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Resume meets scanner

In this era of technology-driven industries and speedy, high powered communication tools, most job applications are done electronically, and most employers – no matter the job level – request a resume from job applicants. That having been said, we must be mindful of the extremely time consuming task these employers have in reviewing so many resumes. However, when we learn that employers don’t actually review every resume they receive, it begins to make sense that they would want to review resumes from various candidates for their job offers.

In this day and age companies use various types of software to scan the resumes they receive for key words and content specific to their available positions, especially the first round of resume review. In other words, if you are a job applicant who submit a resume to one of these employers, your resume must first make it pass a computer-generated scan before it can into the hands of a hiring manager, or other decision-making department head. So the number of resumes submitted to that potential employer is less problematic than we think.

Now that we’ve settled that question, think about your own well-formatted, well-written resume to which you’ve devoted so much time in perfecting. There is one more question you have to answer about your awesome resume: Is it scan-friendly? The answer to this question may lie in the number (or lack) of calls you’ve received from from potential employers, despite your excellent qualifications for the job. Put another way, your resume might not be scan-friendly; so take a look at the following tips for making your resume scan-friendly:

Making the resume scanner-ready

Special Formatting – Any kind of formatting that is not standard could cause certain letters to touch and blend into one character. This is especially true if a word is bold or italicized; so make sure that you review your resume and revise any parts where letters are joined together, so that the words can be scanned.

Font Type and Size – Since the type and size of your fonts are very important for both your printed and electronic resume when being scanned, it is important that the font is recognizable by the software; so stick to basic fonts, such as Ariel and Times New Roman. Also use standard font sizes such as 10 or 12 point.

about resumes, cover letters and interviews

Underlined Words and Phrases – In an electronic format, underlined words/phrases implies links to other documents and/or a web sites. Another feature that must be avoided is lines in the resume that touch the text, as this will prevent your resume from being scanned properly.

Alignment – All the text in your resume should read from left to right so that your resume can be properly scanned. Your should also avoid special formatting such as tables and columns within your electronic resume document.

Fine tuning resume before submission

Special Characters – Special characters may not be recognized by scanning software and could therefore render your resume useless to the employer. Special formatting such as bullets, use of ampersands, percent signs, copyright signs, or any other characters that may not be easily recognizable by scanning software should be removed. If you are quantifying information on your resume, make sure to spell out the percentage instead of using “%” as you are indicating increase in sales, for example. Whenever possibly, avoid using signs or special characters in your resume.

Chronological Resume Template: Resume Solution, What you Need to Creat your US and Canadian Resume (Template, Resume, Functional, Jobs, Opportunities)

Numbered Pages – Even if you submit a printed resume, the document may still be scanned for key words to match your qualifications with available positions, so it is very important that your submission is on plain white paper and in basic font type and size. If you are submitting multiple pages, make sure that all the pages are numbered, and have your name in the top left corner. Do not staple multiple pages, because doing so will prevent all pages, except the top page, from being scanned.

Keywords and Power Words – The most important element of a scan-friendly resume is the selection of active keywords and power words. Do your research and make sure that you use the appropriate keywords which are relevant to the position you are seeking in your resume. Having appropriate keywords throughout your resume makes it easier for the software to find matches when scanning the document.

Research and review

Helpful tip: review the employer’s job requirements for keywords, and find out what the required qualifications for the job are, so you can make sure that your resume contains the same terminology as that on the job description, without direct copying from the text. When your functional resume is scanned the software will pick up these key words and you will be one step closer to landing your dream job.

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Meeting the need

In today’s competitive world, employers are more inclined to find people who can contribute to the growth of their company and not just boost its productivity. With that in mind most employers tend to look for people who are endowed with the most desirable job skills in order to match expectations and objectives of the company.

Based on this perception people who wish to secure the jobs that they have long dreamt of should be aware of the most sought after job skills most employers seek. As you read on down this page you’ll find there are a few of the important job skills a job seeker must possess in order to land a good job and keep it.

Research & logic

The ability to research – Job seekers should possess as a skill we refer to as the ability to research; not because they want to land a job in a research company but because it may be required in order to do simple searches of the data needed by a particular activity.

Logical thinking – Most employers need people who are able to produce effective solutions and provide sensible solutions to various proposals or a probable activity.

Tech savvy

Technologically literate – With the advent of information technology most job openings require people who are computer literate or know how to operate different machines and office equipment, as well as possessing knowledge of certain systems and software suites.

Most employers do not necessarily need people who are graduates of technical institutes, but the simple fact is that job seekers know the basic principles of technology is usually enough.

Language & organization

Communication skills – People who land good jobs are often those who are adept at speaking and writing the language(s) that is spoken in the company to which they apply. Employers hire people who are able to express their thoughts effectively through verbal and written communication.

Organizational skills – No employer would want to hire somebody who is disorganized. Organization is extremely important to maintain a harmonious working relationship in the company and as a result, most employers covet people who know how to arrange schemes and methods that would maintain the orderliness in the given area.

Interact and grow

Interpersonal skills – Because the working environment consists of various kinds of personalities, it is necessary therefore, to acquire the skill to communicate to people from different walks of life.

Professional Growth – Employers hire people who are able to create a plan that will generate personal career growth. This means that the person is willing to improve himself/herself professionally by learning new things in the areas s/he might be lacking.

These are just a few of the job skills most sought-after by many employers. Therefore, it is important for the job seeker to take note of these attributes in order to be successful in every endeavor they pursue.