Resume Tips

Is your resume computer-friendly? Unless you use the right words, you could be passed over for a new job.

(reproduced from: CanWest News Service, Wendy McLellan)

It shouldn't be surprising that in our increasingly electronically-connected universe, paper resumes are becoming obsolete.

Companies post open positions on their websites, online job boards let you apply for work with the click of a couple of computer keys, and newspaper classified ads direct people to e-mail their resumes.

But it seems job seekers have not yet adapted to the new reality, and their resumes - with pretty fonts and creative cover letters on heavy bond paper - are vanishing into cyberspace even if their qualifications should make them perfect candidates for the job.

"The whole industry has changed," said Melinda Meier, Director of Business Development for Recruiting Technologies at Richmond, BC-based Resume Mirror.

"Even five years ago, the way you got noticed was by writing a really pretty resume and cover letter. Now you go to the career section on a website, see a job you want and submit a resume, and nine times out of 10, the resume doesn't even get to the recruiter."

When a company or recruiter asks for a copy of your resume, they don't mean it literally - and they may never even look at it, Meier said.

"Even if you're asked to send a resume, it's not necessarily going to get in front of a person," she said. "You are going into their database."

Computer software scans the resume, and the information gets dumped into a searchable database recruiters or employers can use to find candidates.

But if your resume is missing the keywords a recruiter chooses to search the database, your name will never surface.

"It doesn't matter how pretty your resume is; if you don't write it so a computer can figure out what file to enter the information in, you're lost," said Meier.

"That's the reality of hiring today - we've all been reduced to data."

Resume Mirror develops applicant tracking and resume-processing software and teaches recruiters and employers how to use electronic database searches to find new staff.

One recent survey of recruiters found 47 per cent use the Internet to find job candidates. Of those, 69 per cent find candidates by searching "for fee" resume databases such as Monster. Employers are also more frequently posting jobs on their websites.

By using search engines, employers can pluck out candidates who have worked for their biggest competitor or who graduated from a specific school, or those with steady work histories. They can even restrict their candidate search to those who live within a certain distance of the company's offices.

"This technology is used pretty much everywhere and across every industry, Meier said.

By developing an electronic resume, job seekers dramatically improve their chances of at least getting their name in front of employers, she said.

And computer-compatible resumes are vastly different than the ones most people write. The best electronic resumes are plain and use clear words to describe work history and skills, Meier said.

"You want to be as plain and straightforward as possible, which is the opposite of how people have been trained," she said.

"The goal is to increase the likelihood your resume will pop out of the database when an employer is looking for a candidate with your skills.

"If you can't get pulled out of the database, you will never get an interview."

Some hints for your resume

•      Forget the two-page rule. If you need more space
       to describe your skills, the computer won't care, and
       nobody will read it at this stage anyway.
•      Use as many different words to describe your skills as
       possible, to increase the chances of matching keyword
       searches.
•      Don't use fancy formatting. Choose full capitals for
       heading, bold and underlining to distinguish between the
       titles and employers.
•      Use standard layout - no columns, headers or footers.
       And don't add graphs, charts or photos or use  
       PowerPoint software to create your resume. 
•      Use standard labels - "Work History," not "Professional
       Experience." 
       For each position you have held, list the specific skills
       you acquired.