How to Make and Use
a Scannable Résumé
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Copyright © 1999 by Kevin Donlin
If you've been reading the classified ads in the Sunday paper lately, you've probably seen this phrase: "Send scannable résumé and cover letter to ...."
What's a scannable résumé, you ask?
Today, approximately 50% of larger companies use optical character recognition (OCR) software to scan résumés into computerized databases. Once scanned in, hiring managers and HR people search through these résumés for keywords to match applicants with jobs.
So, in many cases, a computer will see your résumé before a human does.
What does this mean for you? It means you need to make and send a scannable résumé when applying to large corporations. This article will show you how.
First, create your scannable résumé.
Start by changing the typeface in your résumé to a sans serif font, such as Arial, for more accurate reading by the scanning computer. (Serif fonts, such as Times Roman, may not scan as clearly.) Use a single typeface throughout and a single font size. I recommend 10 or 11 point type.
Next, eliminate all underlining, bolding and italics, which make your résumé harder to scan and read.
After that, create a targeted keyword section to match your career goals. Keywords are the nouns an employer uses when looking through the database of scanned résumés for candidates like you. If your scannable résumé is rich in matching keywords, it's more likely that your résumé will pop up in the search ... and you'll be called for an interview.
Try to think like the employer and anticipate the keywords they'll search for. Then put those keywords in your résumé. Example: a company looking to hire a C++ programmer will look for evidence of programming skills and education. The following keywords should go in your scannable résumé (if they apply to you):
C, C++, BS: Computer Science, program, programming, programmer, code, coding, software development, software developer.
Put your keyword section near the top of your résumé, right after your opening objective or summary statement.
Print your scannable résumé on plain white paper for best results. Save the fancy stationery for your standard résumé.
Congratulations! You now have a scannable résumé, ready to go. But how do you submit it to employers?
Here are two tricks that will improve your results.
I recommend to all my clients that they send BOTH a scannable résumé and a traditional résumé (the one with an eye-pleasing layout, printed on high-grade business stationery). When you send both types of résumés, you prove your understanding of technology by providing one résumé for people to read, and one for the computers. You make the employer's job a lot easier, which can go a long way toward producing a job for you!
Second, as an added touch, put a sticky note on your scannable résumé to identify it. Simply writing "Scannable Résumé" on your note should do it.
That's it. There's really no big mystery about creating a scannable résumé. But you do have to choose your keywords wisely. I've been writing scannable résumés since 1996, and my clients have enjoyed tremendous success using them. I wish you the same success in your job search!
This article was written to assist readers in their job search. You
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