PREPARING A SCANNABLE RESUME

TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING SCANNABILITY
  • Use white or light-colored 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, printed on one side only.
  • Provide a laser-printed original if possible. A typewritten original or a high quality photocopy is acceptable. Avoid dot matrix printouts and low quality copies. Faxed resumes are often poor in quality; mailing or delivering your resume will maximize scannability.
  • Do not fold or staple.
  • Use standard typefaces such as Helvetica, Futura, Optima, Universal, Times, Palatino, New Century Schoolbook, or Courier.
  • Use a font size of 10 to 14 points (avoid Times 10 point).
  • Do not condense spacing between letters.
  • Use boldface and/or all capital letters for section headings as long as the letters do not touch.
  • Avoid italics, underline, shadows, and reverse (white letters on black background).
  • Avoid vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, and boxes.
  • Avoid two-column format or resumes that look like newspapers or newsletters.
  • Place your name at the top of the page on its own line with your address and phone number directly beneath it.

TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING MATCHES
  • Use enough key words to define your skills, experience, education, professional affiliations, etc.
  • Describe your experience with concrete words rather than vague expressions. For example, it is better to use "managed a team of software engineers" rather than "responsible for managing...."
  • Be concise and accurate.
  • Use more than one page if necessary. The computer can handle multiple-page resumes, and it allows you to provide more information than you would for a human reader. At the same time, the length of your resume should be suited to your years of experience (two to three pages is the recommended maximum).
  • Use jargon and acronyms specific to your industry, but spell out the acronyms for human readers.
  • Increase your list of key words by including specifics. For example, list the names of the software you use, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, 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, Papers, Licenses, Certifications, Examinations, Honors, Miscellaneous, References, etc.
  • Include a general cover letter indicating the type of position you are seeking.