Free The Resume.Com Guide to Writing Unbeatable Resumes by Warren Simons, Rose Curtis Page B

possess that are directly related to the job opening. For a step-by-step overview of creating cover letters, see Chapter 16.
ASCII Resume Example
     
    The following example shows what an ASCII resume should look like. This candidate is in the information technology (IT) field.

     

     
    Note that the ASCII format does not produce the most aesthetically pleasing document. There is neither formatting nor styling elements in this sample. However, an ASCII-formatted resume is an important tool in your job search, and this pared-down document will pass through e-mail accounts that may not accept attachments and will be clear to hirers that use varying computer platforms. Even if you are not technically savvy, the bottom line is that the ASCII format is the best way to guarantee that hirers will read your resume. (Always bring a formatted resume to an interview.)
THE FUTURE OF THE ONLINE JOB
     
    Many recruiters now use the Internet as the sole source for finding new hires, and the reliance of companies on this medium is growing. It is relatively easy to transform your resume from an aesthetically pleasing Word document to an ASCII resume, and in the global job market you should always have two resumes available. Most important, be prolific! Perseverance is key. The more resumes you send out, the better chance you’ll have of hearing from an employer. Don’t count on one resume doing the trick; remember that following these tips will allow your resume to be seen.

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The Inside Scoop on Job Boards
     
    The job board is one of the most popular avenues for advertising new positions, and it also has allowed job seekers (both employed and unemployed) to post their resumes for all hirers to see, democratizing the job process to some extent. The efficiency and ease job boards have brought to the hiring process have allowed employment sites such as HotJobs.com, Monster.com, and Careerbuilder.com to get a foothold in the marketplace and expand rapidly. With incredible volumes of posted resumes and with employers finding the process easier and cheaper than the standard newspaper, this option has proved to be a success for job applicants in the global economy. However, this democratization process also has resulted in a steady increase in competition, meaning that professionals now must navigate a new horizon.
NEWSPAPERS VERSUS THE JOB BOARD
     
    Whereas $150 might have bought an employer four lines in a newspaper five years ago, that amount now allows an employer to post a help wanted ad online for a month, reaching 500,000 visitors a day as opposed to the daily circulation of a single newspaper. More companies are departing from traditional media and posting job openings with interactive media, and the employment market continues to see dramatic shifts in the ways job seekers find job openings and apply for them. This also means that their resumes must adapt to the requirements of modern hiring practices or face elimination.
    In today’s electronic job market hiring managers can scan thousands of resumes in seconds, employers can send out job openings to thousands of applicants instantaneously, and job seekers can target entire industries or a single position at the click of a button. As Sunday help wanted ads yield to keyword searches, 1,000 applicants can now be rejected by a computer without a human being ever seeing one of their resumes, as we discussed in Chapter 7.
    Ten years ago the hiring process was radically different. Whereas job seekers mailed in or even physically handed over resumes to prospective employers, the advent of the Internet has made virtual communication the norm.
Targeting Job Boards
     
    Job boards are listings of career openings posted by employers, recruiters, headhunters, and marketing and advertising agencies. Many job boards also provide the option of posting your resume online, where thousands of employers can view it and contact you with potential job openings that match your background. This resource