- Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:
"The Correct Resume File Format"
What is the correct file format for your resume? There is no one answer. There are actually two, or three if you really want to go the extra mile:
1. Microsoft Word – the industry standard for documents is Word. Not WordPerfect, not Acrobat, but Word. Why? Because of the market penetration of Word into the business world. So your baseline resume should be done in Word. Which version? Although there are some forward compatibility problems with old versions of Word, save it in the current format of your copy of Word. And make sure you use Word to save the document, not some other program saving in Word format (since it does NOT always translate correctly, especially with bulleting and formatting). If you don’t have a copy of Word, use it at the computer center, career center, library or on someone’s machine with a registered copy. This Word document is your baseline resume document which you should use for all updates and revisions. The next two should be saved from this document. For resume templates in Word of the best format to follow for your entry level resume, see the Quickstart Resume templates at CollegeGrad.com.
2. Text – after you have developed your resume in Word, do a “Save As…” in “Text Only with Line Breaks” format (or “Text Only” if that is the only text option available). The reason for saving it with the line breaks is that it will automatically put hard carriage returns in at no more than 80 characters per line. There are two advantages and a disadvantage in doing this. The advantages are that it will keep your resume from running off the right side of the screen when being viewed without word wrap and it will avoid any truncation of information (often after 1000 characters in a paragraph—-uncommon, but it does happen with some systems). The disadvantage is that some systems automatically word wrap at under 80 characters (72 is the most common), so the hard carriage returns can often leave one or two words on a single line. But the advantage (being able to read the entire resume) outweighs the disadvantage (formatting perfectly), since this resume will be used primarily for input into resume databases and applicant tracking systems (ATS). After you have done your “Save As…” you will still need to modify the resume in text format. Use a text editor (such as Notepad) to view the resume. Most notably, any indents will move text over 8 characters instead of the pre-defined indent you may have set for Word. Also proofread for any unusual characters or symbols which may not have converted properly. Lastly, left justify everything to the left side of the document. It doesn’t have to be pretty, just readable.
3. HTML - if you want to take your resume one step further by posting it on the Web (NOT for resume database posting, but placing on a Web page of your own), you can do a “Save As…” with “Web Page” selected. Again, the formatting will not necessarily translate exactly from Word to the Web, so you may have to change some of the HTML to properly format (or at least end up with a close fit). This file format is optional and only needed if you plan to place it on the Web directly (more on the reason for doing this in the next section).
So when and where do you use these three different versions? The Word version is used for printing, for sending as an attachment (unless text is requested specifically) and for uploading as an attached document on job sites such as CollegeGrad.com. The text version is typically used for Internet resume databases and for any input which would find its way into a client ATS. And the HTML version is only used for posting to your own Web page.
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There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.
However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.
At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:
1. The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
2. It's free.
It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:
Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.
P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com (the 2003 edition) is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.
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