Making a Scannable Resume

• Open MS Word and pull up the document that contains your original resume.
  
  
• Click on FILE in your toolbar and select SAVE AS:
  
  
• Under "File Name," type in a new name for this document (example: Karen's scannable Resume).
  
  
• Under "Save as Type," click on the down arrow to the right and highlight TEXT ONLY.
  
  
• Click on the SAVE button to the right.
  
  
• Now go back to your toolbar and click on FILE and then CLOSE. (**Do not close MS Word.)
  
  
• Click again on your toolbar on FILE and OPEN. Now open the text file that you just named/saved. (**Make sure you open your text document while in MS Word.) You have just completed the initial converting of your resume to a text format. Notice that there is no longer anything fancy on your resume -- it has been stripped of fancy formatting such as bullets, bold, etc. This IS what it is supposed to look like. "It is now fixin' time!"
  
  
• Make sure you cursor is at the very beginning of your document (go to top left and click on left mouse). Click on FILE on your top toolbar. Click on PAGE SET UP. Change your Left and Right Margins to 1.0 inches and then click the OK Tab in the same box.
  
  
• Make sure your font size is 11 to 14 points in size. Anything smaller tends to look squeezed together to scanners. Anything larger tends to run together and blur.
  
  
• Use one of the following Font types: Helvetica, Futura, Optima, Univers, Palatino, New Century Schoolbook, Courier, Times, or ITC Avante Garde Gothic.
  
  
• Make sure your NAME is listed at the top of your resume.
  
  
• Because some scanners have a hard time reading parentheses, do NOT use parentheses around any telephone or fax area codes [i.e., (503)287-1689]. Because Oregon has to DIAL the area code now anyways, please leave off the area code and put in a dash instead [i.e., 503-287-1689].
  
  
• Make sure there are no vertical or horizontal lines, borders, shaded bars, or boxes on this resume.
  
  
• Note: You CAN use indents, columns and centered text on your scannable resume. These will ad visual appeal to your resume and will not hinder scanning.
  
  
• Avoid a two-column format or a resume that looks like a newspaper or newsletter.
  
  
• Boldface may NOT be accepted by all systems. Because of this, it is recommended that nothing be in bold on your scannable resume.
  
  
• Take off any italics, script, underlined words, graphics, or shading.
  
  
• Do NOT use abbreviations. (The scanner may not properly pick up an abbreviation.)
  
  
• Use understandable words (don't use fancy synonyms)
  
  
• Use ALL CAPS for words that need special emphasis. Since "Text Only" stripped your resume of all bolds, bullets, etc. used for highlighting words, use capitalized letters to draw attention to important words, phrases, and headings. For best overall effect, use all caps sparingly.
  
  
• Replace each bullet point with a standard keyboard symbol. Bullets, triangles, arrows, etc. do not transfer well electronically. Suggested replacements are Asterisks (*), Double Asterisks (**), Dashes (-), and Plus signs (+). Use a Space Bar to place a single space immediately after each symbol (and before the words).
  
  
• Keep all your DATE RANGES (i.e., dates of employment) on a single line by themselves.
  
  
• If you are using any quotes (""......."") on your resume, they are probably Curly Quotes. These type of quotes will not transfer accurately and may appear as little rectangles. Because changing these quotes through the AutoFormat in MS Word will reformat your document, go through and delete all your quotes.
  
  
• Type the word "Key Words:" at the bottom of your resume and type in key words (as NOUNS)--separated by three spaces (Space Bar) -- that may not currently be listed on your resume but that you may want a company database to pick up if resumes are stored this way.
  
  
• Lastly, click on FILE on the toolbar above and PRINT PREVIEW. View your text and click on CLOSE. Rearrange your text as needed. Do a line-by-line review of your document to make sure there are no odd-looking wraps, extra spaces, or words scrunched together in the body. This may include inserting commas between items that were once in columns.
  
  
• You have now created a Scannable resume. But you need to know a few more things before sending it.....
  
  Click here to return to the previous page and read PRINTING YOUR RESUME AND OTHER TIPS.