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Free Online Tips for Creating an Electronic Resume

A scannable resume and an Internet resume are similar - they are used by hiring authorities to create an electronic database. Make sure you write your document for a search engine - not for the human eye. This is difficult for most job seekers to do, and is one reason so many people hire a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

A search engine doesn't care that you spearheaded a campaign or that you were instrumental in some project. It does, however, care that the resume of a person applying for a financial executive position includes P & L reporting, CPA, financial analysis - you get the picture.

The length of an electronic resume is rather irrelevant - the computer doesn't care if it is 3 to 4 pages long. Don't number pages or include line breaks.

Here are some online resume tips.

The first line is your name. Make sure it is centred.
The next lines should include your address and phone number(s).
Use a clear, consistent, and readable font like Arial, Times, or Helvetica, in 10 to 12 point size.
Use plain text only. Do not use italics, script, shading, parentheses, brackets, bolding, or underlining, as these tend to be misread by many scanners.
Leave large margins all the way around the resume. You want your abilities, skills, and experiences to be clearly scanned.
Follow the KISS (Keep it Simple Silly) rule. Use simple text on a blank background; no graphics, pretty borders, shading, or other fancy touches.
Load your scannable resume with critical keywords, job and industry-specific terms, buzzwords, and jargon. The computer is programmed with search words to determine which resumes will be put into the "YES" pile. The person they hire may not necessarily be the best candidate for the job, but instead the one with the most "matching" keywords".
Research to find out what keywords are necessary for the industry and profession you are interested in. Read job ads, job descriptions, trade journals, and company websites. If you don't have time, hire a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Print your scannable resume with a high-resolution printer on white paper only. Laser printers and high-quality ink jet printers are fine. If you don't have one, take your disk to a local print shop and have your resume printed there.