Emailing, Scanning, & Posting Your Resume

An effective resume is one that lands an applicant an interview and it is the interview that decides who gets the internship. In today’s marketplace it’s not enough to have just a traditional resume. Many resume experts recommend that applicants prepare employers with four (perhaps five) different versions of the same resume.

1.) Print Resume

This is the traditional resume one prepares to mail to employers. It can include bold, italics, bullets, and tabulations. It is what we might call the “perfect” resume format.

The Email resume is a plain text file formatted with length of line restrictions. Employers often ask that a resume be emailed rather than attached as a Word document. Employers may be reluctant to open attachments due to concern about the spread of computer viruses or in some cases the Internet Service Provider (ISP) may not be compatible. Also, employers using Microsoft Windows will not be able to open files of applicants using a Mac or vice versa. When emailing your resume be sure to set the left margin to 1 inch and right margin to approximately 1.75 inches which will ensure that the lines of your wraps will not create unusual formatting within the resume. Using all caps for headings will separate the resume into individual sections, such as: EDUCATION, HONORS, RELEVANT EXPERIENCE, ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE, CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, VOLUNTEER, COMPUTER/LANGUAGE SKILLS.

3.] Plain Text File for Online Forms

This is a plain text file prepared to allow for copying and pasting when completing online forms or for online resume databases. It is easy to convert your documents to plain text file by doing a “Save As” *.txt (text only) file or a plain text file.

4.) Scannable Resume

The scannable resume avoids the use of fancy fonts, special characters, italics, tabs, underlining, etc.. It is a plain text version of the print resume. It is important to fill this resume with “key words” using names and acronyms specific to the industry. Once identified as a potential candidate by using a 'key word search', your resume is typically forwarded to the hiring manager for review. It is suggested that you use a sans serif font, such as Arial or Tahoma. These are fonts that do not have the small markings on the edge of each letter (serifs). No bullets are generally used in a scannable resume but you may use an (*) asterik or (-) hyphen. Many organizations now have applicants apply online via their website making the scannable resume not quite as popular as it was several years ago.

HTML Resume

In addition to the above four types of resumes, you may choose to create an HTML version of your resume which can also turn your resume into a portfolio. The HTML resume offers an opportunity to include links to former employers and/or to projects you have completed. If using an HTML version of your resume, be sure to include only relevant information that is pertinent to the job and to the employer. These resumes tend to include more information than necessary and by including too much personal information they could, unfortunately, be used to discriminate against you. This type of resume is a unique tool for those looking to find jobs in the arts, education, or wherever a sampling of your work is warranted.