Resume Guide

SUNY Westchester Community College • Career Services Resume/Cover Letter Guidelines 2022-2024 23 S ENDING R ESUMES E LECTRONICALLY Sending Your Resume Online Most job seekers today send their resumes electronically in application for positions. There are several formats that are generally used: • MS Word format (.doc or .docx depending on the version of Word) • PDF format (.pdf) • Some will give you a choice, others will ask for your resume to be pasted into the body of an email, or into their applicant system in a text format (.txt) You should always follow the instructions outlin d in the job posting carefully when submitting your résumé, so it gets noticed! If you need to change your résumé to the format required, open your resume and do a “save as” to create an additional version in the format required. Check that all the formatting is correct and the spacing aligned in the new version before you send it to an employer. Remember, you will still need a formal hard copy to bring to the interview; electronic resumes are not a substitute for the paper version. What Happens Next? In larger firms, your résumé may be uploaded into an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) database. A hiring manager can use this type of system to scan résumés for key words that match the listings for the job they need to fill. When your résumé is created to address the employer needs, these key words will assure that your resume gets a hit in an employer database search. Employers may also use the system to track your progress through the hiring process. Smaller firms usually cannot afford an ATS, so the Hiring Manager will look through resumes individually to determine who should get a second look. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education , entitled Why I Tossed Your Résumé , by Brent Miller outlines the six reasons why resumes he reads make a one-way trip to the circular file: 1. Candidate doesn’t meet the minimum criteria 2. The resume had spelling and grammar mistakes 3. Not targeting the resume to the job offered 4. Lying or embellishing experience, education, or abilities 5. Not speaking the “language” of the industry or career path 6. Too much personality “fluff”- dedicated worker, enjoy new challenges, etc.