The Pros and Cons of Scanning
Your mind is probably racing ahead to the pros and cons of your resume going through a scanning system. That’s good, because understanding the advantages and disadvantages of scanning will help you produce the most effective resume for the scanning process.
Job-Hunt Hint
Before crafting a scannable resume, read this section to understand and the ins and outs of electronic resumes. After all, the purpose of resume scanning is to transform a paper resume into an e-resume.
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Here are reasons why resume scanning could be a plus for your job search:
- Resume scanning ensures that all resumes are evaluated consistently. Some human resources personnel have so many resumes to review that not all get careful consideration. Using the scanner helps to ensure that each resume is evaluated impartially.
- Longer resumes (up to three pages) are acceptable. Having more pages lets you include as much information as possible to catch the search engine’s attention.
- Scanning programs are also used to read cover letters, so you can still use that real estate to market yourself.
You have to admit that some of these reasons are pretty darn good, and they just might get you in the employer’s electronic door for an interview.
Career Casualty
Don’t print your resume on two sides of the same piece of paper. If you do, it’s very likely that the second page won’t get scanned into the computer because the scanner operator probably won’t notice the second side.
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No matter how hard you try to create the perfect scannable resume (I’m going to explain how to do that in the next section), there are no guarantees that it will be read accurately by the scanner. OCR
software isn’t perfect. It has a rate of error that almost guarantees that there will be a few mistakes in the way it interprets the print on your resume for this reason, companies are moving away from scanning and encouraging job seekers to submit their resumes electronically (via e-mail or through resume banks) in order to avoid the scanning process all together. But many companies still have their scanners at work deciphering resumes, and you may need to produce one for such a system.
Career Casualty
Don’t delay your job search because you don’t have a scannable resume. Follow the instructions in this chapter, attend a class in preparing your resume for scanning, or hire a professional resume writer to get the job done.
Formatting at Its Finest
If you find you need to create a scannable resume, first follow the instructions in Parts 2 and 3 of this book for developing a chronological, functional, achievement, chronological hybrid, or functional hybrid resume. Then make the following changes to adjust your resume for resume scanning:
- Put your name, address, and contact information on separate lines.
- Create a Keyword section near the top.
- Use scannable fonts.
- Don’t use fancy formatting.
- List only one date for each of your degrees.
- Print your resume on white paper.
Let’s take a look at each of these points.
Job-Hunt Hint
Put “continued” at the bottoms of the first and second pages of your hard-copy scannable resume and list your name and appropriate page numbers at the tops of pages two and three. This will help the Human Resources clerk keep track of your pages while entering them into the scanning system.
