Job seekers are often confused about different resume file types, so here’s an overview of four common file types and when to use them:

MS Word (.doc) file
Many employers like to see the MS Word file, and this is the version you should attach when emailing your resume (unless instructed otherwise).

Adobe PDF (.pdf) file
Sometimes employers aren’t using standard word processing programs and would like to see the resume layout as it was intended. Send the PDF if the recipient had problems downloading your Word file or viewing it properly. You may also use the PDF format as a download option on your career folio website.

ASCII (.txt) for emailing file (see Why You Need Two ASCII Resumes)
This version is suitable for emailing your resume to hiring managers. The best way to send an ASCII for emailing file is to copy and paste the cover letter and resume in the email message box, and then attach the MS Word file. If there’s any problem with downloading the Word file, the recipient will still be able to review your plain-text resume and cover letter. Important: Remember to customize the cover letter and resume to suit the opportunity!

ASCII (.txt) for webforms file
This version is suitable for submitting your resume to online webforms. When you’re submitting your resume to online forms on job boards and employer/recruiter websites, copy and paste your resume from this file. The difference between this format and the email version is that the webform version does not have forced line breaks — this enables your text to naturally wrap around the webform box and minimize a “jagged” effect.

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Today I received a resume and cover letter to review, and when I opened the cover letter, I was struck with a case of déjà vu. Oh wait, I wasn’t going crazy (too late for that - lol), I did just read those same words — in the resume. The job seeker had copied and pasted big sections of text from his resume to his cover letter.

I can see how easily that could happen. Both documents market your strongest credentials, so why not take that perfectly written resume content and transfer to your cover letter?

Two reasons why it’s not a good idea:

1. You don’t want employers to experience the same déjà vu that I did, only for them to realize your documents aren’t original.

2. A resume serves a different purpose than a cover letter. A resume is more formal in tone, but a cover letter gives you a chance to reveal your personality (or a toned down version suitable for professional life).

You can expand on important accomplishments in your cover letter and hit on the ways you would add value to the employer’s team, but vary your word choice so both documents are creative and fresh.

To your success,

Kim Isaacs

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I’ve mentioned before that some resume writers know me as The Slasher due to my superhuman ability to slash resumes down to size. How do I do it? Recently a colleague sent me a resume she wanted slashed, and I took note of my actions. Here’s a recap of how I turned a 2.25-page resume into a solid two-pager. I hope it helps if you need to shorten your resume:

1. Increased the font size: This might seem anti-slasherlike, but the writer had made the font so tiny that my eyes glazed over when I first opened the document. The key to a great resume layout is readability, so I immediately changed Garamond 10 point to Garamond 11.5. MS Word tip: You can use the “Find and Replace” feature to find one font size and replace with another instead of manually changing it section by section. Here’s a link to James Marshall’s About.com tutorial on how to do this: Replacing Font Formats With Word’s Replace Dialog Box

2. Adjusted page margins: The top and bottom margins were set at 1″ and the left and right were 1.25″ (I think this is MS Word’s default setting). I like nice, wide margins and many hiring managers like them, too — it’s good to have margin space to jot notes on hard copies. But the default was unnecessarily wide, so I changed to .8″ all around. (BTW, the margin adjustment added a lot of space, and there’s nothing like the thrill of watching the resume get shorter during a slash job. Yes, the life of a resume writer can be very sad indeed!)

3. Cleaned up orphans and widows: The font size increase created orphans and widows throughout the document, so I made minor text edits to clean up the typography. Widows are those pesky single words taking up a whole line at the end of a paragraph, and orphans are the first lines of paragraphs at the bottom of pages that get separated from the rest of the paragraph on the following pages.

4. Consolidated early work history: The experience section went back to the 1980s and there was too much detail about old, irrelevant jobs. I created an “Early Career” section that had two sentences referring to several of these jobs, which freed up enough space to make the resume a two-pager. Another Slasher success!

Best wishes,

Kim Isaacs

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Personal branding expert and networking guru Wendy Terwelp wants job seekers to think about and improve their brand messages. According to Wendy, “Job seekers already have a brand, whether they know it or not. What do people think about them? Are they known for a great sense of humor, or maybe for being a savvy networker?” Wendy says that job seekers can edge out their competition by defining and communicating a consistent brand message throughout the job search.

What are you known for in your industry, and how can you improve your brand message? Wendy offers a Personal Branding Quiz so you can assess your brand message’s status. Click here to take the quiz.

Best wishes,
Kim Isaacs

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