominator
To control the look of the email you send, regardless of the recipient's settings, set your email application to plain text format before you paste in your text resume. Specific instructions vary, but these options usually can be found under the Tools-Options or Format menus in your email program. Click on Mail Format. Choose the default "plain text setting" instead of HTML. If your email application allows it, set the text to automatically wrap at 65 characters or less.
PDFs are Your Friend
Always paste the text/ASCII resume into the body of your email message to ensure receipt. If attachments aren't banned, also attach your resume as a PDF file. These files preserve your formatting and allow hiring managers to print out an attractive version of your resume.
Here's a million-dollar tip. After you create your PDF with Adobe Acrobat, you can set the Document Metadata (found under the Advanced menu) with a title, description and keywords. If your PDF resume is online, it will be indexed by the search engines just like a HTML web page, increasing the chance that recruiters will find you!
Mind Your Ps and Qs
Of course, an article on resume emailing wouldn't be complete without the basics.
• Never use your employer's email system for your job search. You'll leave your would-be employer with the impression that you spend company time on your job search. If your current bosses find out, it's a safe bet they won't be thrilled.
• Avoid silly or cryptic email addresses. You won't win any points in the "Acts Like a Professional" department with a handle such as bubbles@aol.com. Opt for something businesslike: yourname@gmail.com.
• Send individual, targeted messages to each contact rather than mass mailings.
• Write a clear subject line that makes a good first impression, such as: Resume-Jane Smith-CTO -10 yrs' exp. It's fine to use abbreviations. Sometimes an employer asks applicants to include a "job code" or number in the subject line as well.
Before sending your resume into cyberspace, do one last spell and grammar check and test your formatting by emailing it to yourself and a friend.
But wait -- the number one rule that overrides all guidelines is that you first and foremost heed the instructions in the job description. If they say fax, fax it. If they don't allow attachments, it's probably for a good reason – computer viruses. Follow both the instructions and these tech-savvy guidelines, and you're in control of your digital resume.
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