Make sure to always send your resume (via email) as a Word or pdf attachment

This subject is probably one of the first I should have posted about because of the importance, but nonetheless I have seen 3 examples today and need to address it. When you as a job applicant submit your resume to an employer, make sure that you send it in Microsoft Word, or as a pdf attachment. Every once in a while I see a resume show up in some file extension I have never heard of before. 10 times out of 10 I can’t open it either. Most times (unless I am in need of super resumes) those emails end up deleted. You may be submitting your resume and not even realize it is never being seen because you are sending it in a format that is impossible for the vast majority of us to open.

To be safe, always save and send your resume in MS Word. Why? Because it is by far the most common program out there, and if a hiring manager or company isn’t using it, I would be worried about them. RTF is in theory the safest. Rich Text Format (RTF) is a standardized way to encode various text formatting properties, such as bold characters and typefaces, as well as document formatting and structures. By saving a document in RTF, you can open the file in many word processors and other RTF-aware software packages with much of its formatting left intact. Many word processing programs will allow you to save a document in RTF when you select Save As... .

To further help, I am including links below to a few quick tutorials on YouTube. I get questions about how to save documents all the time, and this should help those who are in need of a brush up:


Saving a Document As a PDF, RTF, DOC, or TXT File

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKT07N6QSw

Saving documents in different formats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYXCnsi9hIM

Converting A Microsoft Word Document To Adobe PDF Format

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerocdgGB2g

Word 2007 Save As PDF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ChN-1dHsM&feature=related

Is your email address preventing you from interviews?

Literally, one of the very first things a prospective employer will see, even before opening your resume via email, is your email address itself. Let me tell you from experience, I have seen some personal emails used to submit resumes that have been anything but professional. It may be funny to use such emails with friends, but probably not a good idea to use when sending your resume to employers. The following are actual (or close to) email addresses I have ACTUALLY SEEN to apply for jobs I advertised for:


drinkingchampion@kegmaster.org

screwhomework@yourcollege.com

men_suck@hotmail.com

bubbanuts@gmail.com

fuqdup@yahoo.com

hateworking@gmail.com

69_fan@xxx.com


It’s better to stick with a professional "firstname.lastname@xxxxxxx.com" style email for your resume (i.e. John.Smith@gmail.com). Save the funny versions for your private interactions with friends and family.

One other email address you should not use is your work email address (or work number). The biggest problem with doing so is the loyalty you show to that company, and the perception of the type of loyalty you will also show to a new employer; the thought is, if someone uses his/her work email to apply for new jobs, what will stop them from doing the exact same thing in the future with our company? It can also be a quick way to get yourself into hot water, or in the worst scenario fired from a job.

In short, if there is any question about the way potential employers will view your email address, invest 3 minutes to create a new one. It’s one of the best ways to arbitrarily dismiss yourself BEFORE the reader even opens your resume otherwise.