Re: Resumes: ASCII (long post)

[Janice Critchlow <Janice -dot- Critchlow -at- ENG -dot- SUN -dot- COM>]

Lee Bumgarner <jlbumgar -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM> asks:

> These are my queries:
> -Are there ways to make ASCII resumes stand out?

First, regardless of how you deliver your resume, it must be free of
grammatical errors and typos. We have recently received a number of resumes
across the net from people who call themselves technical writers and some of
them cannot seem to put together a grammatically-correct phrase. For example,
do not send out a resume that was scanned through an optical scanner if the
resulting ASCII is virtually unreadable (A disclaimer won't help you)!

Second, organization is important. Because ASCII-based resumes scroll on
the reader's screen, you'll need to put any "attention grabbers" up front.

You can still use hyphens or "o" as a bullet marker to
make your bulleted lists.

You can still put headers in to introduce information.
> -Does it even matter that ASCII resumes start to all look the
>  same after a while (except, of course, the really bad ones:
>  they REALLY :0 stand out)?

Yes it does really matter!
> -Are there other ways in ASCII to make them really *sparkle*?
Many people are going to doing their resumes in HTML rather than pure ASCII
text. That way, you can either send the HTML file (which should be viewable
by Mosaic, Netscape, and other browsers) to the company and they can look
at it there; or, you can put your HTML-based resume on an accessible web
server.

> -Since some email readers are set for different line lengths,
>  is there a way to create a resume in ASCII for all readers so
>  that the lines don't break?
Not as far as I know.

> Issues not directly related to ASCII:

> -I want to create the best impression possible. Should I suggest
>  a hardcopy resume instead or point the recruiter/manager to
>  my resume on the web?
First, see my comment above about HTML. Second, ALWAYS have a hardcopy
version available and offer it. You can FAX it, if needed. At a minimum,
bring a hardcopy with you to the interview.

> -Since I am sending an ASCII resume, can I "get away" with a
>  resume that is longer and more detailed than the more shorter,
>  succinct, but less detailed paper copy (I have a longer version
>  since I have a lot of transferable job experience from a previous
>  career)?

In my opinion, no. In fact, I'm probably less inclined to scroll through
multiple ASCII pages than I might be to look through multiple paper pages.
That, however, is a purely personal opinion. ;-)

> Am I just stuck in the paper resume paradigm <g> because
> I want to use "good" design and writing to aid the presentation
> of content (skills, experiences, and abilities)?

I certainly hope not!

> Thanx.

You're welcome.
And good luck!

Janice Critchlow
SunSoft