Electronic Resume Writing Tips That Boost Your Interview Appointment Success

Electronic Resume Writing Tips That Boost Your Interview Appointment Success

Before you write your resume in a word processor, print it, and hand out copies to prospective employers, you should consider formatting it for easy scanning and retrieval from a computer database.

As you can imagine, dozens, maybe hundreds of resumes bombard employers for a position they would like filled. To sift through each of these manually would probably be too time consuming even for the largest of organizations.

To make the search for ideal candidates more efficient, some employers scan and store resumes into a computer database. From there, employers can search the database to retrieve the name of individuals whose resumes contains the keywords or terms they are looking for in a candidate.

How to Get Employer's to Read Your Electronic Resume

The element of your resume that makes it easy to find in a computer database is the keywords written on it. The particular keywords that should be on your resume are the ones that your prospective employer will use to find you in their database.

A little research will help you determine the right keywords. Scan a few of your targeted job descriptions from online job sites. These online postings are loaded with the keywords that should be on your resume.

The hiring manager probably wrote those job descriptions and he will probably be the same person who searches his database of scanned resumes.

Some general examples of keywords most employers will search on are "education," "skill-set," "experience," "talents and abilities."

Successful Electronic Resumes Includes These Elements

Beyond the importance of having the "right" keywords on your resume, the other words on your resume are also important.

For instance, your resume should contain nouns. Your resume should have descriptive words like software programmer, project manager, or Acme Corporation.

Try not to use abbreviations of words if it is not common. For example, you could assume people know that BA spelled out means Bachelor of Arts.

When you write your resume, be sure it contains words most people will understand. In other words, write it using normal language.

Successful Electronic Resumes Follows These Formatting Guidelines

You understand what your prospective employer is looking for in a job candidate and you have loaded your resume with targeted keywords that should turn up on a search.

However, you still need to make sure your resume is easy to scan and OCR software can capture the data accurately. OCR or Optical Character Recognition software extracts the words off a scan of your resume. The computer database stores the scan results.

Here are some resume formatting tips for the best scans:

- Avoid using fancy style fonts that some OCR software may have trouble interpreting. In other words, stick with conventional fonts such as Times Roman.

- Resist the urge to emphasize words using underlines or italics. Those words may show up as gobbledygook.

- OCR software reads text and not graphics, so do not include anything too complicated like tables and leading dots.

- Use white space between sections of your resumes so the OCR software can determine the start and the end.

- Make sure you include a separate line that has your name first, then your contact information.

After you have incorporated the formatting suggestions listed above, print your resume with black ink on either white or beige colored paper for the best scan result possible.

Last Thoughts

You might be the most qualified candidate for a job opening, but if your resume does not meet the standards of an Electronic Resume, your prospective employer will never read it. Do your self and your prospective employer a favor by making your resume scanner friendly and he will discover that you are the perfect candidate for the job.

To learn more about writing resumes that grab the employer's attention, visit: http://www.How-To-Write-Impr essive-Resumes-and-Cover-Letters.com

Copyright © 2005 by NetEzShop - All Rights Reserved.

Leroy has built websites since 1997. Visit his latest site: http://www.How-To-Write-Impr essive-Resumes-and-Cover-Letters.com

---

Your Interview Questions Are a Serious Matter

Of course interviews are mainly about you answering the questions... Read More

Tips To Survive A Layoff

The following eight tips will help make sure that recover... Read More

Five Fabulous Resume Tips for College Grads (or Anybody)

Fluffy clouds. Chirping birds. Green trees. Colorful flowers. It's springtime!... Read More

What to Ask During the Interview

Don't just sit there and bob your head, waiting to... Read More

Sample Resume Objectives: Read, Dont Copy

The resume objective statement is typically something that trips people... Read More

Resumes and First impressions

Hunting for a position in a new career field? Trying... Read More

Get a Raise: How To Ask Your Boss For More Money

How many people do you know who think they deserve... Read More

Six Sure-Fire Ways to Get Yourself a Pay Rise

Many employees do not care too much for their bosses... Read More

A Bit of Pollyanna

"Stop being such a Pollyanna," a trusted, more experienced colleague... Read More

Career Tips: How To Start A New Career

These days most people accept that jobs are not for... Read More

Are You Ready To Start A Business? Take This Quiz and See

Don't get discouraged! A "no" answer to any of the... Read More

Should I leave My Job?

Most of us have to work for a living. Since... Read More

Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets... Read More

Dazzle Interviewers With Your Achievements

Attention Job Seekers: Tasks and Responsibilities are BoooringHo hum. The... Read More

Working In Iraq: Is It For You?

The US Army Corp of Engineers and numerous private companies... Read More

Employees, Get Used to Working under Surveillance

Let's face it. Monitoring employees' e-mail, tracking their Internet use,... Read More

Change Your Life, Change Your Career And Get A New Job!

Careers dictate resume formatDifferent careers use different forms of resumes.... Read More

How to Write a Resume That Stands Out From The Crowd

Today's job market is competitive. Many companies receive hundreds of... Read More

Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses

You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions... Read More

Outsmart Other Job Seekers by Showing These 5 Key Strengths

Getting an appointment for an interview these days is an... Read More

Dissatisfied With Work? Perhaps Its You

Just about every month, there's a new research report detailing... Read More

How To Receive Payment as a Freelance Translator?

A problem most freelance translators are facing with is how... Read More

7 Tips for Writing Winning Resume Cover Letters

Writing a good resume cover letter is something you should... Read More

Looking for a Qualified Medical Billing Specialist

Families, mothers, employers, and medical practices all interact in one... Read More

How to Write Cover Letters That Increase Your Chances of Winning an Interview

Submit a poorly written cover letter and the chances are... Read More