c Applying for Jobs On-line Are You Doing It Right?

by Barbara Reinhold

Q: I want to apply for a job on-line, should I send my résumé in an attachment? I want to show off the bold fonts and bullets. What do you think?

A: You are right and wrong at the same time. Résumés DO look better when they get sent as attachments, but increasingly employers are asking applicants not to send their résumés as attachments because of the danger of viruses. on-line job search experts are advising that some companies automatically delete all e-mail with attachments. So you may find that your beautiful résumé never gets read.

Q: What can I do to make up for the lack of those great bullets and fonts if I decide to send my résumé embedded in an email rather than as an attachment?

A: Here are some tips on setting up an ASCII résumé:

1) Set your margins so that you have 6.5 inches of text displayed. This will keep your text from rolling onto the next line.

2) Use a 12 point font such as Courier.

3) If you must fancy it up, you can use asterisks, O's, plusses, etc. without fearing that they will be converted into question marks, as sometimes happens with bullets. But go easy, email résumés are often a "just the facts" exercise, so concentrate on the persuasive quality of your words rather than the way they look.

Q: I want to include my Web site on my résumé. Do you think this is a good idea?

A: It depends entirely upon what's in it. I've heard of people who have put the URL of a personal homepage on their résumé and inadvertently revealed details that COULDN'T have impressed a future employer. The same thing happens with answering machines. When you apply for a job and list your number, forget the cute or funny message on your answering machine. Big mistake! If you want a Web page to be part of your portfolio for a job that requires Internet expertise, include it. But please--check it over for "audience appropriateness."

Q: What about a writing sample? Can I just go into my on-line documents and send a paper I did well on as an attachment?

A: Not really, because the potential for transmitting viruses exists for all attachments. You can, however, convert a word processing document to an ASCII file the same way you did for your résumé and know that people will be willing to read it. In terms of writing samples, try to get an article published in a local paper or trade journal. If you are going to send a paper, pick a few choice paragraphs and provide an introductory note of explanation to the employer.

Q: I want to customize my résumé for two very different jobs with the same employer. How will I be able to do that if I submit one résumé electronically?

A: Depending on the computer program that supports the job listings you are pursuing, your second résumé may be screened out to prevent duplication. On the other hand, some programs screen by the skills related to the specific job, so your résumé may get to the right person. It's hard to know. So customization is not even the issue here. At this point we recommend sending two different versions of your résumé, customized for each job and make it clear you are applying for two different positions. We will be reporting regularly on this issue of résumé screening because it differs from company to company.

Q: I'm an international job seeker. I send résumés on all sites I can find. Is this a good thing to do?

A: Most of the international job seekers with whom I've worked tell me of great frustration because they submit many copies of one generic résumé to anyone receiving résumés, without any customization or real understanding of the employer, and then wait in vain for replies. This strategy rarely works for anyone, and is even less effective for international applicants. Unless you have specific technical skills for which you know an organization is looking, based on your reading of journals and other professional sources in your field, don't waste your time applying for jobs this way. Blanketing the universe electronically without real contacts in organizations here is not likely to get you far. Christopher Columbus couldn't have gotten hired in the New World electronically.

Q: I'm so glad that employers are gathering résumés on-line now, looking at the content of people's experience rather than at the style of their résumés. It's a relief not to sweat a typo here and there.

A: Are you kidding? Do you know what we call a person who submits an electronic résumé with a typo in it? Unemployed. The standards are no more lax. If anything, they are more strict than ever.

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