The Merits Of Scannable Resumes

The resume you have crafted to grab the attention of your potential employer may have one serious flaw. It may not be the employer that you have to appeal to. Technology has allowed recruiters and employers to become more efficient when it comes to searching for viable candidates for a position. Using scanning technology employers are scanning print resumes into databases for computer reference. The computer references the resumes using keywords and matches candidates to positions in this way. If your resume is not formatted correctly you may be losing valuable opportunities to be seen at all.

There are a number of ways in which the process of scanning a resume may occur. The scan will either maintain the resume as a graphic image or it will convert it into text. If the scanner maintains it as an image your resume will remain the same. If it converts it into text certain elements may not translate. This means that you have a 50% chance that your resume will translate correctly into a computer program. These are not the kind of odds you want to be playing with when it comes to your career.

Scannable resumes are becoming more and more common. Fundamentally the scannable resume contains the same information and does the same job as a print resume. The difference is in the formatting. Remember instead of appealing to a human audience you are formatting for a computer. The best user-friendly universal format is the text file. Text files have no formatting and are easily read by most computer scanning programs.

It is advisable to have two versions of your resume, a print version and a scannable version. The merits of having a scannable version are many. If your resume is not computer friendly and your employer uses this technology you may as well not apply. Your vital information and selling points may get lost in cyber space. The format of your resume will change and certain information may not show up at all.

You can use a scannable resume to get ahead in the job market. By using text format and proven keywords you will send your resume straight to the top of the computer search. In order to efficiently select candidates, match skills and experience the computer will scan your resume for keywords and phrases related to the required skills and qualifications.

A scannable resume is no different to a print resume; it is a chance to sell your skills to a potential employer. In the same way as you would target your employer with a print resume you need to target the computer in your scannable one. The vital difference is format. You should stick to a simplistic computer friendly format. Graphics, designs, bullets, bolding and underlining make it harder for the computer to get to important keywords in your resume. Use normal serif fonts such as Times, Ariel or Courier and stick to a font size between 11 and 14. Print your resume on a high quality laser printer or inkjet. Stick to printing on white or very pale colored paper to get maximum scan quality.

The most important thing to remember with a scannable resume is keywords. This is what will match your resume with the job description. Use words and phrases that are job and industry specific. Use words that are used in the job outline. Try to preempt what kinds of words and phrases might be used to describe the requirements for the job. It is essential that you use industry jargon and company specific terminology. The use of keywords can influence how your resume is read and if it is read at all.

 

 

 

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