Resumes

SUMMARY I will investigate what organizations are looking for in cover letters and resumes. I will also investigate the differences between a hard-copy resume and a resume from the Internet. In today’s time hard copy resumes are going out because of the time and money it takes to research and file them all. I would recommend doing research on a company and uploading your hard copy resume to the computer. In conclusion, the reason I would copy the resume to the computer is because electronic resumes are more effective than the hard copy of old. INTRODUCTION The reason for this report is since the majority of resumes are processed electronically (via OCR scanning or direct database input), we must re-examine how we write and design resumes. We have a different audience now and the rules have changed. We will investigate the electronic resume and the traditional hard copy resume. We will also investigate how to make an electronic resume and how effective they have become with the changing of times. This report will explain the difference between hard copy and electronic resumes and the down falls of each resume. DISCUSSION E-mail has not only revolutionized communication, but has become the cornerstone of electronic job searching. E-mail resumes are basically plain text (ASCII) documents without the formatting enhancements. Appearance doesn't matter, though, as the primary beauty of ASCII-formatted resumes is that any employer can read them, no matter what kind of computer system they have. Electronic resumes are becoming the way of the future with the changing of the times. About 80 percent of employers use the web and computers to find their candidates (Kendal, 1994). You have to show you are qualified and stand out above the rest. Picture this: Instead of circling ads in the Sunday paper, you turn your computer on, log in to an Internet job bank and type in the appropriate keywords. Within seconds, your computer screen displays a list of job leads, selected to meet your specific requirements. With another couple of keystrokes, your e-mail resume is transferred to potential employers – no paper, no stamps, no delays! As we found out in the graph above the use of paper has gone down as technology increases. There are five reasons for this: • Paper costs money. The average electronic file of 6K size could not even be measured in the smallest monetary terms. Paper, even a few sheets, can be costly. • Processing is slow. Processing paper into an electronic format takes significantly longer than processing an originally electronic file. • Transmitting paper is expensive. The U.S. Postal Service announced a new increase to $.37 per letter. In some countries around the world, cost of mail delivery is relatively much higher. • Delivery is slow. The average U.S.-based letter takes two to four days. Average email transmission: one to three seconds. • The format is static. Paper cannot be incorporated into any other system except a file cabinet. Electronic files can be formatted, extracted, and manipulated countless ways and incorporated with other data or stored in various applications or systems. . Al though paper is almost obsolete with the changing of time’s, it is not completely gone yet. We should have a hard copy of our resume and keep it safe in-case something happens to your electronic resume. The other reason for a hard copy is there are instances that you will need that hard copy. It is easy to copy our hard copy to electronic by copying your hard copy to a word processor. When you have your resume on your computer you can make changes as needed. Some of the main changes you want to make in your electronic resume are add you e-mail address and new keywords (Potnow, 1999.). Some of the reasons for keeping a hard copy resume are found to be: • Job Fairs. Outside and college job fairs still collect a lot of paper handed over from job seeking prospects. Companies still come home with stacks of paper resumes. • That Old School Feeling. Some hiring managers and recruiters need the “tangible” paper to feel, view, put in files, etc. Some of these resumes may start out electronic but are invariably printed back out on paper. In a focus group of hiring managers discussing recruiting technology, while I was doing field work, I had a red-faced manager say to me he refused to look at a cut and paste resume. • Mistrust In Technology. Concern over confidentiality and privacy, as well as concern for one’s resume getting lost in the cyber pile, makes mailing a resume seems more secure and direct for some. • Slow Adapters. There are still many candidates who think it’s best to send in a two-page resume because it is more personal. Electronic resumes have advantages and disadvantages. An advantage to a electronic email would be include your resume in the body of the email or attach it as a separate document. This method is helpful if you are meeting a deadline, but there are tradeoffs. Including your resume within the body of the email limits your formatting options. You can enter the text into the email itself, or create a plain text resume using American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) in a text editor such as notepad. An advantage and a disadvantage at the same time will be if you have any attachments to send with your resume. Attachments take longer to open and you only have a few seconds to catch the employer's attention. Some employers won't open attachments for security reasons. However, attachments offer more formatting options. Employers who accept resumes via email may specify a document format to use such as Rich Text (RTF) format or Microsoft Word. All too often we look at our resume and think we have done a good job but we often miss “magic words” to stand out to the reader of our resume (Whitcomb, S.). Also while we are updating our resume electronically we have to remember we no longer need many sheets of paper when we make a mistake. We won’t need a trash can if we want to add more “magic words”. We can just hit a button and the words are gone or gaps disappear. When looking for these “magic words”, Review ads and job postings for your "targeted" jobs and make a list of the qualifications, technical expertise, industry jargon, product knowledge, and personality traits that employers are looking for in your field. For instance, typical keywords for a secretary might include but not limited to: • Word Processing • Document Preparation • Scheduling • Administrative Support • Secretary A couple problems people make with electronic resumes and hard copy are over use of magic words and the cover letter . When doing our cover letter we want to try and flatter them with genuine interest. ( Farr, M.). We also have to avoid keywords such as I, me, or my. The only time I is acceptable in a cover letter is when you use it in the closing. In the closing you can say “I will be in touch to set up an appointment”, or “I will call you to follow up my resume.” The electronic resume is easier to maintain update and look though for many employers (Knox, D.). Those “magic words” can probably never be eliminated from the recruiting process, but we should understand the subjectivity and limitations of complete keyword dependency. Keeping your magic word searching skills sharp for resumes and search engines is great, but making better use of complementary technologies can enable you to obtain more rounded and objective information on candidates, and hopefully provide your hiring managers with better candidates faster. If you are one of those people who still believe in hard copies then there are some statistics that prove to be useful to have and how to build your resume (Washinton Post). Also the things you do and don’t want to do when making an electronic interview will be helpful to know (docstoc). If you fall into the path of still using hard copy over electronic the job search will be smaller. As we have found more and more companies are moving toward electronic resumes and applications only, but for those who are still going with hard copy here is what you need to remember: • Cover Letter Is Key. A well written cover letter will increase your chance of being looked at and getting an interview. • Research. Do the leg work and research the company and adjust your cover letter as needed. *Warning: This may use a lot of paper. You have to make a cover letter for each specific company. This is the advantage of electronic. Easy to delete and re-write. • Addressing the Letter. Making the cover letter state who it is directed to. This is also part of research so you get a name of the person who will be reviewing the resume. • Resume With No Opening. Even if there is no opening at the time you may send a resume and cover letter. The company will keep it on file and you can save time when you apply for an opening. *Warning: this has been found that paper gets misplaced in a busy office when there is no employee file so you may have to resubmit when you apply for the opening. • Ask For That Interview. It doesn’t hurt to ask for that interview and it may also help to have that in your cover letter. This will work for hard copy or electronic. • Follow Up. When your resume has been submitted, whether hard copy or electronic, call to follow up to see that your resume has made it. This lets the person know you are truly interested. • 2 Copies. It has also been found that sending a copy to the department manager can get you noticed as well. This is where a hard copy can come into play as well. Send the electronic resume to the person reviewing and a hard copy to the department manager. Throughout this report we have examined the hard copy resume and the electronic resume. We have also seen how the times have changed and just how many electronic resumes are done now days. I would conclude that electronic resumes are taking over the job search and hiring process and is more efficient. We may never go to completely electronic, but for the time it is easier and faster to go electronic. One last research that was conducted was a hard copy resume sent to the same employer as a electronic resume. The electronic resume got to the employer 2 days before the hard copy. In that time frame the interviewing manager has already reviewed the electronic resume. He informed me that if there was a time frame and the hard copy, although dated before the closing date, reached him to late then it would be thrown out of the debate. I would recommend sending a electronic resume for that job you are applying for and following up with the company to see that your resume is there and is being reviewed. From the chart above I have also concluded that following up, whether it be a hard copy or electronic resume, can increase your chances. Although it was found that electronic resumes are more effective and have a higher percentage rate of hiring than that of a hard copy, that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective still. No matter the path you take to pursue that job, the key thing to remember is be persistent. It has been found with a strong resume and follow up whether it is a hard copy or a electronic that job can be yours. I would recommend using a electronic resume because the success rate is higher but a hard copy can be effective as well. References Docstoc (2010) Electronic resumes – dos and don’ts retrieved 21 July 2010 from: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47673903/Electronic-resumes- %E2%80%93-dos-and-don%E2%80%99ts Farr, M. (2008). The Quick resume & cover letter book: write and use an effective resume in only one day. Indiana: Jist Publishing. Kendal, P. (1994). Electronic resume, Oregon: JCTC Potnow, R. (1999). Proven resumes. New York: The Crown Publishing Group Knox, D. (2000). life work transitions.com: putting your spirit online. Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinmann Washington Post (2007) What employers really want in a cover letter Retrieved 21 July 2010 from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/jobs/features/2007/hard-copies/cover_letter.html Whitcomb, S. (2010). Resume magic, 4th ed: trade secrets of a professional resume writer. Indiana: Jist Publishing.