The
last thing you want after working so hard to compose
a really terrific resume is
for it never to be seen by another human eye.
Let
me give you 2
good reasons why ASCII conversion is so important:
#1) Optical
Character Recognition Software (OCR)
OCR software, used by many large companies
today, is designed to flash-scan through hundreds of resumes in search
of particular, pre-programmed
keywords desirable to their company.
If the software doesn't find at least one of those desired keywords
somewhere in your resume, it may be expeditiously disposed of,
never to be seen again. And you would never know.
#2) Translation of
Characters, Fonts and Punctuation
Anytime
a document is shared between two computers (one that sends, and one
that receives), there is the potential for
translation problems.
It is very common for a computer to change characters, fonts, &
punctuation in the documents it receives.
One
of the more common problems is when bullets turn into question
marks. Undoubtedly, you have seen documents with lots of squiggles and
question marks and wondered if it was written in Greek.
Normal
Word formatting, such as Bolding or Underlining, may also be altered.
Doing your resume in ASCII eliminates that problem. Once it
has been converted, simply
copy/paste the text into the body of your out-going Email.
The ASCII conversion may make your resume a little less aesthetically
pleasing to the eye, but it is necessary (and oftentimes expected) by
many larger companies.
TIP:
It is not recommended to send your Resume as an Attachment,
particularly on the initial contact. Viruses are always a threat, and
many companies simply dispose of anything with an attachment and never
open them.
Before submitting your converted resume to
an employer over the Internet, it is recommended to first Email a copy to
yourself. That way, you can go through it with a fine-tooth comb and
fix anything that doesn't look right.
Remember,First Impressions Are Key when it comes to your Resume!
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ASCII Resume Conversion
