During the past few weeks we've all learned just how dangerous ordinary mail can be. Concerns over anthrax-laced letters have led many people to tell would-be correspondents to forget the stamps and send their messages electronically. This has consequences for the way people work -- and search for work. The bottom line is that it's more important than ever for job seekers to prepare a résumé that looks good not only on paper, but in an e-mail message too.
Savvy job hunters knew the value of an electronic résumé even before the recent anthrax attacks via the U.S. Postal Service. In fact, the Internet has become a mainstream recruiting tool: Job seekers can now browse and apply for thousands of openings through giant online employment boards and corporate sites. Recruiters collect e-résumés, store them in an electronic file cabinet, and then use keyword searches to match suitable candidates with openings.
NO COMPUTERS? Perhaps more important, hiring managers and recruiters have become as addicted to e-mail as everyone else. More than one-third of human-resource professionals reported a preference for e-mailed résumés, according to a survey last year by the Society for Human Resource Management. Soon, "the only people who won't need a digital résumé are those who want to work for employers who don't use computers," says Susan Whitcomb, co-author of eRésumés: Everything You Need to Know About Using Electronic Résumés to Tap into Today's Job Market.
So what do you need to know to prepare a good e-mailable résumé? First, master the rules of job search e-mail etiquette. Here are some basics:
• Never use your employer's e-mail system for your job search. You'll leave your would-be employer with the impression that you spend company time on writing résumés and other nonwork-related activities. And if your current bosses find out, they won't be thrilled either.
• Set up a free, Internet-based e-mail account using such services as Hotmail or Yahoo. This will let you check your e-mail regularly wherever you have Internet access and manage any correspondence related to your job hunt.
• Avoid silly or cryptic e-mail 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@hotmail.com or topproducer@yahoo.com.
• Understand that e-mail isn't confidential. If you're worried about putting your name, address, and phone number on your e-résumé, write "Confidential Resume" instead and list a personal e-mail address where you can be reached.
• Send individual, targeted messages to each contact rather than mass mailings. You don't want a coveted employer to see that you're also sending your résumé to 20 other companies.
• Write a simple subject line that makes a good first impression, such as: Resume-Kate Sanchez-Operations Exec-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. A good subject line will improve the chances that your résumé is actually read, since e-mail from unknown senders is often
deleted without being opened.
Next, heed the directions of the employers you're e-mailing. Some may want a Microsoft Word attachment of your résumé, while others may specify that you send no attachments for fear of computer viruses.
LOST CONTROL. Then take the time to prepare a résumé that looks impressive on a computer screen when e-mailed. Because computer systems vary widely and have different installed fonts, printer drivers, and word processing software, that beautifully designed Microsoft Word résumé with margins and tabs carefully set could turn into an eyesore on the hiring manager's computer. If you design the résumé in a font that the recipient lacks, your résumé will appear in a default font and you'll lose control of how it looks.
Your best bet is to have a text (ASCII) résumé. This is a copy of your fully formatted résumé saved in your word processing program as "text" -- a document type that's compatible with all systems. You can also use a text résumé to apply for positions on online job boards or as a downloadable
addition to a Web résumé.
Here's how to create a text/ASCII résumé:
• Open your formatted résumé and change the right margin to two inches. This will reduce the number of characters that appear on each line so that your résumé looks good when it's pasted into an e-mail.
• Select all the text and change the font to Courier 10 point, a fixed-width font.
• Choose "save as."
• Rename your document so you don't lose your original formatting (e.g., ksanchezresume.txt).
• For Microsoft Word users, go down to the "save file as type" list. If you're e-mailing your résumé, select "text only with line breaks" from the options. If you're pasting your résumé into an online form at a Web site, pick "text only."
• Close the document and reopen it in a text editor, such as Notepad or SimpleText, to check that all of the characters have been converted correctly.
• Make the formatting more attractive and searchable. Some tips: Left-justify all text and eliminate tabs. Replace characters that converted incorrectly and insert asterisks or plus signs for bullets (bullets aren't available in ASCII). Capitalize titles for various sections of your résumé and insert extra spaces where necessary.
• Save your work.
• To help control the look of your e-mail, regardless of the recipient's settings, set your e-mail application to format for the lowest common denominator before you paste in your text résumé. Specific instructions vary, but these options usually can be found under the Tools-Options or Special Settings menus in your e-mail program. Click on Mail Sending Format or Composing Mail. Choose the default "plain text setting" instead of HTML. If you're using Eudora, uncheck the Word Wrap option. In Microsoft Outlook Express, change the Automatically Wrap Text option to 65 characters.
Download ksanchezresume.pdf for an example of a fully formatted résumé and its conversion to text. This sample is in Adobe's portable document format (PDF), so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print it.
ATTRACTIVE COPY. Always paste the text/ASCII résumé into the body of your e-mail message to help ensure that it is received. If attachments aren't banned, it makes sense to attach your résumé as a PDF file as well. PDF files preserve your formatting and allow hiring managers to print out an attractive version of your résumé. Creating PDF files requires purchasing the Adobe Acrobat program or it can be done at Adobe's Web site.
Once your PDF file is generated, attach it to your e-mail message just as you would any other file type. Don't forget to include a brief cover letter in your message too. In it, mention the types of files you've included. Whitcomb recommends wording along the following lines:
"For your convenience, I am providing two file types of my résumé: a formatted PDF attachment (use Adobe Acrobat Reader to view/print -- free download from adobe.com) and an ASCII plain-text version pasted below. Please use the version most compatible with your system requirements."
Before sending your résumé into cyberspace, test to see how it will look when it comes out on the other end. E-mail it to yourself and a friend, then critique and fix it. And it's always a good idea to make that one last, compulsive use of your spell-check and grammar-check functions.
By Kirsten Dixson in Bronxville, N.Y.
Dixson is a certified career coach and résumé writer and Principal of New Leaf Career Solutions, a career marketing service. You can visit her Web site at: http://www.newleafcareer.com
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