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Subject:RE: resume fondling -- am I being too picky? From:"Downing, David" <DavidDowning -at- Users -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 2 May 2005 16:20:36 -0400
I read an article -- in INTERCOM -- awhile back that said that if
you're sending our resume electronically, you not only shouldn't use
styles, you shouldn't use formatting. You should make it straight ASCII
text. The reason for this was that you couldn't depend on your
recipient to have the same software you did to open and read the resume.
So what happened to this advice? Does it come under the heading of
"That was then and this is now'?
-----Original Message-----
From: Gene Kim-Eng [mailto:techwr -at- genek -dot- com]
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 7:11 PM
Subject: Re: resume fondling -- am I being too picky?
Even if you don't need to demonstrate this knowledge, in the modern
jobhunting environment resumes are seldom one-off anymore. A concerted
search for a new position usually involves creating multiple variations
on the base theme of your qualifications. Not having to worry about
manually formatting text every time you create a new resume tweak saves
a lot of effort at a time when your stress levels and your likelihood of
error is at its highest and helps ensure consistency.
My argument then was that a resume was a one-off document, infrequently
updated, and usually intended to be printed. Styles, I argued, are
intended to be used for ongoing document management, for consistency
across multiple documents, and for softcopy.
I can still agree with both those statements, but I have been persuaded
by the additional argument that a Word-based (or HTML-based) resume is
an example of your ability to use the tool, in the same way that the
writing in a resume is an example of your ability to actually write.
Doing shoddy work in the development of the resume can be as as much of
a faux pas as bad grammar is in the writing. You have to put your best
work forward in absolutely everything you do.
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