Resume Writing & Career Marketing Insider

The Importance of Managing Your Online Identity When Job Searching

Last fall, while at a political event, I had several opportunities to be interviewed by newspaper reporters. While I contributed to their stories, I did so anonymously. Why? Simple. I conduct business on the web and am acutely aware of the importance of managing and controlling my online identity. While I absolutely believe in keeping my business and my politics separate, that isn't the most important reason for my decision. Rather, when a customer, potential customer, or business associate searches on my name, I don't necessarily want political articles coming to the forefront of the search results. I want my business websites, the websites promoting my books and products, business-related articles I have written, my blog and LinkedIn profile, and other professional sites. I want some level of control over the professional image and personal brand that I display to the world.

Managing your onine presence and identity in this way is important for every professional and is expecially critical when you are looking for a job. When a recruiter targets you as a potential candidate for a job opening, more often than not the first thing they do is to go to the web and search on your name to see what pops up.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you can separate your personal online presence from your professional one; you can't. Nor should you want to. A good online presence is a mesh of the professional and personal-creating a rounded and positive image of who you are and what you can do. On the other hand, it is wise to be prudent about what you release to the public domain. Topics such as religion and politics are often controversial and have the potential to cause bias in other's perceptions of you.

You may be reading this and thinking, "That's not a problem I face; I don't have an online identity." But, if I were a betting person, I would bet that you're wrong. If you've ever used the Internet, then there is a strong chance that you've established an online presence.  Using social networking sites, commenting on blogs or articles, reviewing a book, posting your resume-all of these things create an online presence. So the question isn't, "Do you have an online presence?", but "How does that online presence make you look?" And if you're job hunting, the answer to that question is paramount.

Okay, the next question in your mind may be this; "Why is what I do personally any business of yours?" The answer is simple: Most employers are looking for more than just skill-set and experience. They are also looking for people whose personality will fit in with their company. So they are going to take an interest in your personal profile as well as your professional one. Everything you do--from your Facebook page to uploaded photos of your latest trip to Spain--is susceptible to scrutiny by a potential employer seeking to learn more about you. So make sure what they find is something you want them to see. The last thing you want is for some recruiter to Google your name and find a photo of you drunk and happy, dancing bikini-clad on a beach in Cancun. Will this eliminate you for consideration? Maybe. Maybe not. But, is this the impression that you want to make on your future boss and co-workers?

Since it's out there and someone just might see it, you need to see it too. So go ahead, Google yourself. If you don't like what you see-even if what you are seeing is nothing--do something about it. There is a plethora of ways to establish a good online identity: networking sites, blogs, and personal web pages are just a few methods of getting your name out there in a positive way. I always that professionals involved in a job search create a LinkedIn profile. An online career portfolio that includes downloadable versions of your resume are another good idea.

The bottom line is, when it comes to the Internet and managing your online presence, there simply is no separation of personal and professional. So make sure that every action you take online works towards creating an image you want the world to see. Because whether you like it or not, we will eventually see it.

Get your Facebook name now, before it's gone!

Did you know that Facebook recently opened up to allowing "vanity" names? What is a vanity name? It means that you can now have your name in the Facebook url, like this:

http://www.facebook.com/michelledumas

If you are managing your online identity and personal brand for professional purposes (and if you aren't, you should be!), having your name in the url is a great way to gain some control over what shows up in the search engines when a recruiter searches on your name.

So, if you want your name, you better go grab it now before someone else with the same name as you, does.

How do you do it? It's easy. Just go to http://www.Facebook.com/username and follow the simple directions.

If someone already has your name, try another variation. For example, you might include a middle initial.

Good luck! Go get your name now. It will only take you a couple of minutes.

Quick Tips to Get Started Using Twitter for Your Job Search

Do you Tweet? If not, maybe you should.

Perhaps it would be misleading to say that as a job searcher you MUST be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social and business networking sites. But, assuming that you use social media in appropriate and professional ways, being connected and networking in these ways can only help. And, few people would argue that you shouldn't seize on any edge that you can give yourself in a job market that is widely being called the most competitive in a quarter-century.

Twitter, for those unfamiliar, is a service that allows you to communicate and stay connected with your colleagues, current and former co-workers, friends, family, and other contacts through the exchange of quick, simple answers (140 characters or less) to the question, "What are you doing now?" While the premise is simple-so simple that you might at first question how "Tweeting" (Twitter-speak for posting an update to Twitter) could be helpful in your job search-I would urge you to take another look. Twitter has become vastly popular and you might be surprised at how many of your colleagues, friends, and even top experts in your field or profession are on Twitter.

If you are actively involved with managing your career or conducting a job search, here are just a few benefits that will justify the time you spend setting up your free Twitter account and learning how to use it:

1) Twitter can be a great tool to help you build, enhance, and promote your personal brand. Briefly, your personal brand (as it relates to your career) is what differentiates you and makes you and your contributions uniquely valuable in the workplace. As a job searcher, you can use Twitter to make your followers aware of your expertise, post links to interesting news stories about your industry, or post tips related to your profession. All of these are brand-building activities that will make you memorable to your contacts, boost your credibility, and help set you apart as a leader in your field.

2) Twitter is an extraordinary networking tool. Remember that networking is all about building relationships. Twitter helps you stay in contact with people in your network in a quick and easy way that was never before possible. It will allow you to keep your contacts up-to-date on your job search, it is a great way to learn about unadvertised job openings, and it is often an easy way to get referrals to people you should talk to. Of course, it is important to remember that networking is also about providing reciprocal help, and Twitter allows you a fast, easy way to let people in your network know about job openings you've heard about, or give other help or advice to your contacts when they need it.

3) Twitter provides you with a way to connect almost instantly with recruiters and other hiring authorities in your field. More and more recruiters are using Twitter and other social media tools to find candidates for job postings. Some companies are actively encouraging their employees to Tweet about (or discuss on LinkedIn or Facebook) job openings that they are trying to fill. If you are regularly Tweeting about your job search and posting other on-brand Twitter posts, it is just a matter of time before you start uncovering and being referred for attractive job or business opportunities.

Are you convinced? Even for the time-challenged professional (does that describe nearly all of us?), Twitter is easy to use. You don't even need to be sitting at your computer as Twitter is mobile and can easily be used on your iPhone, Blackberry, or cell phone.

When you are ready to get started, here are some quick tips:

1. Sign up for your free Twitter account and fill out your profile. Remember that you will be using your account for networking and professional purposes, so use discretion and only include information or a photo that you would be comfortable sharing with recruiters, your colleagues, and the world. If you have a reason to keep your business and personal life separate, you should create separate accounts.

2. Search for and "follow" people that you know. Twitter provides easy tools and instructions for doing this. Consider friends, family, current and former co-workers, industry contacts, people you went to college with, etc. Once you are following these people, look through their contacts and selectively follow some of their contacts. Even if you don't know someone, if you have a reason to do so, follow them. This is a way to build new relationships.

3. As you begin to build your list of people you are following, many will begin to follow you. When you are getting started, try to post Tweets daily-perhaps twice daily. Besides just answering the basic question "What are you doing now?" (always keeping in mind that your Tweets should be appropriate and follow basic rules of etiquette) try to regularly post useful, on-brand information and links.

4. When your contacts Tweet, respond if you can answer a question or have useful information or tips for them. Twitter gives you two ways to do this: direct messages and replies. Be selective about which method you use. A direct message will only be seen by the person you are responding to. A reply will go to everyone that follows you.

5. Search Twitter for keywords. This is a good way to find out what is going on and being discussed on topics of interest to you among people that you aren't already following. You may also find interesting people that you will want to follow. The place to do that is search.twitter.com

5. Do you have a Facebook account, a LinkedIn profile, a blog, or another website? There are options to link them all and post status updates simultaneously to all of them. This can be a great timesaver, so it is worth taking the time to learn how to link them. You could also consider including your Twitter user name in your email signature files or on business cards. Doing so will quickly build your following, and the larger your following, the more beneficial Twitter will be to your job search and career.

Most important of all, good luck and have fun! If you are already on Twitter or set up a new Twitter account as a result of this article, I'd love a follow. You can connect with me on Twitter at @michelledumas

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Nationally certified resume writer, personal branding, and career marketing expert, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her $100k+ Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermarketing.com  Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with powerful, results-generating resumes, career portfolios, and job search campaigns.

Social Media and Job Searching

Are you on Twitter? As of a couple of weeks ago, I am! It has been a bit of a learning curve, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it, and the lists of people that I am following and that are following me are growing! If you are on Twitter, consider following me @michelledumas Besides sending out updates on what I'm doing, I've been sending daily tips to my followers on job searching and resume writing.

How about Facebook? I have to admit that I am a complete Facebook newbie, but at the urging of some colleagues, I have created a Facebook account and am slowing exploring it as I have had time. If you are on Facebook, I'd love to connect with you there as well. http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-Dumas/700379993

Finally, there is LinkedIn. I've been building my LinkedIn connections for some months now, so I'm more familiar with it. If you are on LinkedIn (and if you are a professional, there is no excuse not to be!), I'd love to connect with you there too! You can find me at http://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledumas 

I've been conducting business on the web since 1996, and have always considered myself to be fairly web-savvy. But, I have to admit that if you blink it is easy to miss the latest, and engrossed in business development issues the past couple of years, this whole social media "thing" was threatening to leave me in the dust. But no longer!

More than ever before, social media and online networking have become essential tools in the job search toolbox. As I will mention in tomorrow's blog post, with a job market that is becoming increasingly competitive, people who are concerned with actively managing their careers and conducting fast, successful job searches need to seize on every available edge that they can grasp.

Have you every "Googled" your name? What comes up? Do you know that nearly all recruiters will Google the names of candidates before contacting them? If for no other reason than that (and there are many other reasons!), building an online presence that reflects the personal brand that you want to promote to the "world" is more important than ever. Personal blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn help you to do that.

Personally, I already have a well-established online presence, but I'm committed to increasing my knowledge of social media tools as a way to broaden my audience. However, my primary goal is to increase my ability to help you--my clients--better use social media and online networking for your own career management and to speed your job searches.

Will you join me? I'd love to connect on any of the sites, and I'd also love to hear any tips or advice that you might have regarding ways social media has been helpful in your own career.

Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search

About six months ago, we launched a service to help clients who had hired us to write their resume also develop or redevelop their LinkedIn profile. In many ways, the information asked for on your LinkedIn profile is very similar to your resume. We've been recommending LinkedIn to all of our clients as it can be an invaluable resource during your job search (and beyond).

I just came across a great blog post summarizing ten ways that job seekers can use LinkedIn to find a job. It is definitely worth reading: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/02/10-ways-to-use.html

Beyond the suggestions in the article, I also recommend including a link to either a downloadable PDF version of your resume or to an online career portfolio, if you have one.  Additionally, you should also join and participate in some of the relevant LinkedIn groups. For example, you might join a group of alumnus for the college you attended, a group for professionals in your industry or profession, and one or more groups for former employees of companies you worked at.

Your 2009 Job Search Checklist

As we begin 2009, the news of rising unemployment is inescapable. Hardly a day goes by without news of more layoffs. Downsizings, mergers, offshoring, acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, consolidations, and other change initiatives have required rapid adaptation, hard career decisions, and frequent transitions.

While the job market becomes more competitive, at the same time the actual process of job searching has become increasingly complex. The days of simply browsing through the Sunday newspaper and sending out a few résumés in order to win your next career opportunity are over. If you are conducting a job search today, it is likely that you are using social networking techniques, leveraging online profiles, ferreting out the best niche job posting sites, and working to enhance your personal brand. Of course, you still have all the traditional concerns such as making sure your résumé is top notch and brushing up on your interviewing skills.

While the timeframe for your job search will vary with the specifics of your situation, a commonly cited statistic is that the average job search will take anywhere from three to six months from initiation to the day you begin your new job. Another common job search statistic tells us that you can expect to spend approximately one month job searching for each $10,000 in salary you are seeking.

Are you currently in the job market or do you expect to be in 2009?  Job searching can be both stressful and time consuming. But, with some planning, genuine effort, and sincere commitment, you can minimize that stress and land a new job - one that is personally, professionally, and financially rewarding - faster than you may have thought possible.

Here is a checklist to help you achieve a fast, successful job search in 2009.

____ Set a clear target. Put yourself in the driver's seat of your career by clearly defining your job search focus. In general, the more precise and focused your job search is, the better. For most people, the best and strongest job targets will include a statement of the job function and professional level paired with other indicators, sometimes just one and sometimes more than one, to make the job target more precise and ultimately more effective. These other indicators may be criteria such as industry, company size, company culture, or geographic location. For more guidance, here is an article that may help: http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2007/06/establishing_yo.html 

_____ Update and revive your resume. Your resume is your first introduction to employers. Don't underestimate the importance of making a positive first impression with it! Your resume should be up-to-date, focused for the current search, employer-centered, and results-oriented. YOU are a commodity in the job market and your resume is your advertisement. If your resume needs refreshing, now is the time to do it. If you need help with your resume, that is what we specialize in, so take a look at our offerings at http://www.distinctiveweb.com or http://www.100kcareermarketing.com . If you aren't quite ready to have it rewritten, you might consider a consultation instead http://www.distinctiveweb.com/resumewritingconsult.html

____ Build your network of support. Don't underestimate the importance of having a strong support network to offer encouragement and advice, to brainstorm and share ideas with you, to help keep you accountable to the goals you set for yourself, and to help keep you on track throughout the emotional roller coaster that a job search can be. Family and friends are often included in the support network, but also consider joining a job search group or working with a career coach, particularly one who is very familiar with job search mechanics. http://www.distinctiveweb.com/careercoaching.htm

____ Adjust your attitude. Yes, job searching can be tiring and stressful, but an enthusiastic, "can-do" attitude that exudes self-confidence and a clear understanding of the value you offer in the workplace will make all the difference. Always put a smile on your face when you talk on the phone; it will shine through in your voice. Make eye contact and watch your body signals and posture when you meet with contacts in person. Your positive, confident attitude is one that people will like to be around and will make it more likely that you will be hired.

_____ Prepare your CAR success stories. Take the time to think about and document between six and twelve CAR Success Stories (Challenge-Action-Result Success Stories).  What are some of your greatest accomplishments that illustrate the strengths you want to highlight in your interview? What were the challenges you faced related to these accomplishments? What actions did you take to meet the challenge? What were the results-quantified results when possible-of the actions that you took? You will use these in your resume, during networking meetings, and in interviews. To better understand how and why you should use CAR success stories, read this article http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2008/08/3-essential-interviewing-secrets-you-must-know-to-quickly-land-your-next-job.html

_____  Create and practice your elevator pitch. You will hear the "what do you do?" or "tell me about yourself?" questions over and over, both during your job search and throughout your entire career. Preparation is the key to confidence and the key to making a lasting, positive, and memorable first impression. Be ready with a 30-60 second pitch that immediately and confidently conveys to the listener who you are as a professional and what your value proposition is. http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2008/04/how-to-create-a.html

_____ Cultivate and strengthen your professional network. With more than 80% of available jobs never advertised, it is essential that you have the ability to access the hidden job market. Your professional network will be one of your most effective sources for information and referrals relating to the hidden job market. Of course, networking is all about relationships and so you should continuously nurture your network relationships regardless of whether you are job searching or not. But, whether you have or haven't (If you haven't, building network relationships would make a great New Year's Resolution), now is the time to reach out to everyone you know to inform them of your search and to ask for advice and referrals. Consider using a website like LinkedIn to help with your effort. Once you have established your LinkedIn profile, I would love an invitation to connect with you: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledumas

_____ Put together a strong list of references. Contact each person that you intend to list and ask for their permission. Never provide someone as a reference unless you have discussed it with them first and briefed them on your current job search. Verify the contact information for each reference and ask for permission to list a telephone number and email address. http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2007/09/top-tips-for-ha.html

_____ Establish and promote your personal branding. At its essence, personal branding is about the authentic and unique promise of value you offer. In relation to your career, it is about the promise of value you offer that differentiates you from your peers and competitors in the workplace and job market.  Branding yourself can actually have such a dramatic effect that you will become hunted rather than being the hunter for your next job opportunity. For more help, review this article: http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2007/06/top_tips_for_in.html  You might also have an interest in the http://www.100kcareermarketing.com program offering which involves the creation of a branded career marketing portfolio.

____ Get organized and create a system for managing your job search. An organized plan and system will help keep you motivated, moving forward, and focused on achieving the ultimate goal. At the very least, you need a calendaring system, a system of logging inter-related and follow-up activities, a contact management system, and a filing system. For guidance in creating a system for yourself, consult http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2007/09/organizing-for-.html

____ Create and follow a written, multi-pronged job search plan. Answering ads or posting your resume on the Internet are the easiest, but usually least effective job search techniques. Your job search plan should include a balance of techniques to access both the published and unpublished job market. Further, it should include activities prioritized and strategically selected to fit in each of the five major job search approaches: 1) Networking and referral building; 2) Targeting and contacting employers; 3) Working with recruiters and agencies; 4) Internet job searching (which also has some overlap with the 5th technique); 5) Answering advertisements. To learn more, you should review http://blog.distinctiveweb.com/distinctive_documents_car/2007/11/revive-a-stalle.html and consider my Secrets of a Successful Job Search program found at http://www.job-search-secrets.com/

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. May be reprinted as long as the following credit is included.

Nationally certified resume writer, personal branding strategist, and job search coach, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC http://www.distinctiveweb.com  Based from her New Hampshire office, Michelle works virtually and has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with resumes and job search strategies that get results and win jobs fast in competitive job markets. Visit http://www.distinctiveweb.com for many valuable free resources and to get more information about having your resume revamped and your job search revitalized.

Take Control Of Your Career & Job Search Even During a Recession!

What a wild couple of weeks it has been with all of the news and buzz about the economy! Unfortunately we're told that even with the so-called "rescue" plan, the turbulence isn't over! Just today, in fact, the U.S. employment figures were released, with unemployment hitting a new seven-year high.

If you are beginning to wonder how all this chaos might impact YOUR job, you aren't alone!

Even if you believe your job is secure for now, the reports on rising unemployment and volatile economy have pushed the insecurity buttons of even the most calm among us, serving as a sharp reminder of how crucial career planning truly is. It is so important that we stay alert, invest in ourselves and our value offerings, adjust when appropriate, and always, ALWAYS remember that we alone control our career destiny.

Efficiently and proactively managing your own career is vital!

With timing that couldn't be more relevant, I have just launched a powerful, results-focused coaching group: the Maximum Success Job Search Coaching Club. For all of you who have reached out and requested my coaching services in the past, now is your chance!

Are you currently unemployed--or are your worried about your job security--and need guidance on how to find a job and find one fast?

Have you been job searching but are disappointed with the results and need help to get your phone ringing?

Do you worry that your job isn't secure and have thought about changing careers, but don't have a clue where to start?

Do you feel like you need to brush up on the mechanics of a job search such as networking, interviewing, working with recruiters, negotiating a better salary, internet job searching, opening the hidden job market, or refining your personal brand?

Would you benefit from some guidance in setting your job search goals and creating a job search plan, and then being held accountable to that plan and those goals so that you stop procrastinating and land that new job quickly and efficiently?

If any or all of the above sounds like you, my new Maximum Success Job Search Coaching Club is the solution you have been looking for!

There couldn't be a better time to join!

What it is: 12 weekly group tele-coaching sessions. Held in a mastermind format, these coaching sessions will allow you to network, get support, and learn from your peers while receiving focused laser coaching on the challenges and issues that are most crucial to you. The calls are highly interactive and designed to meet the individual participants' needs and to answer all your job search and career management questions. Your membership includes special weekly coaching check-in forms that are designed to help you stay in close contact with your coach, set realistic goals, and then hold you accountable to those goals.

Will you join us? Please check out the Maximum Success Job Search Coaching Club today and register NOW so that you don't miss out on this opportunity!

I look forward to getting to know you and will be deeply honored to serve as your job search coach.

Benefits of Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search and Career Networking

If you are a business person and you are online, you have surely heard of LinkedIn. In fact, with 19 million users around the globe, the odds are good that you have already created your own LinkedIn account.

What exactly is LinkedIn? It is an online network of people all over the world. While technically, it is one of many social networking sites on the web, LinkedIn is probably the best know and most widely used business networking site. Additionally, while it has similarities to well-known social networking sites such as MySpace, there are also fundamental differences that make it much more useful for business purposes.

So, the next question, of course, might reasonably be, "What exactly is a business networking site?" And more precisely, "Why should I even care and how can it benefit me?" If you are asking these questions, you are definitely not alone! While there are huge numbers of people creating LinkedIn accounts and building their networks, there are relatively few who are getting the optimal benefit out of their effort.

According to LinkedIn's own explanation, the mission of LinkedIn is "to help you be more effective in your daily work and open doors to opportunities using the professional relationships you already have."

Even if you are not conducting a current job search, for ongoing career management and personal branding efforts, any tool that can help you network more effectively and efficiently should be of great interest.  Again, in LinkedIn's own words:

"When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.

Your network consists of your connections, your connections' connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals."

Through LinkedIn, then, you can search for jobs, you can easily make personal "inside" connections in relation to job opportunities, you can promote your personal brand and qualifications and be found and pursued for job opportunities, and you can form relationships that are critical to your career success and progression.

But remember, effective networking requires reciprocity through developing and nurturing win-win relationships. Through LinkedIn, you will also have the opportunity to help out those in your own network, answering questions, providing relevant leads, and helping them make connections to further whatever their goals are.

In the definitive guide to using LinkedIn for business and career management purposes, "I'm On LinkedIn: Now What?" Jason Alba explains that there are six major benefits to using LinkedIn:

1) The ability to be known and enhance your personal brand
2) The ability to be found by recruiters or other hiring authorities
3) The ability to find others and make important connections
4) The opportunity to learn and share
5) The ability to connect with group members
6) The opportunity to show you are plugged in to current technology

If you already have a LinkedIn account and have an established network in place. Let me urge you to take a closer look at how you are using it. Have you fully explored the features and benefits? Have you enhanced your profile? Have you joined any Groups? Participated by answering the questions of those in your network? LinkedIn is an excellent and very effective networking tool, but only if you use it!

If you have an established a LinkedIn account, but have just let it sit, unused, now is the time to log on and learn how to get the maximum benefit from it. Now-before you are actively job searching-is the best time to work on building up and cultivating your network. And, if you are new to LinkedIn and haven't yet created an account, there is no better time than the present! The more professionals that use LinkedIn, the more effective it will be.

Happy networking! My own LinkedIn profile can be viewed at http://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledumas and I would love an invitation to connect to you.

For more information, I wholeheartedly recommend Jason Alba's book on LinkedIn and his most recent book on Facebook:

       

                                 

Resume Posting Site for $100k+ Executives

Through my professional resume writing practice and in my executive resume and career marketing program I work with and come into contact with hundreds and hundreds of senior managers and executives in career transition every year. I am often asked about the best online resume posting sites for executives.

One of the best online executive career portals - named "Best of the Web" by Forbes magazine is 6FigureJobs.  This is a site that offers free membership and resume posting for executives that meet their criteria, including earnings in the $100k+ range.

If you are a $100k+ executive seeking to promote yourself in the job market, I highly recommend 6FigureJobs.

How To Format Your Resume For Internet Job Searching

Email resumes...Web resumes...HTML resumes...Scannable resumes... Keyword resumes...Text resumes...ASCII resumes...PDF resumes...Word resumes...Traditional resumes...

A resume is a resume, right? But then, what are all these different types of resumes you keep hearing about? If you are confused and not quite sure what is being referred to when you hear all these different names for resumes, you are certainly not alone!

Over the past decade, the most common resume-related questions asked by job hunters have progressively shifted. While still of major importance, the majority of queries are no longer about functional versus chronological resume styles, whether to keep or remove experience from twenty-five years ago, or whether to include dates of education. With the advent and subsequent explosive increase in the use of the Internet during the job search, questions have turned overwhelmingly to issues of electronic resume creation and transmission.

What are the different types of electronic resumes?
What are the differences between an e-mail resume, a scannable resume, and a web resume?
How do I know which resume format to use?
How do I format my electronic resume to ensure that the recipient can read it?

No wonder there is so much confusion! In just a few short years, there has been a complete revolution in the tools and techniques of job hunting. As applicant tracking technologies have come into common use among headhunter firms, large corporations, and even mid-size and small businesses, recommended resume formats and methods of transmission have rapidly evolved with the advancing technologies. Further complicating things, have been the increasing availability of personal web space for online resume portfolios and biographies.

What does this mean for today's job hunter? While the Internet has opened unprecedented doors of opportunity in the job search process, for those who have not taken the time to learn and apply the rules it can mean disaster!

While few job hunters have time to spend months studying the most recent technologies and recommendations for the creation of electronic resumes, before venturing onto the Internet with your resume it is critical that you take the time to learn and understand a few simple concepts. Knowing your audience and the formats most acceptable by those audiences are essential pieces of knowledge for the Internet job hunter.

The human reader - The traditional, printed, hard copy resume (yes, it does still have a primary place in job hunting!) is created to attract the human eye and attention. With the advantages of word processing applications, sophisticated formatting is possible and should be applied strategically to create eye-appeal and draw the readers' attention to key qualifications.

The computer reader - The electronic or computer-optimized resume is designed, first and foremost, to be readable by the computer. There are several types of electronic resumes, but the common element of all is the ability to be searched by keyword. Of course, once your resume has been tagged as matching a keyword search, it will be reviewed by a human. So compelling, easy-to-read content is just as important in the electronic resume as in the traditional resume.

Miss these points and the effects could be devastating...you might send out hundreds of resumes only to sit at home and wonder why nobody, not even one company or headhunter, has called you for an interview. There are fundamental formatting differences between traditional and electronic resumes. If you do not understand these differences, your resume will make it into very few - if any - resume databases.

RESUME FORMATS

What are the differences between keyword, scannable, web, traditional, and text resumes?

Traditional resumes are designed, as already noted, to compel the human reader, through persuasive language and design, to take further action and call you for an interview. Layout and page design are critical and should be planned strategically to draw the eye to areas of emphasis. The most effective traditional resumes are focused on achievements and written in powerful, active language that captures and holds the attention of the reader.

Scannable resumes -- also a printed, hardcopy format -- are designed primarily for accurate scanning into a computer. Captured as an image, scannable resumes are fed through OCR (optical character recognition) software that reads and extracts the text. The extracted text is databased for storage and later recalled by keyword from an applicant tracking system. Scannable resumes are very rarely requested any more. If you are asked for a scannable resume, the most efficient option is to email the requestor your plain ASCII text resume (described next).

Text resumes (also referred to as ASCII resumes) are just what the name implies, an ASCII-formatted version of either your traditional or scannable resume. Text resumes are universally readable on all computer systems and platforms and are the preferred format when you are emailing your resume. An ASCII resume received in email can be entered directly into an applicant tracking system without the added step of needing to scan it. Entry into the system is fast, easy, and accurate and so many employers and recruiters prefer this format.

The phrase "keyword resume," as it was first used, referred most often to either a scannable or text resume that incorporated a focus on nouns and phrases that employers were likely to use when searching for an applicant. Sometimes the keyword resume had a section at the beginning or end that listed the keywords separated by commas or periods. Today, there is no need to maintain both a keyword and a non-keyword resume. Keywords have become such an essential element in resumes that you should ensure that every version of your resume, whether meant for the human or the computer reader, incorporates the keywords most important in your field or industry.

Still confused? My recommendation is to simply maintain two separate versions of your resume:

Recommended version #1: Traditional resume - If you wish to send a hardcopy, paper version of your resume you should send your traditional resume. Traditional resumes are most often stored on your computer as a computer file and printed on an as-needed basis. For example, you will want to print at least several copies of your resume to carry with you and hand out at interviews. You may also be asked to send your traditional resume via email to a recruiter or employer. In these cases, you should have your traditional resume saved in the two most commonly asked for file formats: MS Word and Adobe PDF. You can then attach the requested file or files to an email message and send it to the requestor to be printed on the receiving end.

By far, you'll find that the most requested format for your traditional resume is MS Word. If you comply with the request, be aware that your formatting may be incompatible with the recipient's system. While usually still readable, fonts and bullet sizes and styles may be different from what you intended. These problems can be minimized, although not always eliminated, by embedding the fonts into the document. This is a simple process, and the MS Word help files will guide you through it. You should also take care, while writing and designing your resume, to use design elements that are default and standard on most systems. For example, it is not wise to use a fancy, custom font on your resume that you know will be emailed. Default fonts such as Garamond, Helvetica, Book Antiqua, or Verdana are better choices.

To eliminate issues with compatibility, if the recipient has the free Adobe Reader installed, Adobe PDF is the best format in which to send your traditional resume. The PDF version of your resume will appear on the recipient's system precisely the way it appeared on your system. For this reason, if given the choice of sending an MS Word file and Adobe PDF file, always opt for Adobe PDF. However, many recruiters and employers still prefer the MS Word file format, because this is the format they are most familiar with.

Recommended version #2: ASCII text resume - If you conduct any portion of your job search on the Internet, ASCII-formatted resumes are critically important tools. Always have an up-to-date ASCII text version of your resume on your computer. This is the fastest way to contact potential employers and to apply for jobs advertised online. You must also have a text version of your resume if you wish to post in online resume databanks.

As previously noted, employers rarely request scannable resumes anymore. If they utilize an applicant tracking system, they will likely request that your resume be e-mailed, either as ASCII text or as an attachment. E-mail allows the recipient to enter your resume directly into the database, eliminating the extra steps of scanning and OCR.

How do you use these file formats and transit them to recipients via email? My recommendation is to actually attach the MS Word or Adobe PDF file to the email in its native file format. Then, ALSO copy and paste the text of your ASCII text resume into the body of your email (where you would normally type a message), along with a letter of introduction or other note explaining why you are sending the resume.

A final type of electronic resume is the web resume, also known as the online resume. Created using HTML, your web resume may be uploaded to space provided by a web-hosting provider. Eliminating the compatibility problems associated with word-processed resumes sent as e-mail attachments, web resumes offer the advantage of maintaining layout and design on the systems of anyone with a web browser. Available for viewing around the clock, conveying a technology-savvy image, and allowing the ability to add supporting content to your resume (effectively creating an online portfolio promoting your qualifications), web resumes are becoming a progressively important tool in the job search. The creation of a web resume or resume portfolio is far beyond the scope of this article, but if web resumes are an electronic format that interest you, be aware that many service providers have begun offering web resume design and hosting at affordable prices.

PREPARING INTERNET RESUMES

What do I need to know about writing keyword resumes?

Remember - it is absolutely essential that you create resume content that is keyword rich regardless of the file format. It is not necessary that you maintain a separate keyword version of your resume. ALL resumes must include a heavy emphasis on keywords. Keywords are generally defined as nouns or phrases that an employer will use when searching for an applicant with your skill set. To maximize the recall of your resume in a search, you will want to use as many keywords in your resume as possible.

1. Keywords should focus on technical and professional areas of expertise, industry-related jargon, and your work history. Also, include the names of associations and organizations of which you are a member.

2. Whenever possible, use synonyms of keywords in different parts of your resume and if you use initials for a term in one section, spell the term out in another.

3. Always be specific. For example, while it may be fine to include the phrase "computer literate," you will also want to list the specific software that you are proficient in using.

This is one of the most common areas of confusion, so I'll state it once again...the content of a keyword resume does not need to differ from the content of your traditional resume. With careful attention to rhythm and flow, it is possible to prepare a resume that is keyword optimized, but that also includes the powerful, compelling, active language of a traditional resume. Not only will this simplify your resume preparation, but it will ensure that the content of all versions of your resume will be optimized for both the computer and the human reader. Furthermore, if you incorporate a professional summary and bulleted list of qualifications in the text of your resume, there is little if any need to prepare a separate keyword summary.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to recommend a specific list of the best keywords to use in your resume, as the "best" keywords are different for every individual and depend mainly on your unique career objective and background. What is certain, however, is that a well-prepared keyword resume is so critical to your success in a job market that largely relies on electronic applicant tracking systems, if you have any doubts at all you should consult with a professional resume writer.

How do I prepare an ASCII text version of my resume?

Preparing the all-important ASCII text version of your resume is not difficult, but it does require a learning curve. Once converted to ASCII format, you will be able to email your resume in response to an ad or paste it directly into web-based forms and submit it to Internet resume databanks. The specific directions will vary depending on the software you have installed on your computer. But, in general, to prepare your ASCII resumes properly, follow these simple steps:

1. Using your word processing program, open your word-processed resume and use the "Save As" function to save a copy as a "Text Only" or "ASCII (DOS)" document. Title your document with an easily distinguishable name; perhaps "resume_internet.txt"

2. Close your word processing program and re-open the ASCII file. You will not be able to see your changes until you have done this. Note that it has been stripped of virtually all original formatting.

3. Go through your new ASCII document line-by-line. Align all text flush to the left-hand margin.

4. Remove all "centering," "right hand margin," and "justification" alignments.

5. Although you should no longer see them, if visible, remove all graphics, artwork, and special character formatting.

6. Remove all tab characters.

7. Remove all columns.

8. Replace bullets with a simple ASCII asterisk (*).

9. Carefully check the spelling and the accuracy of your data.

10. If you wish, use ASCII characters to enhance the appearance of your resume. Asterisks, plus signs, or other keyboard characters can be used to create visual lines that separate sections of your resume and make it easier to read.

The above steps convert your resume to ASCII without line breaks. When pasted into a web-based form or email message, your resume will automatically wrap to the size of the window.

Your new ASCII resume will be universally readable, no matter what computer system the recipient uses. It will also be easy to manipulate for entry into applicant tracking databases, eliminating the inherent difficulties of scanning and converting your paper resume with OCR systems.

A FEW FINAL WORDS

There is no denying that the Internet has caused what was once a straightforward process to become complex and confusing to many job hunters. Yet, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Like never before, as a job seeker you have immediate access to announcements and advertisements of openings around the globe. You have the ability to conduct detailed research on companies of interest. And you have unprecedented opportunity to cost effectively promote your qualifications to hundreds or even thousands of hiring authorities of just a tiny fraction of the cost of doing so through traditional methods. While the new skills you must learn may seem daunting at first, by understanding the concepts and creating your electronic resumes, you are well on your way to an efficient, effective Internet job search.

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Nationally certified resume writer, career marketing expert, and personal branding strategist, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermarketing.com Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with all the tools and resources necessary to conduct a fast, effective job search. Michelle is also the author of the popular e-book 101 Before-and-After Resume Examples found at http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com To learn more about her job search products, resume writing services, and career marketing programs, and to sign up for many other free resources, visit her websites.

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