E-Résumés: Scannable Résumés
Computer Alert!
Your résumé may be scanned before it gets into human hands. Here is some help.
Many large employers use scanners to "read" your résumé before it is read by human resources or by hiring managers. These scanners look for keywords on résumés and match them to job requirements.
These key words are typically job titles, degrees, majors, skills and industry specific tasks and knowledge. For example, if you are looking for a marketing job, key words might include sales, marketing, market research, advertising, BS degree in Marketing, knowledge of SPSS, SAS programming.
You have nothing to fear from scanners if you have very specific skills and have a very focused job objective. Just make sure that you use key words when you describe your skills and accomplishments.
If you are looking for a job with a specific company, you can use their job postings and recruitment literature to help you identify the key words that describe the job requirements for the position you want.
Your career services office may have this information on file. For instance, if the job requires knowledge of specific spreadsheet programs like Lotus or Excel, list the names of the programs you know, rather than merely stating that you know spreadsheet software.
While human readers look for action verbs that highlight your accomplishments, scanners look for specifics. If your goal is to get a job in a large company, make sure your résumé has both. Above all, be honest. If you claim that you have a specific skill, an interviewer is likely to ask you about it.
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