CHARTING A COURSE FOR SUCCESS : ELECTRONIC RESUMES

With the growth of the internet, many job seekers now create two versions of their resumes-one which is nicely formatted and made to be handed in or "snail-mailed", and one which is designed strictly for electronic use.

While the use of technology for recruiting is just beginning in law firms, the non-traditional job searcher is certain to encounter scanable resumes when applying for corporate or governmental positions. This results in the need to adjust both the content and format of the traditional legal resume to maximize its effectiveness in a scanable environment.

Scanning resumes is made possible by the use of optical character recognition software. This enables the program to "read" certain information contained in the resume and enables the human resources representative or manager to search for particular key words or phrases such as "law review" or "moot court." As a result, scanable resumes should be both readable by the software and tailored to the position applied for to increase the chance of being selected by a search.

In order to increase the readability of the resume by the software, we suggest the following:

• Use white or light-colored 8 ½ x 11 paper, printed on one side only.
• Provide a laser printed original. Avoid dot matrix printouts and low quality copies.
• Do not fold or staple.
• Use standard typefaces such as Times New Roman, Futura, Palatino, Century, and Courier.
• Use a font size of 10 to 14 points.
• Do not condense spacing between letters.
• Use boldface and/or all capital letters for section headings as long as letters do not touch each other.
• Avoid all fancy font styles and/or effects including italics, underlining and shadowing.
• Avoid vertical and horizontal lines, graphics and boxes.
• Place your name at the top of the page on its own line. If there is a second page, your name should also appear as text at the top of this page.
• Use standard address format below your name.
• List each phone number on its own line.
• The content of the resume will also change to reflect the use of the searchable nature of the software. Resumes should be tailored to the position sought. This may include stating an objective, which reflects the position, and using key words and phrases found in the job description itself. Feel free to use more than one page if necessary. (The computer can handle multiple page resumes.) In order to maximize your likelihood of being selected we suggest the following:
  • Use enough key words to define your skills, experience, education, professional affiliations, etc.
  • Use jargon and acronyms specific to the industry (but also spell out acronyms).
  • Describe your experience with concrete words rather than vague descriptions. For example, it is better to use "managed class action litigation" than "responsible for managing team of lawyers..."
  • Increase your list of key words by including specifics, for example, list the names of the software you use, such as Microsoft Word and Lotus 1-2-3.
  • Use common headings, such as Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Positions Held, Appointments, Skills, Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Affiliations, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Licenses, Certifications, Examinations, Honors, Papers, Additional, Miscellaneous, References.
  • You may want to describe personal traits and attributes. Key words could include skill in time management, initiative, high energy, leadership, responsibility, supervision, etc.
  • Be concise.

Remember you are dealing with a machine. It is unlikely to recognize that you have transferable skills that can be applied in a non-traditional context. For this reason, it is particularly important that you network within the organization. A good, scanable resume is a beginning, but it will never substitute for a contact that ensures someone will review your resume.