Job Applications – Electronic Résumés

Applying for jobs online has become increasingly common, as more and more employers are recognizing the efficiency of using the internet in recruiting staff.

Since most people use the internet for email and just about everyone has a cell phone and uses text messaging, there is a tendency to associate informal language and speed with electronic communication. This means that many people don’t spend a lot of time over online applications.

However, applying for a job online must be taken as seriously as an application that is going through the post. The first stage of weeding out unsuitable candidates may be done by a computer, but that doesn’t mean that it is not carried out with precision. In fact, getting the right words on a plain text résumé is probably even more important than it is on a hard copy. A keyword or two might be missing on a paper CV, but because it is being scanned by a person, an outstanding achievement or interesting experience may be picked up and get you through to the next round. However, a computer will look for specific words only and if it doesn’t find them will reject the application, however good it might be otherwise.

When preparing a plain text résumé, you should always focus on nouns. This is the opposite of a paper résumé, where you concentrate on using action verbs. Computers can deal with nouns more efficiently and you will need to change the wording to make your résumé computer-friendly. So chose negotiation instead of negotiating, supervisor instead of supervising.

The format of an electronic CV is also different from a paper CV – it should be in plain text and plain is exactly what is required. You can use bold or capitals for headings, but that’s about as fancy as it gets. Don’t use italics or underlining as this can run letters together, which may cause the scanning software to mis-read keywords. Computers like white space and so be sure to leave some between each section and at the top and bottom of the page. If you are asked to send a plain text résumé through the post, try to print using a laser printer, as this will also prevent text running and causing words to be misinterpreted.

Content is similar to that of a standard résumé, but those keywords are all important. So be sure to read the job description and make sure that you know what the employer is looking for and that the right terms are included in your CV.

Remember, just because it is plain, doesn’t mean your electronic résumé is less important than your smart word-processed version.

© Waller Jamison 2007

Article Source: http://www.new.citynewslive.com

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