Electronic Resumes

This generally refers to a resume that is sent to an employer via the Internet or email.  Some company homepages will include a form that you can complete on-line and submit.  Some websites geared toward job search assistance also include this type of resume service.  Many students also create personal homepages including a link to their resume.  Before you post your resume, you should consider that you will not have any control over who will see your resume, including your present employer.  Investigate any on-line employment services that may want to charge you a fee and verify their success before you join.  Some tips for creating e-Resumes:

  • Save your resume as a text file in a word processing program and send as an attachment along with a professional email stating your purpose for forwarding your resume.  If possible, follow up with a phone call or an additional email requesting confirmation of receival.  If the recruiter is not able to open an attachment for fear of a virus, copy and paste the resume text into the body of an email when you apply for a job.
  • Limit each line in your resume to 72 characters.  Most e-mail programs wrap around after 72 characters.  Avoiding the 73rd character will make your resume much easier and enjoyable to read.
  • Showcase your strong points first.
  • Don't forget to use spell check.  Using technology as an aid doesn't mean you can forget old-fashioned proofreading!
  • Include a cover letter.  Many applicants submitting resumes via Internet eliminate this step.  Recruiters want to see how you write, and also want to see how you market yourself for a particular position.
  • Backup all of your work on a disk and on your hard drive.