GSLIS Continuing Education

Resumes: Traditional and Electronic

Laura Saunders

Fall 2003

Resumes

• A resume will not necessarily get you a job, but it can get you an interview- in other words, it is your foot in the door.

• Most employers typically spend 15 to 30 seconds reading a resume before making an initial decision.

• This presentation will outline some tips to ensure that your resume makes an impact in that initial read!

Resumes: Format

• There are a few design elements to keep in mind when formatting your resume. In order to make your resume as appealing and legible as possible, try to:– Balance type with white space- leave some margins and

blank space, instead of crowding too much type on the page.

– Use a common, easy to read, font type- such as Times New Roman or Arial.

– Keep the font between 10 and 12 point.

Resumes: Format

– It is acceptable to list job descriptions in either paragraph form, or with bullets, but bullets tend to be more legible.

– Use some bold typeface and/ or underlining to highlight parts of the document, and to help the eye move down the page, but use them sparingly.

– In general, do not use graphics, script, or pictures, as these detract from the content.

Resumes: Content• Each resume should begin with your name and

contact information. If your resume is more than one page, make sure you include your name at the top of each page, in case pages get separated.

• For new and recent graduates, the first section of the resume will be Education. Those who have been out of school five or more years can move Education after Experience.

Resumes: Content• Under Education, list all degrees in reverse

chronological order- most recent first. List the institution, the degree you received, and the date it was received. You can also list Honors or Awards, and your GPA if you wish. In general, do not list a GPA under 3.5.

• You may also wish to list relevant classes, or class projects that relate to the job you are seeking, especially if you lack professional experience.

Try different ways of formatting your contact information to maximize space.

Resumes: Content

• The next section after Education should be Experience or Work Experience.

• The Experience section can include internships and volunteer work- however, if you label the section “Employment” you can only list paid positions.

• In general, the jobs listed in the Experience section are also listed in reverse chronological order- most recent first.

Resumes: Content

• However, if your most recent jobs are not the most relevant to your job search, you can group your jobs by “Relevant Experience” (or Library Experience) and “Experience.”

• That way, you can make sure that the most relevant experience- and the jobs most important to the hiring manager- are as close to the top of the resume as possible.

Keep relevant experience together and close to the top of the resume

Resumes: Content

• For each job, list the name of the organization, the location (city and state), your title, and the dates you worked (month and year).

• Beneath that, list your job duties and responsibilities.

• Descriptions for your current position should be in the present tense, all others should be written in the past tense.

Resumes: Content

• Try to start each bullet point with a strong action verb- i.e. instead of “responsible for marketing,” say “marketed” or “created marketing materials.”

• When possible, quantify information- i.e. original cataloging of 100 web sites, taught 80 bibliographic instruction sessions each year, created 10 subject pathfinders, etc.

Resumes: Content• Which jobs are included on your resume? The decision

is yours- you can include all jobs you’ve held, or remove old jobs that don’t seem relevant. When deciding, consider:– If jobs should be included to show consistency, and avoid

gaps in your resume.– Some jobs that seem irrelevant may have some good

transferable skills- i.e. waitresses have great customer service skills

– Can you keep the resume to one page by removing an old job?

Resumes: Content

• After experience, you might include a “Skills” section.

• This section can be a list in paragraph form, separated by commas- this will save room.

• You can include any relevant skills such as:– Technological skills- hardware and software– Languages

Resumes: Library Content

• A skills section can often end a standard resume. However, librarians may want to consider adding several other details to their resumes.– Certifications: If you have any special

certifications such as a teaching license, or a state library license, you can list these separately

Resumes:Library Content

• Professional Activities: Participation in professional associations and other professional development activities is very important in the library field. Consider adding:– Associations joined, and especially offices held– Presentations or poster sessions given– Special trainings attended

List professional memberships and activities, especially offices heldand presentations given.

ResumesLibrary Content

• Publishing, especially in professional publications, is also important to the library profession, and will look very good on a resume.

• If you are listing publications on your resume, be sure to choose a standard citation style (MLA, APA, etc.) with which to list them, and apply it consistently for all publications listed.

List publications in a consistent citation style.

ResumesLength

• A one page resume is still the ideal.• However, since library science tends to be a

second career, and the professional activities section can take up a lot of space, a two (or more) page resume is both acceptable and sometimes necessary.

• If your resume does run to two pages, be sure the most important information- relevant work experience- is on the first page.

Resumes A Final Word

• In order to open the door to employment opportunities, your resume has to be the best possible document that it can be.

• Proofread your resume carefully before sending it out.

• Have other people proofread as well- the more the better. Ask faculty members, friends, and career counselors for critiques.

Electronic Resumes

• There are three basic types of electronic resumes:– email: Plain text resumes meant to be sent by

email. – Scannable/ Keyword: Resumes that will be

scanned into a database by the employer.– HTML: Resumes posted online on a web site or

job bank.

email Resumes

• The content of an email resume is the same as your traditional print resume- only the format must be changed in order to be sure that the resume transfers without any problems.

email Resumes

• When sending a resume by email, the resume should NOT be sent as an attachment. Employers may not be able to open your attachment if they are running a different platform, and if they can’t open your resume, they generally will not take the time to let you know.

• Instead, the resume should be included in the body of the email.

email Resume

• Because different email packages have different capabilities, and not all of them can read formatting such as bolds, italics, and underlines, email resumes should be done in plain (ASCII) text.

Plain Text

• Do not use boldface, italics, script, graphics, shading, borders or underlining.

• Use asterisks instead of bullets.

• Do not use more than 65 to 70 characters across a page, including spaces. (Some email readers do not automatically wrap text, so your resume will appear as one continuous line.)

• The unformatted resume will not be as pretty as a printed resume, but employers understand and expect this.

Converting to Plain Text

• To create a plain text resume from a traditional resume, open your word document.– Choose “File” and “Save As”.

– From the drop down menu in the dialog box choose “plain text.”

– Be sure to give this resume a new name, such as Eresume.

– Click “save.”

Converting to Plain Text

• Once you have saved your resume as plain text, close and re-open the document. Microsoft Word should have automatically removed most of the formatting, including changing bullets to asterisks.

• Proofread the document to make sure it has converted correctly.

Converting to Plain Text• In a plain text resume, all information should be

left- justified. If you have dates or other information in the right-hand margins, you should move them to the left.

• To make your plain text document easier to read, you can skip lines between different sections of the resume. You can also use all capital letters to highlight important information such as your name and job titles.

Plain text resumes do not include bolds, underlines italics, etc.

All information is left-justified.

Capital letters are used to highlight different sections, or other important information.

Email Resumes

• Email resumes and cover letters should be sent in the body of the email, NOT as attachments.– Open your word document.– Go to “Edit” and “Select All.”– Go to “Edit” and “Copy.”– Open your email. Go to “Edit” and “Paste”– Proofread and make any necessary changes.

email Resumes

• All resumes should be accompanied by a cover letter. When emailing a resume, simply cut and paste the cover letter into the body of the email, skip a few lines, and paste the resume into the same email.

• If you are responding to a particular posting, reference the job title in the subject line of the email.

email ResumesA final word

• Email resumes are always sent in the body of the email in plain text format. However, it is good practice to also send a formatted version of your resume, since it looks much better and is easier for the employer to read.

• You can do this by attaching your formatted resume as a Word document in addition to putting it in the body of the email, or by sending a print copy by postal mail.

Keyword/ Scannable Resumes

• Scannable resumes are relevant to large companies that will scan resumes with Optical Character Recognition software.

• Resumes are entered into a database and screening is done by keyword search.

• As with email resumes, a scannable resume is based on a print resume that is reformatted to plain text, and to include nouns, or keywords.

Keyword/Scannable Resumes

• In large companies, resumes are sometimes scanned into a database after which the hiring manager will search the database using keywords to find resumes that match their openings.

• In order to maximize chances of being hit during a search, scannable resumes should include many keywords.

Keyword/ Scannable Resume

• While traditional print resumes focus on action verbs, scannable resumes must include nouns or keywords, since that is what the manager will search by.

• Keywords can simply be listed at the top of the resume as a “Keyword Summary” or sprinkled throughout the resume.

• Read job descriptions and industry information to find examples of keywords.

Keyword/Scannable Resumes

• Maximize your use of jargon and abbreviations- recruiters will probably use career buzzwords to search resumes.

• Remember, the more keywords you use the more chances your skills will be matched to available positions.

• If you choose to put a keyword summary in your resume, it should contain between 10 and 30 words that describe your skills and qualifications

Keyword/ Scannable Resume

• Because Optical scanners are never 100% accurate, scannable resumes should be written in plain text, like an email resume. This will lessen the chances of the scanner misreading words.

• If you send a scannable resume by postal mail, do NOT fold it, as the scanner could misread the fold on the paper.

Keyword/ Scannable Resumes

• The number of companies using scannable resumes is relatively small.

• Generally, the company will indicate that they want a scannable resume in the job posting.

• If you are unsure whether to send a scannable resume, call the human resources department and ask.

• As with email resumes, it is good practice to include a formatted copy of your resume as well.

HTML Resumes

• HTML resumes are any resumes posted full text on the web for employers to view.

• Some job banks will allow you to post a resume online. These job banks vary as to how you get your resume online- some allow you to upload a word document, some have a template that you must fill out.

• NEVER pay to post your resume on a job bank- all of the good ones let you do it for free.

HTML ResumesSome Hints

• Posting your resume online is a very passive way of looking for a job- do not rely on it as your only job hunting tool!

• Many job banks allow you to suppress your personal information- address, phone number, etc. If an employer is interested in you, they email the job bank and the email is forwarded to you. You may want to consider this option in order to protect your privacy.

HTML ResumesSome Hints

• Many job banks will de-activate your resume after a certain amount of time.

• In order to avoid having your resume de-activated, it is good practice to go in and “refresh” the document every couple of weeks. In general, this just means reloading the document.

In Summary• Remember, with electronic resumes,you are changing the

format of your traditional print resume, but not necessarily the content.

• The emphasis for email resumes is on the formatting- it should be very plain to travel across different platforms.

• The emphasis for scannable resumes is keywords- the more you use, the better the chances of your resume being hit in a search.

• Return to this week’s web site for more information on resumes.