TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING SCANABILITY WHEN SENDING A RESUME THROUGH THE INTERNET

· Use white or light-colored 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, printed on one side only.

· Provide a laser-printed original if possible. A typewritten original or a high quality photocopy is acceptable. Avoid dot matrix printouts and low quality copies. Faxed resumes are often poor in quality; mailing or delivering your resume will maximize scanability.

· Do not fold or staple.

· Use standard typefaces such as Helvetica, Futura, Optima, Universal, Times, Palatino, New Century Schoolbook, or Courier.

· Use a font size of 10 to 14 points (avoid Times 10 point).

· Do not condense spacing between letters.

· Use boldface and/or all capital letters for section headings as long as the letters do not touch.

· Avoid italics, underline, shadows, and reverse (white letters on black background).

· Avoid vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, and boxes.

· Avoid two-column format or resumes that look like newspapers or newsletters.

· Place your name at the top of the page on its own line with your address and phone number directly beneath it.

TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING MATCHES

· Use enough key words to define your skills, experience, education, professional affiliations, etc.

· Describe your experience with concrete words rather than vague expressions. For example, it is better to use "managed a team of software engineers" rather than "responsible for managing...."

· Be concise and accurate.

· Use more than one page if necessary. The computer can handle multiple-page resumes, and it allows you to provide more information than you would for a human reader. At the same time, the length of your resume should be suited to your years of experience (two to three pages is the recommended maximum).

· Use jargon and acronyms specific to your industry, but spell out the acronyms for human readers.

· Increase your list of key words by including specifics. For example, list the names of the software you use, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Lotus 1-2-3.

· Use common headings such as: Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Positions Held, Appointments, Skills, Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Affiliations, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Papers, Licenses, Certifications, Examinations, Honors, Miscellaneous, References, etc.

· Include a general cover letter indicating the type of position you are seeking.