What is a scannable resume?
A scannable resume is a paper copy of
your resume that could be submitted with your regular traditional resume.
This is simply a way for employers to get your data from the printed
page to their database. A way of double-checking to see that your resume
stands up to the scan test is to scan it yourself and be sure that
it is appropriate. Use some of the guidelines from the section below
for help in scannable renditions. This used to be very common practice
however, now more employers are looking for electronically submitted
resumes.
When sending your scannable resume, use a laser-jet
printer rather than a dot matrix to ensure the best print quality.
Also, print on white letter-size paper. Do not use colored or odd-sized
paper. Do not send a photocopy as OCRs (Optical Character Readers)
sometimes misread photocopied documents. Finally send the résumé (along
with a cover letter) in a letter-sized envelope. This will ensure that
the scannable résumé does not become creased in any manner.
Remember not to staple your resume pages together. It also is a good
idea to somehow identify the scannable resume.
Here are some
helpful hints for creating a scannable resume:
- Use white or light-colored paper, printed on one side only
- Provide
a laser-printed original
- Do not fold or staple
- Use simple, easily read typeface, like Palatino, Times or Arial
- Ensure that your name is on the first line with nothing before
it
- Use a font size
of 10 or 14 (avoid Times Roman 10 point)
- Use the asterisk (*) or hyphen (-) to replace bullets
- Don't condense spacing between
letters
- Place a blank line between headings and paragraphs
- Use boldface and/or all capital letters for section headings
- Remove all underlining, lines, bolding, centering, italicizing,
bullets, indents or special commands
- Avoid vertical and horizontal
lines, graphics and boxes
- Avoid two-column format
- Use standard address format below your name
- List each phone number
on its own line
- Include degrees, majors, GPAs
- List computer software and hardware
skills
- Use reverse chronological format if possible
- Doublecheck each line to make sure that it is word wrapped properly
with no extra spaces
- Remove any extra blank lines
Joyce Lain Kennedy, the author of "Tips in Writing Electronic
Resume," recommends:
- LEARN TO THINK NOUNS, NOT VERBS
Action words like accelerated, arbitrated and launched are out.
In scannable resumes, nouns are dominant. Computers search for
descriptive words such as accounting, manager, Price Waterhouse.
- USE LABELS OR KEYWORDS
Keywords are an extension of the noun concept and are also called
buzzwords or descriptors. Keywords are words employers search
for when trying to fill a position. They are the essential characteristics
required to the job: education, experience, skills, knowledge
and abilities. The more keyword marketing points you present
about yourself, the more likely you are to be plucked from an
electronic resume database now or a year from now.
- MINIMIZE USE OF ABBREVIATIONS Except for common ones like BA
(Bachelor of Arts). Do, however, maximize the use of industry jargon.
A Word About Keywords
Your resume will be one of many stored in the employer's
database. Therefore, it is a good idea to include an extra category
that would not be part of a traditional resume. This
category should be entitled "Keywords" or "Talents." In
this category, you can list nouns used to describe the job and yourself.
These nouns can encompass technical jargon, specific skills that
relate to the job, degrees you hold, job titles, personal traits
and other buzzwords. This category should be the last section of
your resume.
The advantage of this section is that by listing these descriptive
words, you increase the chance that the computer will select your
resume when
it is performing its search.
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