Many companies and recruiting agencies or firms have introduced this new technology of scannable resumes in which the computer system scans through your resumes and picks the most favorable resume which consists of relevant keywords. These resumes are then short-listed for the interview rounds. Therefore, it is mandatory to learn the top 5 tips to write scannable resume which gives you a chance to step further to achieve your career goal.
While drafting scannable resume, you need to be very careful about the resume format which includes fonts, designing and use of symbols.
You should always choose the basic type of font that is usually used for business or professional correspondence. Do not make use of very large or small font size. The ideal font size which can be used is ten to fourteen. Font larger than fourteen is generally not acceptable. Besides the font style should be standard that is the Times New Roman. You can also use other font styles like Arial, Helvetica or Tahoma. But make sure you do not use fancy fonts which look artistic or too creative.
Do not underline any sentences, statements or headings. Use of Italic option in resumes is also not preferable. Do not try out shadowing the fonts in different fashions. It would only end up looking unprofessional and childish. Exclude any kind of pictures, graphics or web links. Leave out the columns and tables.
Use symbols for highlighting any passive information by using brackets or even use bullet point. However, symbols sometimes cause problems while scanning through systems. To prevent any kind of problems you can make use of asterisk (*) or hyphen (-) signs for highlighting your statements. These signs are acceptable without any chance of error.
You need to mention your name at the top of the resume followed by your contact details below it. Make sure you add each detail like name, address, phone number and email address on separate lines. If your resume length exceeds more than one page, then type your name on the top of every page.
It is good if your resume length does not exceed the expectation. However, do not try to clutter all information on one page just to cut the length short. Your resume would wind up looking untidy and can confuse the scanner. Use paper clips to join two or more pages instead of using stapler. While printing your resume, do not use very dark paper with light print. Make a combination of light paper color with dark print ink. Make use of laser printer and only print on one side of the page.
The crucial part of scannable resumes is the keywords. The more you make use of keywords that are related to the designation, company or the industry you plan to work with, the more you brighten the chance of having your resume being selected from other candidates seeking for same job role. Include terms and acronyms that match the industry and that portray your proficiency and expertise.
There are many companies those list down their guidelines for scannable resumes on their websites. So try to adhere to those instructions before forwarding your resume to them.
In this manner, you can make use of these top 5 tips to write scannable resume. Many companies are demanding for scannable resumes because they are easy to search and involve easy process of getting short-listed for the interviews.