Scannable Resumes Career Skills for IT Professionals

Why use Scannable Resumes?  Many companies, especially high-tech companies, use databases to quickly and efficiently match job openings with qualified job-seekers. Searches are done using keywords and phrases that describe the skills and education required for the position, thus when writing a text resume it is extremely important to use terms and familiar industry acronyms (jargon) that describe your skills and experience. -Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

How does scanning work?  The software that allows scanners to read your paper resume and turn it into an electronic resume is able to do just that. Resumix, one of the most widely used applicant tracking systems, reads the grammar of noun, verb, and adjective combinations and extracts the information for placement on the form that will become your entry in a resume database. Its expert system extraction engine uses a knowledge base of more than 120,000 rules and over ten million resume terms. -- ResumeEdge.com -- ResumeEdge.comResumeEdge.com

What to include?  Scannable resume also called text resume should include  The same major headings as a traditional resume:  A header that includes your name, address, and phone number;  A qualifications summary or job objective;  Work experience;  Education, including your degree(s), honors, and activities;  And any specialized training and certifications

Format Features to use  More traditional standard serif (kind with “little feet”)  Courier, Times New Roman or Bookman  More contemporary sans serif fonts (without “feet”)  Arial (Helvetica), Tahoma  Use a normal type size, 11 to 14 points  Place your name on the top of the page on its own line.  Use a standard format for your address and place each phone number on a line of it’s own.

More Format Features  Keep formatting simple. Use all caps for major headings, but avoid bolding, italicizing, and underlining.  If your resume is more than one page, place your name at the top of each additional page.  Do not use bullets or lines.  Use asterisks *'s or hyphens -"s to replace bullets.  Insert a blank line between headings and paragraphs to ensure headings stand out  Avoid any graphics or shading.

What to include in content  Include key skills and certifications, using industry standards to identify each.  Use industry or job-specific keywords that employers might use to find candidates for the job you are seeking.  You only need to use a word one time for it to be considered a "hit" in a keyword search.  Use common abbreviations (such as HTML for a Hypertext Markup Language) and maximize use of industry jargon.

Increase chances of “hits”  Increase your list of key words by including specifics, for example, list the names of software you use, such as Microsoft Word and Lotus  Use common headings, such as Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Positions Held, Appointments, Skills, Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Affiliations, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Licenses, Certifications, Examinations, Personal, Honors, Papers, Additional, Miscellaneous, References.

Increase chance of “hits”  Describe personal traits and attributes. Keywords could include skill in time management, dependable, high energy, leadership, sense of responsibility, good memory, etc.  Be concise.  Keywords: use action verbs and words which describe your qualifications and abilities.

Paper Resume  Use light colored paper, white is best.  Mail in a flat envelope. If folded it may make some of a line on fold unreadable.  Do not staple if have more than one page.  Don’t print on both sides of paper.  Don’t use column layout.