Find a Suitable Frame for Your Masterpiece
The most widespread way to send a resume nowadays is via the Internet. While old-typed resumes had just one standard written format, the modern electronic resumes broaden the choice by at least 3 more new format types: PDF, Word, and HTML. Are there any preferences in resume formats from the view point of the hiring managers? We have tried to answer this question in the article.
First, let’s decide what resume type – electronic or written -is in demand among the employers. The later resume style, by the way, is not completely extinct. Professional resume writers and recruiters always advice to have a paper copy of the resume to overlook before the interview and present to the employer on the inquiry. Paper resumes are also useful during some social events where you may come across the potential employer. However, despite the enumerated pros of this resume type, electronic resumes are more common, as the job search has long ago shifted to the sphere of online job boards. A great advantage of online resumes is their simplicity. One can always quickly update or alter the resume, it’s especially important when an applicant has to create resumes fitting different requirements of various company-employers.
Choosing between similar electronic formats, one can be relieved of this pain in the neck when the employer specified the required format. In other cases a resume format should be selected according to the situation.
Word format takes the leading position among popular electronic formats. The positive moments of a Word resume include:
- Stability (the addressee will receive the document in the same form you have created it in);
- Businesslike appearance. Word format is so common when writing office documentation that it became the constituent part of business life.
- Such format is also easily operable. The hiring manager will have no difficulties in printing and opening the document no matter how fossilized his/her computer is.
The potential drawback of this format is its plainness (your resume won’t definitely stand out among the others); some companies also don’t risk opening word documents because of virus threat.
The second popular format is PDF that guarantees the exact formatting of the document, both an applicant and an employer will get the same picture of the resume. Among other strengths are:
- No virus threat ( additional bonus all the companies would appreciate)
- No changes will be presented after you have saved the resume as a PDF document
However PDF format looses the points, when the question comes to the readability of the document. If the employer doesn’t have software program to read such files, your resume will be put aside. A similar inconvenience awaits the candidates who don’t simply know how to create the PDF files.
The next electronic format worth attention is HTML or Hyper Text Markup Language. Such impressing name reveals the nature of this format, designed for posting the resumes on web sites or sending them like attachment via the email. Despite some advantages of this resume format, HTML seems to be too complicated for a simple resume, as a separate software application may be required for conversion to this style, and even after this procedure an applicant can’t be sure in the availability of the resume to the potential employers because some browsers don’t support HTML format of documents. This electronic format is also frequently mistaken for spam and just doesn’t reach the addressee. The only advantage worth speaking about is that the resume may be viewed by the potential employer without its being downloaded. However, if the resume attracts attention of the hiring manager, he is sure to save it. Moreover, from the psychological point of view downloaded documents may have advantage over the online ones, as the former take more time to be examined. What do you personally do when looking for the online information on the web sites? In most cases you just scroll down the document skim-reading it whereas downloaded documents enjoy more detailed reading.
If you haven’t decided on the electronic format of your resume, try a simple exercise- send the document to your email. In this case you will get a clear picture of what the resume will look like when it reaches the desk of the potential employer.
