Scannable and Electronic Resumes

As mentioned in the Keywords section of Resume Tutor, it is imperative to use keywords that describe your experience, skills and other requirements for a particular job. These words are what companies use to select candidates for particular jobs, so if you want to make the cut, be sure to use them!

If you are responding to a classified advertisement, read through it carefully and make sure your resume includes words that you see listed as required for the job. If you are submitting a resume because you would like to work for a particular company, find out from the company's website or through informational interviews what attributes are especially important to the organization.

Typically, keywords are found in the summary or skills section of a resume, or in the description of various positions.

How to Use Keywords in Scannable Resumes

To give yourself the best chance of your keywords being recognized by the scanner, use NOUNS whenever possible (rather than verbs), and avoid acronyms.

Scanner-Friendly Resumes

In addition to using keywords, you can make your resume "scanner-friendly" by following these formatting suggestions:

• Use a clean, easy-to-read font (Times, Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, Palatino or Helvetica) and keep all text at least 10 points in size but no larger than 14 points.
• Remove any italics, bolding or underlining. Use all caps to emphasize words or phrases.
• Bullet points should be changed to an asterisk (*), dash (-), plus sign (+) or other standard keyboard symbols.
• Limit the use of shading, graphics or decorative lines.

Submitting Electronic Resumes

When submitting a resume electronically, the formatting guidelines are similar to those above with some additional considerations:

• Save your resume as a "TEXT ONLY," or "PLAIN TEXT" version.
• Change the font in the ENTIRE document to Courier, 12 point.
• Reset margins to: 1" for left margin and 3" for right margin.
• All text should be flush left; be sure to change any text you may have centered.
• Your text lines should be no longer than 60 characters.
• Do not use TABS. Instead, use the space bar.
• If your resume is more than one page, eliminate any references to page 2. Your electronic resume will read as one page.

Unless you are specifically instructed to do so, DO NOT send your resume as an attachment. Instead, copy and paste it into the body of the e-mail you are sending, or into the company's website resume form. To be sure it is coming through clearly, send a copy to a friend or to yourself.

There are several resources regarding electronic and scannable resumes. If you need help with this type of resume, consult your library or local bookstore.