To search a job you would be looking at the job search sites and are most likely to post your profile and resume on sites like monster.com or hotjobs.com. The engines give you an opportunity to upload your resume in a Microsoft Word or text file or they have a form which you need to fill and send it.
Apart from the job search engines, emailing has become very common and even the employers prefer the candidates email their resumes for them to scan. But the different employers have different set of rules on the file they would want to accept via email. Most of the companies accept the attachment in the Microsoft Word format. Here you need to be careful about the Font, their size and margins while composing the resume. If a company is requesting a text file, you should follow these steps to convert your Microsoft Word document into a text resume:
- Select File, Save As- Name the file; as a best practice, use your name as the file name, and use underscores as
spaces
- Under Format, select Text Only
- Select Save.
Once you have converted the file into a text file, make sure to open it and check if the spaces and tabs are in the right place. Use the edit button to format the resume which will be able to fit the file type. Make note of the fact that the text file does not have options of bold, italics or underlining. Make sure that all your text is left justified and that the spacing is correct.
If the employer wants the resume in the body of your email you can take this as a text file while formatting. You can copy and past the whole resume into an email. Keep the basic font style and the size at 10 or 12 points. Try and adjust all the spacing and bullets as appropriate. Do not use the Bold or Italics.
If the resume is being sent as an attachment makes the body of the email as your cover letter. Include the Name and Address and the address of the employer you are sending the email to. However, since you will include your address at the top of the email, feel free to start your resume with a career objective instead of including the heading with your name and address.
Make sure that the resume you have made is looking good make sure by checking on the other computer and opening it. You can involve your family and friends and send them the copy of the resume and see how it shows on their computers. This will provide a great opportunity for you to assure that your resume is reaching your potential employers in the format that is clean and professional.