Is Your Resume Ready?

If you are thinking about updating your resume and you haven't updated it in a number of years, get ready because you are about to discover that the world has changed when it comes to resume writing and resume management.

The major factor that changed the way resumes are written, submitted, and read is the widespread acceptance and use of the Internet. Nowadays, your resume needs to look great and command attention in electronic format as well as on paper.

A full discussion of current resume writing and management would take an entire book to cover, but here are a few pointers to get you started and help ensure your resume will be effective:

Research Before Writing or Posting Your Resume Online or Seek Professional Assistance

I'm a big fan of doing-it-yourself, but if you do not have the time to fully research and understand how resumes should be written and managed, especially in electronic format, enlist the services of a professional resume writer. The goal of your resume is to stand out and get attention so the reader contacts you for an interview. If you don't feel confident in creating a highly effective document, find a resume writer who understands how to write a winning resume and who understands online resume management practices. The money invested will help protect your career.

Create a Good-Looking Electronic Version of Your Resume

An electronic resume is one that is stripped of all formatting and special characters. It will take a little bit of effort to get your resume looking good as a plain text (ASCII) document but it is essential. As a rule of thumb, once you have created your resume document, save it as a "Plain Text with Line Breaks" file and leave a three-inch margin on the right side of the page to accommodate a variety of computer screens and monitors. There is nothing more bothersome than having to scroll from left to right to read any document on a computer. Make your resume as easy to read and as clean as possible. Once you've created this text file, open it and modify it to make it look impressive.

Don't Wait Until You Start Your Next Job Search to Write Your Resume - Do It Now

Developing a great resume and learning what makes it effective online will take some time. It will be much easier to get your resume written now, develop it, and then add new skills and accomplishments as your career progresses. I also suggest you post it online at a few reputable resume-posting sites when you think it is ready (more on this below). This will provide you some feedback and allow you to make modifications to your resume to increase the responses you get from it. Besides, you never know when an opportunity might find you that you just can't refuse.

Keep Privacy Concerns in Mind

Once you post your resume Online, the world has access to everything on it. Consider whether or not you want the world to have access to your telephone number, address, and any other sensitive information contained on your resume. If in doubt keep it off your resume and make sure you have at least one way, usually your e-mail address, for somebody to contact you for more information.

Only Post Your Resume on Reputable Resume Posting Sites

Many resume-posting sites offer privacy features that you should take advantage of. These security features include blocking your name and address information until your resume is requested by a specific company at which point you can choose to release it, and blocking specific companies from viewing your resume (this is especially useful to help keep your current employer from seeing it). Familiarize yourself with each site's privacy features before you post your resume. If you are not satisfied with the options offered, don't post your resume at that site.

Retain Control Over Your Resume as Much as Possible

Never submit your resume to blind ads or addresses (companies that don't tell you who they are). Also, don't post your resume on newsgroups because once they are posted they can remain available for years and you have absolutely no control over who sees your resume and how they use it. Post your resume on sites where it remains private and you have the option to go back and delete or modify it at any time. Also, avoid using your current company's e-mail system because often your messages are subject to being monitored.

Put a Date on Your Resume

Electronic documents of all types have indefinite lifetimes and can resurface years later. Placing a date on your resume will let readers know how current it is. Since your resume is a "snapshot in time", placing a date on it will tell readers what point in time they are viewing your knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Incorporate Many Nouns in Your Resume

In the old days (more than 5 years ago), every resume writer I know suggested using as many action verbs as possible. Forget about it. Today resumes are searched by keywords and most of those key words are nouns. Computer systems and software packages you've used, your skills, and your past and current job functions are best described using nouns. Make sure you incorporate them into your resume. The more key words that are found in your resume the higher your résumé's ranking will be when search results are returned to the searcher or employer.