online resume : what should you know?

The Internet has brought about a new age for the resume. As the search for employment has become more electronic, resumes have followed suit. It is not uncommon for employers to only accept resumes electronically, either out of practicality or preference. This electronic boom has changed much about the way resumes are written, read, and handled.

Job seekers must choose a correct file format in which to maintain their resume. Many employers, especially recruitment agencies on their behalf, insist on receiving resumes only as Microsoft Word documents. Others will only accept resumes formatted in HTML, PDF, or plain ASCII text.

Many potential employers now find candidates' resumes through search engines, which makes it more important for candidates to use appropriate keywords when writing a resume.

Including an e-mail address in an online resume may expose the job seeker to spam.

Keeping resume online has become increasingly common for people in professions that benefit from the multimedia and rich detail that are offered by an HTML resume, such as photographers, graphic designers, developers, etc.

Job seekers are finding an ever increasing demand to have an electronic version of their resume available to employers and professionals who use internet recruiting at any time. Internet resumes differ from conventional resumes in that they are comprehensive and allow for self-reflection. Unlike regular 2 pages resume, which only show recent work experience and education, internet resumes also show an individual's skill development over his or her career.

For job seekers, taking resumes online also facilitates distribution to multiple employers via internet. Online resume distribution services have emerged to allow job seekers to distribute their resumes to employers of their choices via email.

Another advantage to internet resumes is the significant cost savings over traditional hiring methods. This in turn has cut costs for many growing organizations, as well as saving time and energy in recruitment. Until the development of resumes in an electronic format, employers would have to sort through massive stacks of paper to find suitable candidates without any way of filtering out the poor candidates. Employers are now able to set search parameters in their database to reduce the number of resumes which must be reviewed in detail in the search for the ideal candidate.