New decade, new career in 2020?
There is a lot of information out there on how to format your resume or CV. In our 20 years of business we have seen it all. This is straight forward advice on what to do and more important what not to do when building and updating your resume or CV. While these tips cannot not assure you will get the job of your dreams they will assure that your resume will get into the database being used giving you the best chance of getting that new career or gig.
Tip: Word docs are best
Word docs are the best. PDF formats can be ok but what is tricky with PDF is some are text and some are images and there is nothing in the .pdf extension to tell you which is which. If you can select the text it can be parsed. If you cannot it is an image. Why chance it?
Tip: Simple is best
Simple is best. Make your resume or CV as simple and plain as possible. Do not use images, text boxes or try to get fancy with the format. Remember your resume will not been seen on a piece of paper, it will get turned into something that looks like this, so it can be loaded into an ATS:
{“HireAbilityJSONResults” : [“GivenName”:”Russ”,”FamilyName”:”Freeman”,”FormattedName”:”Russ Freeman”,”DisabilityIndicator”:false,”Address”:[{“CountryCode”:”US”,”CountrySubDivisionCode”:”NY”,”CityName”:”New City”,”PostalCode”:”10956″,”AddressLine”:”744 Gail Drive”}],”Phone”:[{“Number”:”212 555-1785″,”Label”:”personal”}],”Email”:[{“Address”:”rippingtons@g….com“, and so on..]}
If you want to have a printed resume or CV to hand people, that is fine but don’t use the same resume to apply to jobs online or to upload on possible employer sites.
Tip: State your name on top of resume or CV
State your name and contact information on top of the resume and not in a Word header, footer or a text box column or anywhere else. Think of it this way: if you copied and pasted it on a letter and slapped a stamp on it, would the postal service or carrier be able to deliver it?
If not, don’t do it.
Also avoid referencing landmarks within your address. While not common in the US we see it many other places. Do NOT state “across from the Petrol station” in your address on your resume. This is great for getting a pizza delivered but we doubt you are using your resume or CV to do that.
Tip: Do not use columned layout
Don’t use a columned layout whether your resume or CV is a PDF or a Word document. While it may look logical and straight forward in print, it doesn’t when it converts to text which is usually the first step in resume parsing or parsing any data.
Tip: Separate sections in your resume or CV clearly
Separate sections in your resume clearly using headings such as Work Experience, Education, Skills, Security Clearance, Additional Information, etc.
Try to keep the same format throughout each section. For instance, in your Employment Section, if your chosen format for each employment record is
Dates / Company Name / Job Title / Location / Job Description
keep the rest of your employment data in this format, in each of your employment records. We often see when someone needs to update their resume they find an old version and add the current employer or last job(s). When they do this, they change the previous format. While it may not break the HireAbility parser, it could others.
Tip: Use complete company names and job titles
Use complete company names that include identifying words such as Inc., Co., LTD, LLC, Gmbh, Limited, etc
Use complete job titles. For instance: use “Senior Account Executive” instead of “Sr. Account Exe.” and use “Business Development Manager” instead of “Business Dev. Manager”.
Tip: White space is important!
Whitespaceisimportantseewhatwemean?
Get it?
White space is important, see what we mean? This is key for a parser to know when one data point starts and ends.
Don’t use acronyms. While a reader can sometime figure out that if someone has a background in accounting, and they use the acronym CPA, they are likely a Certified Public Accountant. However, other terms may not be so straight forward and might mean different things depending on what part of the world you are in. For example, in New Hampshire CMC can be short for Catholic Medical Center. Elsewhere it can mean Colorado Mountain College, Claremont McKenna College, critical micelle concentration, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls, Certified Management Consultant, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Cornell Medical Center, Career Management Center and possibly hundreds or more companies, terms, colleges etc.
If all this seems overwhelming, you can always download your own LinkedIn profile (which is a non image PDF and apply with that just like you would with a resume). You may still need a resume once you get the call but this will assure your chances of being seen in the eyes of the AI recruiting software being used in 2020 and beyond.
Good luck on your search!
by Ken Smith, EVP of Sales and Marketing
New decade, new career in 2020?
New decade, new career in 2020?