Not only should job applicants tailor their resumes to the
industries and companies in which they are seeking
positions, but they should also tailor their resumes to
the process by which they will be screened for interviews.
Nowadays, that may mean creating a keyword resume.
In the old days, (a few years ago)
when an applicant mailed a resume - especially an
unsolicited resume -- to a company, the people in
the personnel office would spend about 30 seconds at the
most reading the resume and cover letter.
They would then file your resume according to the
position for which you applied.
Many times, your resume would never make it back out of the
file for a hiring manager to see.
Inefficient? Yes. But was there a better way?
Not until recently.
In the high-tech world of today, most of the larger
companies and many of the smaller ones are using the
available technology to help them screen and select
candidates more effectively and efficiently by using
resume tracking software. Software systems now
assist the companies in searching for the most
qualified candidates for available positions.
By using a resume tracking system, the company is more
likely to be able to find your resume when it needs to.
If you know (or even think) that your resume will be read
by a computer rather than or in addition to a human, it's
a good idea to prepare a key word or computer-friendly resume.
The easier and quicker your resume gets into the system
at a company, the more likely it is that you will be
called in for an interview. The best way to find out if
the company you're applying to uses a resume tracking
system is to call its personnel office directly.
The most important advice I can offer you regarding these
keyword resumes is that you should create them in a way
that the computer scanning them can read them easily.
This means using standard fonts (such as Arial or
Times Roman) in ten or twelve point sizes and
avoiding Italics.
At the top of your resume, just beneath your name and
address, it�s a good idea to include a summary of your
skills, which has the key words that the software may
be looking for.
For example, if you�re applying for a management
position, use the standard management buzzwords in
addition to using keywords for your unique qualifications.
When the computer operator or interviewer goes into the
resume database and searches for someone to fill the
open management position, it will then be more
likely that your resume will produce a hit.
If you are responding to an advertisement, be sure to
include some of the ad's skill words in your resume.
As always, you may wish to prepare a different resume for
each job you're applying for.