A LITTLE ABOUT SCANNABLE RESUMES

Why do we need them?

1. Most Fortune 1000 firms, recruiters, and most firms that receive over 100 resumes per week routinely scan resumes into databases using OCR (optical character recognition software). If your resume does not scan, it will not be read. When faxing or mailing your resume, you may need to use a scannable and/or ASCII version in tandem with your presentation version.
2. Many employers use scanning technology to scan print resumes into a database from which they can be retrieved later.
3. if you will be sending your resume to large organizations, or even medium-sized organizations that tend to receive a high volume of resumes, it's a good idea to create a purely scannable resume.

What is a scannable resume?

Resumes designed for scanning must be compatible with the "computer eye."

• One scanning method involves scanning and maintaining the resume as a graphic image, so that your resume is maintained exactly as you created it. In this case the resume you have created for the human eye is acceptable.

• Another scanning method involves converting the image into text. Even though your resume is a document containing text, for purposes of scanning, certain kinds of text are not always accurately read and converted. Therefore, when we talk about a "scannable resume," we are talking about one that can be successfully converted without misreading any of your text.
• These resumes are simple presentations, and not appealing to the eye. The focus of such a resume is too use keywords which are friendly to the software reader, and obtain as many "hits" as possible as the software compares the keywords on the resume with the keywords coded into its data bank to rank the candidate against specific criteria for a specific job or career field.
• This resume focuses more on specific skills and qualifications as opposed to a traditional resume powerfully written with active verbs.

Dos for Scannable Resumes:

• Scanned resumes are typically retrieved using keyword searches. You need to research your industry and/or the requirements of the jobs you are seeking to make sure you've included appropriate information. Each time you apply for a job, review the position description.
• Make sure key terms that are included in the position description are also included in your resume where appropriate.
• Keep in mind that scanning technology is continually changing and improving.  Be alert for current articles that cite current sources for their information.
• Be specific. For example, list the names of software you use such as Microsoft Word or Excel, instead of listing software packages.
• Use terms and acronyms specific to the industry.
• In listing acronyms, it's wise to spell out the full name; i.e., IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Either way the employer chooses to search for this information, your text will be found.
• Misspelled words will not be found in a keyword search. If you misspell a critical word, you have effectively left it off your resume for the purposes of retrieval after scanning. As with any resume, typos are unacceptable.

Some keyword examples are:

• Accounting
• chemical engineer
• manager
• BS or BA (to identify individuals with a bachelor's degree)
• MS, MA, PhD
• process modeling
• trainer
• Spanish
• co-op
• PowerPoint

Scannable resume formatting:

a)       To create a resume that appeals to the human eye, but which avoids some of the formatting elements that could be misread by scanners, do the following:

b)       To create a resume which is strictly for scanning, and not for the human eye, take these additional steps: