Resume Critique Worksheet for Job-Seekers

While it is always a good idea to get numerous people -- career professionals, former bosses and colleagues, mentors, and the like -- to review and evaluate your resume, you might want to first consider reviewing and critiquing your resume using this simple table. The most important thing to remember is to be sure you totally understand each criterion -- and then be completely honest on how your resume rates. (If you feel you cannot possibly be honest with yourself, then get a professional critique.)

Remember the purpose of your resume -- to create enough interest from the employer to invite you to a job interview. A resume is a statement of facts (using keywords and action verbs) -- that highlights your accomplishments, skills, and education/training.

Here's a review of the ten factors you should use to evaluate your resume.

Appearance/Style

For traditional formatted \"print\" resumes, appearance and consistency are critical. Your resume must be professional. Stick to using only one to two \"normal\" fonts. Use font sizes no smaller than 10 point. Keep colors to a minimum. Be consistent in the use of color, font, size, and style (bolding, italicizing, underlining). Use normal (3/4-1\") margin widths. Don't use resume templates; develop your resume from scratch -- with your own unique style. Use bulleted phrases to describe your accomplishments, rather than lengthy (and hard-to-read) paragraphs.

Completeness/Length

A resume should give a complete picture of why you should be called for an interview; however, that does not mean you need to include every job you have ever worked at in your life. Indian resumes should rarely be longer than two pages (although you can have supplemental pages for things such as grants, consulting, references, and the like), and for entry-level positions, really no longer than one page. Some senior executives with exceptional work experiences are sometimes deserving of a three-page resume.

Content/Layout

Use standard resume headings. All resumes must include certain critical information, such as contact information, experience, and education. Other sections include job objective, professional profile, honors and awards, professional interests and memberships, and keyword summary.

Focus

Perhaps the most critical element of any resume is its focus. Your resume must have a specific theme -- related to the position (and employer) you are seeking. Do not include extraneous information on your resume. Whether you use a job objective or not, always keep that objective in mind when writing the rest of the resume. Your resume must be written in such a way that your job/career objective, as well as what you're good at, is obvious to anyone reading your resume.

Format/Approach

There are three types of resume formats: standard chronological, functional, and combined chrono-functional. Job-seekers with a steady employment history in one field looking to advance within that field should use a chronological resume that focuses on employment history (starting with most recent). Recent college grads with a variety of work experiences and job-seekers changing careers sometimes use a functional or chrono-functional resume.

Perspective

Review your resume from the perspective of a hiring manager with just a few seconds to review your resume. Your resume must be attention-getting, good-looking, and sharply focused. Your resume should provide the employer enough reasons to invite you for an interview.

Professionalism/Integrity

There's simply no excuse for resumes to have any kind of misspellings or typos. Employers often toss resumes with even just one error in the trash. The other issue is honesty. Your resume is a statement of facts, so do not fudge your dates of employment, job titles, certifications, or educational achievements. It's not only wrong, but more and more employers are conducting background checks.

Use of Accomplishments

In terms of job-hunting, nothing is more important than documenting all your accomplishments. It's even better if you can quantify those accomplishments. Employers want job-seekers who are problem-solvers with a proven record of success. Do not describe your experiences in terms of duties and responsibilities.

Use of keywords and action verbs

Action verbs are verbs that make your experience jump from the page. And while more important in the days before e-resumes, action verbs are still important today. Keywords and keyword phrases are vital because as more and more resumes are placed into large databases, employers search for job-seekers the same way you use Google to search a topic -- with one or more keywords.

Versions

Job-hunting today really requires more than one version of your resume. You still need your traditional \"print\" resume, but you'll also want to develop one or more electronic versions of your resume. E-resumes come in a number of versions, including Rich Text, Text (ASCII), Portable Document Format (PDF), and Web (HTML). Each type of e-resume has a different benefit, a different use.Evaluate your resume. How well does your resume perform? Have you followed all the rules and guidelines of good resume writing?

Resume Critique Worksheet

Yes No Not Sure

Appearance/StyleIs your resume visually appealing?

     

Completeness/Length Is your resume complete, but not too long?

     

Content/LayoutDoes your resume contain all the relevant information?

     

Focus      

Is your resume sharply focused to your job objective?

Format/Approach Are you using the proper format -- and do you need more than one format -- for your situation?

     

Perspective Does your resume have what it takes to get noticed by employers?

     

Professionalism/Integrity Is your resume free of errors?

     

Use of AccomplishmentsHave you identified one or more accomplishments for each experience?

     

Use of Keywords/Action VerbsHave you included keywords and action verbs in your resume?

     

VersionsDo you have both print and electronic versions of your resume?

     

What Resume Format is Best for You?

Chronological. Functional. Chrono-Functional. Hybrid. Combination. Print. Formatted. RTF. Electronic. Text. Scannable. PDF. Web-based. All of these are terms that are tossed around when people talk about resume formats. How is a job-seeker supposed to know the best resume format i n any given situation? Do you need more than one format? Just how many formats do you need?First, it's important to note that the term "format" has a couple of different meanings. When people talk about resume "format" they may be referring to:

The way the content of the resume is organized. The technological approach to the resume's preparation according to how it is intended to be

delivered to its recipient. Both of the above.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of different types of resumes? What are the common elements of all resumes? This article addresses these issues, giving you all the information you need to write the best resume for you -- given your job history and job-search strategy. We primarily focus here on the ways resume content can be organized but also touch on technological approaches to resume preparation based on intended delivery method, which we expand on in our article [title and link].

The Purpose of Resumes 

Your resume is a key job-hunting tool used to get a job interview. It summarizes your accomplishments,

your education, as well as your work experience, and should reflect your special mix of skills and strengths.

A resume -- even the best resume -- will not get you the job; you'll need to convince the employer during the job interview. The resume is simply a marketing tool to get you into the door.

A resume is a statement of facts designed to sell your unique mix of education, experience, accomplishments, and skills to a prospective employer. Never lie or stretch the facts; do not get creative when identifying your job titles, dates of employment, or accomplishments. On the other hand, do not be modest; be clear about successes and accomplishments -- and quantify whenever possible.

Key Attributes of All Resumes 

Regardless of the type of resume you create, a number of key elements overlap all successful resumes.

1. Contact Information. Since your goal is for an employer to contact you -- either for a first interview or for a follow-up interview -- you must give employers as many ways to reach you as possible, including postal mailing address, email address, home phone number, cell phone, etc.

2. Accomplishments. Focus the descriptions of your experiences on accomplishments, not duties and responsibilities. Accomplishments, especially those you can quantify, will sell you to a potential employer.

3. Education/Training. Include all the pertinent information regarding education, degrees, training, and certifications. Spell out names of degrees. Include the educational institution's name and location. If currently enrolled in an educational program, list expected graduation month and year. Graduates should list graduation year if within the last 10 years.

4. Appearance. The first impression of your resume -- and of you as a job-seeker -- comes from your resume's appearance. Your resume should be well-organized with consistent headings, fonts, bullets, and style. Never overcrowd the resume. Leave some "white space" so that important points can stand out; and try to make your margins between .75 \"and 1\" on all sides. For print resumes, use subdued color paper, such as white, ivory, beige, light gray.

5. Avoidance of Typos/Misspellings. Take the time to carefully write, rewrite, and edit your resume. Be sure to meticulously proofread your resume for misspellings and typos. Resumes with errors get filed in the trash can.

6. Targeted and focused. Tailor your basic resume to specific jobs and specific employers. There is simply no excuse for having one generic resume anymore. Tweak each resume you submit to the specific job you are seeking or to the specific employer.

Which Organizational Format? 

One of the first decisions job-seekers must make when preparing their resumes is how to organize the resume's content. Today's resumes generally are:

Chronological (actually reverse chronological, listing all your experience from most to least recent).

Functional, which lists experience in skills clusters.

A combination or hybrid of those two types, sometimes known as a chrono-functional format.

Chronological Resumes 

The traditional, default format for resumes is the chronological resume. This type of resume is organized by your employment history in reverse chronological order, with job titles/names of employers/locations of employers/dates of employment/ accomplishments, working backwards 10-15 years.

A standard chronological resume may be your best choice if most/all of your experience has been in one field, you have no large employment gaps, and you plan to stay in that same field.

The chronological resume is preferred by the widest variety of employers, as well as by recruiters and many of the Internet job boards. Recruiters and hiring managers tend to like this resume format because it's easy to read and clearly demonstrates your job history and career advancement/growth. This format is also recommended for all conservative career fields (such as accounting, banking, law, etc.) and international job-seeking.

Functional Resumes 

The resume format preferred by job-seekers with a limited job history, a checkered job history, or a job history in a different career field, is the functional resume.

Job-seekers who take a functional approach organize their resumes by skills and functions clusters. In a purely functional resume, company names, employment dates, and position titles are intentionally omitted. The functional resume can work for homemakers returning to the workforce, for example, or for new graduates entering the job market. The purely functional resume has very limited uses but can be an excellent marketing tool if well done.

This resume format is the least common and least preferred by employers -- and most Internet job boards do not accept this resume format.

Combination (Chrono-Functional, Hybrid) Resumes 

Because the purely functional format has become the subject of employer backlash in recent years, some

job-seekers have learned to structure their resumes in a mostly functional format but to also include a bare-bones work history in reverse chronological order, creating what is variously known as a chrono-functional, hybrid, or combination format.

The work-history section need include only job title, name and location of employer, and dates of employment. You don't need to list what you did in each job because that information already is listed in your functional sections.

The chrono-functional/hybrid/combination resume highlights outstanding skills and achievements that might otherwise be buried within the job-history section while simultaneously presenting, yet deemphasizing, the chronology of jobs. The focus is on clusters of transferable skills and the experiences that are most relevant to the position for which you are applying. If you are open to more than one type of job, you can reconfigure the functional skills clusters to emphasize the skills most relevant to the particular job you seek.

Chrono-functional/hybrid/combination resumes suit a variety of job-seeker needs, such as a diverse job history that doesn't add up to a clear-cut career path and situations where the job-seeker has work experience that is related but not an exact link to desired position. Job-seekers who have large employment gaps or many short employment stints prefer this format because it downplays employment history. This type of resume also works well for older workers, career changers, and job-seekers with academic deficiencies or limited experience. While the chrono-functional/hybrid/combination resume is more acceptable to employers than the purely functional format, some employers are unaccustomed to functional formats of any kind, finding them confusing or even annoying. Some employers like to know what exactly you did in each job. Recruiters/headhunters particularly disdain functional formats, so this approach should never be used if you are primarily targeting recruiters with your job search. As noted, employers in conservative fields are not big fans of functional formats, nor are international employers. Functional formats, even chrono-functional, also are not acceptable on many online job boards.

More than One Format? 

Your resume is one of the most fundamental tools of job-seekers, so take the time and care to develop the best resume based on your previous work experience and job-search aspirations. For some job-seekers, this process may result in both a chronological resume and chrono-functional resume. For example, our subsidiary, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, recently had a client with a strong background as a product manager in banking. Unfortunately, she had moved to an area where few banks had their corporate headquarters, so opportunities in her field were limited. She had to be open to other jobs that used her transferable project/product management, marketing, and customer-service skills. For those jobs, she used a chrono-functional format to emphasize transferable skills and position her for a possible career change. But she hadn't given up on approaching banks in her new locale, whether as a potential product manager or in a closely related position. Therefore, she still needed a traditional chronological resume, both because banking is a conservative industry and because a chronological format was still her best bet for obtaining a job similar to her previous positions.

Which Technological Format? 

Once you developed your resume, your final step is to determine whether you need multiple versions of your resume based on how you will deliver your resume to recipients.

More than 80 percent of employers are now placing resumes directly into searchable databases and an equal percentage of employers prefer to receive resumes by e-mail. That means that it's an absolute must these days to have:

A formatted, "print" resume in document form that you can send as an attachment to an e-mail message to the employer.

A text-based (ASCII text) e-resume stripped of most formatting and pasted directly into the same e-mail message sent to the employer (can also be pasted into application/resume submission forms on online job boards).

Sending your resume in text-based format directly in an e-mail message removes all obstacles to an employer's placing your resume right into a searchable database. If that's the case, why do you still need the formatted, "print" resume in document form sent as an attachment? Because the employer may want to print out your resume to review it, especially once the database search has narrowed down the candidates. The formatted, print version will be more reader-friendly than the text-based version. You'll also want to have a print version of your resume on hand to take to interviews and career fairs and for occasions when employers request resumes in "old-fashioned" ways -- by mail or fax.

Some employers still prefer the formatted document version of your resume attached to an e-mail message, while others won't open attachments because of concerns about viruses and incompatibilities among word-processing programs.

A dizzying alphabet soup of delivery formats comprise other options to consider. Scrutinize employer instructions carefully to see which format is preferred for any given opportunity to submit your resume. If in doubt, contact the employer and ask about submission preferences. Here's a quick rundown:

Text (ASCII) resume, which removes all formatting and allows the resume to appear the same in all email systems -- and allows for easy placement into employer resume databases.

Rich Text (RTF) version, sometimes used for online job boards (such as Monster, FlipDog, HotJobs) or for sending as an attachment that is reasonably compatible across platforms and word-processing programs.

Portable Document Format (PDF) resume that is also highly compatible and consistent in appearance across platforms, though difficult to place directly into databases.

Web-based resume in hypertext markup language (HTML) to make your resume available 24/7 on the Web. Easily expandable into a Web portfolio.

Scannable resume, which is similar to a text resume although used increasingly less often these days since e-mailed resumes can go directly into databases and don't require the extra step of optical scanning.

As you might imagine, any number of versions of your resume are possible, including both organizational formats and technical formats. You could, for example, have both chronological and chrono-functional versions of your resume in print, text, RTF, PDF, HTML, and scannable file formats, for a total of 12 versions of your resume! Add to these the tweaks you make to target your resume to specific jobs/employers, and the possibilities are virtually endless.

In the end, the most important lesson here is that the days are gone when a job-seeker developed one resume format and printed 100 copies of it on high-quality paper. In today's job market, resumes need to be modified and fine-tuned at a drop of the hat, as well as available in multiple versions. In fact, electronic resume versions are taking over as the most popular formats for resumes. Still, there will probably be a need for years to come for attractive, eye-catching print resumes with appropriately organized content.

Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume

You probably have about 30 seconds to convince a potential employer that you deserve an interview. A resume summarizes your accomplishments, your education, and your work experience, and should reflect your strengths.

What follows is an outline of a typical chronological resume -- best suited for entry-level job-seekers or those who have stayed in the same field. Career changers and those job-seekers with varied work experiences and accomplishments may want to utilize a functional resume style.

Here are the key components of a standard chronological resume:

Identification

It is essential that a potential employer can reach you.This section should include your name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address.If a college student, this section might also include a school address and a permanent home address.

Job Objective

A job objective is optional and should only be included for new college grads and those changing careers. Otherwise, use your cover letter to show your career interests and job objective.If you do use an objective, make sure your objective explains the kind of work you want to do, and keep it between two to four typed lines.

Key Accomplishments

Some resume experts are suggesting adding a section that highlights your key accomplishments and achievements. Think of this section as an executive summary of your resume; identify key accomplishments that will grab the attention of an employer.This section should summarize (using nouns as keywords and descriptors) your major accomplishments and qualificationsThis section can also be labeled "Professional Profile," "Summary of Accomplishments," "Key Skills," "Summary of Qualifications," or "Qualifications."

Education

For new college grads, this entry should be your next. For others with full-time work experience, this section should follow your experience section.This section should include school(s) attended (including years of attendance), majors/minors, degrees, and honors and awards received.For new grads only: There appears to be a growing trend of employers wanting your scores in this section. If you decide to do so, make sure to use the scores that puts you in the best light -- either overall score, school or college score, or major score.

Professional Experience

This section can also be labeled "Experience, "Work History," or "Employment." We like using experience -- especially for new college grads, because experience is broader than work history, allowing you to include major school projects that showcase your skills and abilities.This section should include company name, your job title, dates of employment, and major accomplishments. List experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your most current experience.List your accomplishments in bullet format (rather than paragraph format). Avoid discussing job duties or responsibilities.If you don't have a lot of career-related job experience, consider using transferable skills to better highlight your work experience.Finally, make sure to make use of action verbs when describing your accomplishments.

Affiliations/Interests

This section is optional; include only if you have room on your resume for it. Items from this section are often used as an ice-breaker by interviewers looking to start an interview on an informal basis.This section should only include professional memberships and non-controversial activities/interests.

References

Many experts say this section is passe, but if you have room, include it. If nothing else, this section signals the end of your resume.This section should only include a statement saying references are available upon request.Do not include the names of your references on your resume.

Avoid These 10 Resume Mistakes

This article describes the ten resume mistakes seen often. All are easy to fix.Don't make these resume mistakes:

1. Resume lacks focus.

A sharp focus is an extremely important resume element. Given that employers screen resumes for between 2.5 and 20 seconds, a resume should show the employer at a glance what you want to do and what you're good at. In a recent study employers wanted resumes to show a clear match between the applicant and a particular job's requirements. A "general" resume that is not focused on a specific job's requirements was seen as not competitive. In an even more recent study, 71 percent of hiring managers preferred a resume customized for the open position.

One way to sharpen your focus is through an objective statement. Your objective statement can be very simple and straightforward; it can be simply the title of the position you're applying for, which can be adjusted for every job you apply for. Or you can embellish your Objective statement a bit with language telling how you'll benefit the employer. Something like:

Objective: To contribute strong ________ skills and experience to your organization in a _________ capacity.

In this day of being able to manage our own computer files, you could have several versions of your resume that are essentially the same except for the objective. A specific objective is always better than a vague or general one.

To sharpen your focus, you can also add a section called something like "Summary of Qualifications," "Profile," or the like. Such a section can contribute to powerful resume opener that draws the reader in; it can be part of the top third of your resume that showcases your best selling points, catches the prospective employer's attention, and immediately demonstrates your value as a candidate. "Think of this section as an executive summary of your resume. Identify key accomplishments that will grab the attention of an employer."

You can use your Profile/Summary section to position yourself for each job you target by tweaking the wording to fit each type of position.

2. Resume is duties-driven instead of accomplishments-driven.

Resumes should consist primarily of high-impact accomplishments statements that sell the job-seeker's qualifications as the best candidate.

Never use expressions such as "Duties included," "Responsibilities included," or "Responsible for." That's job-description language, not accomplishments-oriented resume language that sells. After all, if you were an employer and wanted to run a successful organization, would you be looking for candidates who can perform only their basic job functions, or would you want employees with a proven track record of accomplishments? In these days in which most resumes are placed into keyword-searchable databases, you won't find employers searching resumes for words like "responsibilities," "duties," or "responsible for."

Instead, focus on accomplishments that set you apart from other job candidates. In each job, what special things did you do to set yourself apart? How did you do the job better than anyone else? What did you do to make it your own? What special things did you do to impress your boss so that you might be promoted? What were the problems or challenges that you or the organization faced? What did you do to overcome the problems? What were the results of your efforts? How did the company benefit from your performance? How did you leave your employers better off than before you worked for them? How have you helped your employers to:

make money

save money

save time

make work easier

solve a specific problem

be more competitive

build relationships

expand the business

attract new customers

retain existing customers

Accomplishments are the points that increase reader's interest, stimulate a request for a job interview, and really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. Content elements that propel employers to immediately discard resumes include a focus on duties instead of accomplishments, while documented achievements were highly ranked among content elements that employers look for.

Some job-seekers list accomplishments in a separate section or isolate accomplishments from duties/responsibilities when describing their job functions. I don't support this practice because everything on your resume should be accomplishments-driven. If you label only certain items as accomplishments, the reader's assumption is that the other things you did were not accomplishments.

Be sure also that the accomplishments you list support your career goals and that you tailor them to the job you're targeting with this resume.

3. Resume items are listed in an order that doesn't consider the reader's interest. 

The Resume Ingredients Rules say that information on a resume should be listed in order of importance to the reader. Therefore, in listing your jobs, what's generally most important is your title/position. So list in this preferred order: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment. I can't tell you how many resumes I've seen that list dates first. Dates can be important to some employers, but they're generally not as important as what your position was and whom you worked for.

Education follows the same principle; thus, the preferred order for listing your education is: Name of degree (spelled out: Bachelor of _____) in name of major, name of university, city/state of university, graduation year, followed by peripheral information, such as minor and score. If you haven't graduated

yet, list your information the same way. Since the graduation date you've listed is in the future, the employer will know you don't have the degree yet.

By the way, the Resume Ingredients Rule is also the reason that experience and education are listed in reverse chronological order on your resume; it's assumed that your most recent education and experience are most important and relevant to the reader.

Also consider whether your education or your experience is your best selling point and which should therefore be listed first. Generally, brand-new graduates list education first, while job-seekers with a few years of experience list experience first. When job-seekers add value to their education by attaining an MBA or other graduate degree, they often switch education back to the more prominent position because it now becomes the hot selling point

4. Resume exposes the job-seeker to age discrimination by going too far back into the job-seeker's job history.

The rule of thumb for someone at the senior level is to list about 15 years worth of jobs. Age discrimination, unfortunately, is a reality, and even more likely, employers may think you're too expensive if you list too much experience on your resume. Similarly, don't provide the date of your college graduation if it was more than about 10 years ago.

5. Resume buries important skills, especially computer skills, at the bottom.

There are few jobs today for which computer skills are not important. Yet many job-seekers, even those in technology fields, tend to tack a "Computer Skills" section to the end of their resumes. If computer skills are relevant to your field, list them in your Summary or Profile section. That way, they'll catch the reader's eye in the first third of your resume. If you are in the technology field, list your technical skills in a separate section called something like "Systems Proficiencies," but be sure it's on the first page of your resume.

Similarly if language and international-business skills are important in the type of job you seek, list them in your Summary or Profile section, not at the end of your resume.

6. Resume is not bulleted.

Use a bulleted style to make your resume more reader-friendly. In the above-cited study by Career Masters Institute, use of bullets was the 2nd-highest ranked preference by employers, and density of type (paragraphs rather than bullet points) was ranked highly as a factor that would inspire employers to discard a resume.

Use bullets consistently. Some job-seekers bullet most of their resume but don't bullet the Profile/Summary section, for example. Or they will list the overall scope and responsibilities for each job in an unbulleted section before beginning a bulleted section describing accomplishments. Given that the reader can't easily discern a rationale for why some material is bulleted and other material isn't, it's best to bullet consistently throughout the resume.

7. Resume uses a cookie-cutter design based on an overused resume template.

Most resumes created from a Microsoft Word template are instantly recognizable to employers as such. There's nothing wrong with that except that employers have seen a million of them, so they don't stand out. The employer immediately senses a certain lack of imagination in the job-seeker. These templates are also somewhat inflexible and contain problematic formatting. Using a template or any kind of boilerplate to demonstrate your value to a company is the worst thing you can do to yourself when job hunting.You're supposed to be uniquely qualified so the company will choose you instead of some cookie-cutter drone -- right? Do you really want a template?

8. Resume lacks keywords.

Job-hunting today increasingly revolves around the mysterious world of keywords. Employers' reliance on keywords to find the job candidates they want to interview has come about in recent years because of technology. Inundated by resumes from job-seekers, employers have increasingly relied on digitizing job-seeker resumes, placing those resumes in keyword-searchable databases, and using software to search those databases for specific keywords that relate to job vacancies. Most Fortune 1000 companies, in fact, and many smaller companies now use these technologies. In addition, many employers search the databases of third-party job-posting and resume-posting boards on the Internet. More than 80 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords.

The bottom line is that if you apply for a job with a company that searches databases for keywords, and your resume doesn't have the keywords the company seeks for the person who fills that job, you are pretty much dead in the water.

9. References are listed directly on your resume.

Never listed specific references directly on your resume. List them on a separate sheet, and even then, submit them only when specifically requested by an employer.

Even the phrase, "References: Available upon request," is highly optional because it is a given that you will provide references upon request. If you couldn't, you would have no business looking for a job. The line can serve the purpose of signaling: "This is the end of my resume," but if you are trying to conserve space, leave it off.

10. Resume's appearance becomes skewed when sent as an e-mail attachment and/or resume is not available in other electronic formats.

Have you ever noticed that when you send a resume (or any document) as an attachment from your computer to someone else's computer, it sometimes doesn't look the same on the other person's computer as it did on yours? Maybe it has more pages on the other computer, or maybe Page 2 starts at the bottom of Page 1, or maybe the fonts are different.

If you are regularly sending your resume as an e-mail attachment, you may want to experiment with sending it to friends' computers to ensure that the formatting appears consistently from computer to computer.

Beyond a resume that can be sent as an e-mail attachment, it's crucial these days to have at least one type of electronic version of your resume for sending via e-mail and posting to Internet job boards. It's an absolute must these days because, as noted earlier, 80 percent of resumes today are placed directly into keyword-searchable databases.

The Top Ten Things You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online

The e-resume, short for electronic resume, is a vital tool for today's job-seeker. But what exactly is an electronic resume? Even among career experts, opinions vary about what is or is not an electronic resume. It's a broadly used term that covers several types of resumes. What ties these resume types together is mode of delivery. Rather than traditional modes of resume delivery -- snailmail, faxing, and hand-delivery -- e-resumes are delivered electronically -- via e-mail, submitted to Internet job boards, or residing on their own Web page. Then there are sort of middle-tech cousins of e-resumes, scannable

resumes -- used less and less frequently these days -- that are in print format but are ready to become electronic resumes through optical scanning. Learn the 10 things you truly must know about e-resumes.

1. You absolutely MUST have one.

A job-seeker simply cannot succeed these days with just the traditional formatted resume intended to be printed out as a visually pleasing marketing piece. The formatted "print" resume is still important, but it can no longer be the only resume tool in your kit.

More than 80 percent of employers are now placing resumes directly into searchable databases and an equal percentage of employers prefer to receive resumes by e-mail. Eighty percent of Fortune 500 companies post jobs on their own Web sites -- and expect job-seekers to respond electronically. All these stats mean that you need at least one other version of your resume that can go directly into a keyword-searchable database with no obstacles. Formatting that needs to be removed before the resume can be placed in a database is an example of such an obstacle.

Sending your resume in text-based format directly in the body of an e-mail message removes all barriers to an employer's placing your resume right into a searchable database. Some employers still prefer the formatted document version of your resume attached to an e-mail message, while others won't open attachments because of concerns about viruses and incompatibilities among word-processing programs. And since the formatted version of your resume is often delivered electronically as an attachment, it too can be considered a type of e-resume.

The formatted "print" resume is still vital because the employer may wish to visually review your resume, especially once the database search has narrowed down the candidates, and the formatted, print version will be more reader-friendly than the text-based version. You'll also want to have a print version of your resume on hand to take to interviews and career fairs and for occasions when employers request resumes in "old-fashioned" ways -- by mail or fax.

It's nearly impossible to conduct a job search these days without some type of e-resume -- whether plain-text, formatted, or Web-based. In fact, it's a safe assertion that the only job-seekers who won't need an e-resume are those who want to work for an employer that does not own a computer.

So, at the bare minimum, you need a formatted, print version of your resume and a text-based (ASCII) e-resume. To cover every contingency, you might also want to have a Rich Text (RTF) version, a Portable Document Format (PDF) version, a Web-based (HTML) version, and a scannable version.

2. Your e-resume must be loaded with keywords.

This advice really relates to all resumes in the era of the keyword-searchable database, but it's especially important for e-resumes. Job-hunting today increasingly revolves around the mysterious world of keywords. Employers' use and eventual dependence on keywords to find the job candidates they want to interview has come about in recent years because of technology. Inundated by resumes from job-seekers, employers have increasingly relied on digitizing job-seeker resumes, placing those resumes in keyword-searchable databases, and using software to search those databases for specific keywords that relate to job vacancies. Most Fortune 1000 companies, in fact, and many smaller companies now use these technologies. In addition, many employers search the databases of third-party job-posting and resume-posting boards on the Internet.

The bottom line is that if you apply for a job with a company that searches databases for keywords, and your resume doesn't have the keywords the company seeks for the person who fills that job, you are pretty much out of luck.

3. Your e-resume must be accomplishments-driven.

Again, this advice applies to all resumes. Accomplishments are the points that really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. In fact, there's a direct relationship between keywords and accomplishments in that keywords can be tied to accomplishments rather than job duties, so a good way to make the leap from keyword to a nice, contextual bullet point is to take each keyword you've identified as critical to the job and list an accomplishment that tells how you've used the skill represented by that keyword.

4. Technically speaking, an e-resume is not too difficult to create.

It's surprisingly easy to create an e-resume once you get the hang of it. There's more that one way to create a text-based e-resume, but the most common method involves saving your word-processed (usually Word) resume in text (.txt) format, re-opening it in a text editor program, such as Wordpad, Notepad, or Mac's Simple Text, and then making a few adjustments in it. Even a Web-based HTML resume is not that hard to craft.

5. Text-based e-resumes are the ugly ducklings of the resume world, but you can dress them up a bit.

Job-seekers and resume writers have strived for years to develop ways to make resumes visually appealing and graphically interesting -- through font choices, bold and italic type, rule lines, bullets, centering, indents, and more -- only to have all that formatting thrown out the window in the e-resume world. Text-based e-resumes are the antitheses of the gorgeous documents that job-seekers hand to employers at interviews and career fairs. The fact is that most e-resumes aren't intended to be visually attractive because their main function is not to be seen but to be searched in keyword-searchable databases.

Still, they may be seen at some point. Employers may see the resume you've posted on an online job board. Their primary interest is whether the content of your resume (indicated largely by keywords) shows you to be qualified for the opening you've applied for and/or for which the employer is searching the database. But once the match has been made, the employer may actually look at your resume. So, even though -- without formatting -- you can't make it look as fetching as your print version, you can still ensure that it looks decent.

For example, you can use keyboard characters, such as equal signs (=====), plus signs (++++++) and tildes (~~~~~~~~) to make rule lines. You can use asterisks (*****), hyphens (-----), lower-case letter o's (ooooo), and carats (>>>>>) to make bullets. You can use UPPER CASE for emphasis in headings.

Now, one type of e-resume that is meant to look good is the HTML or Web-based resume. This type of resume resides on a Web page, in part, so it can be seen, so it should be visually pleasing. While it's not too difficult to make an HTML resume look attractive, the more you know about Web design, the better you can make the resume look. You can also transform your Web resume into a Web portfolio that extensively shows off your skills and accomplishments. If you're not confident of your skills, you might want to enlist a Web designer or resume writer in this process.

6. E-resumes are highly versatile.

Once you have a text-based e-resume, you can do a lot with it, including:

Post it in its entirety on many job boards.

Paste it piece-by-piece into the profile forms of job boards that have a rigid setup and don't allow resumes to be posted as is.

Paste it into the body of an e-mail and send it to employers.

Convert it to a Web-based HTML resume.

Send it as an attachment to employers, although you'll probably also want to send your formatted version.

Print it out and use as it a scannable resume.

7. You must tailor the use of your e-resume to each employer's or job board's instructions.

As you might have guessed from what you've read so far in this article, there is no universally accepted way to submit your e-resume to an employer. Some employers want your resume as an attachment, usually as a Word document (but if no format is specified, and you can't find out, RTF is the safest bet). Others want your resume as text pasted into the body of an e-mail message. Still others want you to paste your resume into an online form.

If you absolutely cannot find out an employer's preference, the following is a fairly safe bet:

A formatted, "print" resume in document or RTF form sent as an attachment to an e-mail message to the employer. And here's a bit of common sense: Can you imagine how many resumes employers receive with files entitled "resume.doc" or "resume.rtf?" Use your name as part of the file name for your resume. Example: RaviGupta.rtf.

A text-based e-resume stripped of most formatting and pasted directly into the same e-mail message into which your print resume is attached. Since the employer has this text-based resume, he or she can choose whether or not to open the attached version, based on compatibility, virus protection, and company policy on opening attachments. For a truly complete e-mailable, electronic package, add a text-based cover letter stripped of formatting and pasted directly into the same e-mail message into which your print resume is attached. Your cover letter can contain verbiage that points out the e-resume options you're providing: "I have attached an MS Word version of my resume, as well as pasted a plain-text version below. (If the plain-text version is sufficient for your database, it is not necessary to download the formatted attachment.)"

The same lack of universality goes for job boards. Some enable you to paste your resume into a form in any format, but the board automatically converts it to text. Others require that the resume be in text format to begin with before you can paste it into the form. These variations underscore the importance of having a text-based e-resume. We learned that a text-based e-resume is not only vital for boards with a text-

resume requirement -- but also extremely helpful when the boards convert any resume to text. Just because a job board turns your resume into text doesn't mean it will look decent; it's better to have a text resume to begin with so you know it will look appropriate when pasted in.

Also note that some job boards/employers limit the number of words or the size of the file that you can paste into any one field. Others have a very rigid format for constructing your resume/profile that does not allow for functional or chrono-functional resume formats, for example.

8. Take advantage of job-board features to protect yourself and get the most out of posting your e-resume on the boards.

Most reputable job boards have features that enable you to protect your own privacy and confidentiality, control who sees your resume, mask the identity if your current employer (so your employer doesn't know you're looking), and easily edit and delete your resume or change it from active to inactive.

These privacy and confidentiality issues are more important than ever these days in light of recent revelations of identity theft of resume information.

Many boards also enable you to create multiple profiles for yourself so you can look for various types of jobs. Some permit you to submit a list of your top skills. Resume submission forms generally have questions in addition to a place to submit the actual resume. Some questions are mandatory; others are optional. When a question is optional, consider whether it is to your advantage to answer it. Answering questions about salary or location requirements, for example, may be too limiting.

9. A few finishing touches can increase your e-resume's effectiveness.

Here are a few tips from the experts for getting more out of your e-resume:

Use the "Properties" feature in MS Word to boost the keyword searchability of your attached Word resume, advise Kendall and Whitcomb. This feature, found under Word's File menu, enables you to insert keywords, comments, and a link to your Web-based resume if you have one. You can use the "Comments" field to enter geographic and relocation preferences.

A similar trick applies to using HTML commands called meta tags in creating a Web-based resume. The "description" command, for example, gives you up to 150 characters to provide a description of your document. Make sure you use words that highlight your experience and skills. The "keywords" command gives you limited space to enter critical keywords. Be sure to use keywords that you think employers and recruiters might use in searching for the position you are seeking -- and make sure those keywords are also listed at least once (perhaps in a "key accomplishments" section) in your resume.

Do some test runs of the formatted print resume you intend to send to employers as an attachment by sending it to the computers of a few friends to see if the formatting is consistent from computer to computer. Try to find testers who each have different versions of Windows (95, 98, 2000, XP), as well as a tester or two using Mac OS.

It's best to include your cover letter in the body of your e-mail rather than as an additional attachment because some systems can't handle multiple attachments.

Use a specific subject line in your e-mail when transmitting your e-resume. The subject line might include the reference number for the job, your name, the name of the position, and a concise keyword-oriented selling point about you.