Military to Civilian Resume Sample

Scannable Resume Design

The Basics

Place a call to your favorite store or bank, and you?re usually dealing with voicemail and automated menus, rather than a real person. The same is now true when you send your resume to the HR department of major corporations (and even some smaller companies). Because many candidates apply for one opening, software is used to ?weed out? those who don?t match the job criteria. To make the most of your job search, it?s essential for your resume to be in a format that can be read by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. Sound daunting? It doesn?t have to be when you know the tricks of the trade in creating a modern resume.

OCR Technology Optical Character Recognition (OCR) was developed in the 70?s by Ray Kurzweil. Although Mr. Kurzweil?s intent was to develop a machine to help the visually impaired read printed materials, OCR technology has since become indispensable in modern business.

With OCR, it?s a computer, not a human being, which will be scanning your resume for appropriate content. Since machines are not impressed by font styles and other formatting enhancements, content is all-important, as is the presentation of your document in a scanner-friendly manner.

Name It?s wise to put your name on each page of your scannable resume. Why? If one of the pages gets separated, it will be nearly impossible to know where it might belong. It?s best to avoid this situation by putting your name at the top of each page, along with a page number. Contact Information In addition to your street address, include an e-mail address. Choose an address that?s businesslike in tone, rather that one reflecting a special interest or a nickname. For example, the following are inappropriate: ? savethewhales@net.net ? pinballchamp@net.net ? overthehillgal@net.net

Always be professional ? and avoid using work e-mail addresses. Hiring managers are rarely interested in interviewing someone who is using their current employer?s time to look for another job. It?s wise to include a cell-phone number along with your home number, especially if that?s your easiest point of contact. However, be certain of the quality of your phone and service before offering it. Nothing is more frustrating to a hiring manager than to conduct a conversation through static and breaks in conversation.

In modern resumes, fax numbers are rarely provided. Also, never include current work numbers.

Scanner-Friendly Fonts Since scanning equipment may differ from company to company, it?s best to err on the conservative side when choosing fonts. Avoid all "designer" fonts and stick with classics like Arial or Times New Roman. Other good choices are Garamond, Bookman, Courier New, and Century Schoolbook.

Don?t make the software work extra hard to read all the characters in your resume, as this may lead to mistakes and missed keywords. It?s best to use a font size between 9 and 12.

Formats Unlike resumes being read by a human audience, scannable resumes must be easy to read by computer software. Stick to basics and avoid formatting headaches. Your best choice is to: ? Be certain all type is flush left. ? Separate sections with white spaces, rather than dashes, dots, or tildes. ? Not use tables or graphics. ? Put section headers in ALL CAPS.

Scannable Resume Design

Keywords Keywords are nouns or noun phrases indicating your skill set or qualifications. For some federal job openings, a resume must have a 95 percent or higher hit rate for a candidate to be given serious consideration.

Some Examples The more keywords, or ?hits,? that an OCR scanning program finds, the more likely it is that your resume will be read.

Examples of keywords for an administrative assistant might be: ? Typing 90 wpm ? Dictation ? Microsoft Word ? Microsoft Excel ? Microsoft PowerPoint ? Reception ? Phone Support

For an accountant, keywords might be: ? Tax Accounting ? Reconciliations ? General Ledger ? Profit-and-Loss Statements

Finding Keywords A great place to start in the hunt for keywords is your current and previous job descriptions. Pull out nouns or phrases that show what you do on a daily basis, so long as those tasks are still relevant to your job search. You may also cull data from the Experience and Skills sections of your current or old resumes. These will provide relevant and significant keywords for your scannable resume.

Finally, look at your job postings. These are perhaps the most significant resource you can use. By dovetailing past experience with required qualifications and skills, you effectively target the new job.

Working Keywords In To work keywords into your scannable resume, you have two options. You can create a list at the beginning of your resume, or you can sprinkle them throughout. Remember, the more closely your background matches the qualifications of the new job, the more likely it is that you?ll be invited to interview.

Samples The following are "classic" scannable resumes in which all formatting enhancements have been removed. These resumes can be read by all OCR software.

With technology advances, scanning software is available that will read more formatted resumes. However, unless you're sure that the employer you?re targeting is using this new software, it?s best to stick with an easy-to-read format that emphasizes keywords and content.

ResumeEdge.com is one of the nations leading resume writing service providers, offering professional resume writing, editing, and guidance. Visit http://www.resumeedge.com for access to free sample resumes and much more.

MORE ARTICLES:

Is Your Resume Truly Portable? Job Expert Suggests Keeping an ?iResume? for Instant Referral, Just in Case
?You never know when or where you may meet a prospective employer,? says on-line recruiter, WallStJobs.com. ?Memory sticks, flash-drives, or email versions of your resume on your Blackberry, Treo or iPhone are must-haves in today?s volatile employment market.?

What You Need To Know Before Writing A Resume
Before you even begin writing a resume or updating your old resume there are somethings you need to know and do.

Hire The Person, Not The Resume
"..

StaffLeads Launches New Resume Distribution Service
Recruiters who need access to more quality resumes without the online job board and resume database costs and headaches have been waiting for the service StaffLeads is announcing: Unlimited resume delivery with a low price tag.

10 Resume writing tips to land you your dream job
Imagine yourself sitting in an employer's desk with hundreds of resumes falling in on your desk against a vacancy declared by you in your company. Number of vacancy - 1, and number of applicants - innumerable. As an employer it is your responsibility to select the most deserving, suitable and competent candidate. So it is up to the candidate to snatch the employer's attention out of those hundreds of resume application. As such, writing a resume is all about knowing what employers specifically look for in an applicant's application. So, never make the mistake of underestimating the importance of a "good and eye-catching resume".

Finally, a Solution to Resume Writing Stress That Will Eliminate Hassle and Have You Writing Winning Resumes With Ease
Resume writing is a skill that often stumps even the smartest of people. While people may have a knowledge of what resume writing is, it is an art that is used by every person in the workforce but isn't really taught at school. Finally there is a solution to make it stress free.

Sample Resume Objectives: Good, But Summaries Are Smokin!
Since college I've been told that a resume ought to have an "objective statement" at the top. Maybe you've been told the same.

Nationally Recognized Nutritional Expert Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Now Ads Talk Radio Show Host to His Resume with his Insightful and Information Rich Show &
Nationally Recognized Nutritional Expert Joel Fuhrman, M.D. now ads talk radio show host to his resume with his insightful and information rich show "Nutritional Wisdom" with Dr. Fuhrman debuting on the VoiceAmericaTM Network**

Factors To Consider While Writing Your Resume
There are a few fundamental things you need to remember while writing your resume. It should be neat, without any spelling or grammar mistakes, and it should be pleasing to the eye at first glance. This means that you shall never start your resume on brightly colored paper. White paper is best and your printer or copier ribbon should be dark.

Resume Writing and Preparation is Free Online
Creating a strong resume is a very important part of applying for a job, either online or off line. There are many resume writing services that will help you build an impressive resume for job interviews.

Resume Software – Advantages Revealed
The various resume software offered, particularly on the internet, can seem very attractive to job seekers; especially to those not comfortable writing resumes. At first glance resume writing software can provide a number of perks and can appear to be the perfect solution to many job seekers.

Resume Software – The Hidden Pitfalls
Disadvantages of Resume SoftwareFormat A large majority of software requires the use of their format; most commonly using the chronological resume style. While the chronological style is certainly the most traditional manner to write a resume, it is not always advantageous for everyone.

Rewriting Your Resume? 7 Easy Ways To Give Yourself An Upgrade
In today's competitive job market, a first class resume is an essential tool for winning an interview. The way in which you present your skills, achievements and experience on paper will profoundly affect the way in which a hiring company considers your application.

Resume That Effectively Promotes You!
Imagine for a moment that you have created a wonderful product. You are excited at the possibilities of attaining name, fame and wealth marketing this product.