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When I upload a resume using a web site's online application system it will often just extract the information to a text box on the next page. Often, all the fancy resume formatting gets taken out and thus the text appears in a pretty messy fashion. My question is, is it necessary to re-format the information in the text box or did the file I uploaded actually get sent through the HR system as well?
It depends on the system the employer is using. Some will see the attached file, most won't.
You should have two electronic files of your resume. Your regular one, and a scannable one. When uploading to a website you should use the scannable one and if you've created it correctly, it won't loose its formatting and should properly auto-fill the input fields.
You can google the term 'scannable resume' but basically you should only use Arial or Times New Roman font, and no bold, underline, italics, bullet points, or tabs. Use all caps for headers, use spaces instead of tab, use dashes instead of bullet points. Left align everything. The end result has a sort of poetic simplicity to it.
General rule of thumb, if you are emailing to a specific email address, attach your regular resume. If you are uploading to a website, use your scannable resume.
When I upload a resume using a web site's online application system it will often just extract the information to a text box on the next page. Often, all the fancy resume formatting gets taken out and thus the text appears in a pretty messy fashion. My question is, is it necessary to re-format the information in the text box or did the file I uploaded actually get sent through the HR system as well?
I hate that too. You'll look at the results of how their computer processed your imported resume and see your college name in a street address box or something. I don't think there is a way around it. You just have to go in their an manually edit their fields.
That's a great tip kodeka. I kept having to spend 10 minutes fixing my application because my work experience and school was always screwed up. (for school is said "State Buffalo University New York at of... GPA 4.0/3.45)
Good to know.
And yes, you should correct them unless you want to look illiterate.
another thing you can do is to create your same resume in notepad and format it to how you want. that way, once you have that file, all you have to do is cut and paste from your notepad file into the text box of an online application.
another thing you can do is to create your same resume in notepad and format it to how you want. that way, once you have that file, all you have to do is cut and paste from your notepad file into the text box of an online application.
How is this better than copying and pasting from doc/docx file?
How is this better than copying and pasting from doc/docx file?
if you have your resume with bullets and horizontal lines in a Word doc and when you try to copy and paste it to a text field online, it'll come up as a jarbled mess when you try to submit it.
the text box resume submissions that you see online are just text only, no special Word document characters/symbols or multiple tabbed spaces.
That's a great tip kodeka. I kept having to spend 10 minutes fixing my application because my work experience and school was always screwed up. (for school is said "State Buffalo University New York at of... GPA 4.0/3.45)
Good to know.
And yes, you should correct them unless you want to look illiterate.
To clarify, I wasn't talking about where it will use your resume to fill in the boxes...obviously you want to correct the errors there. I was referring to where it takes the text of your resume and sticks it in a plain text box. So if you have different columns etc on your normal resume it will all get put together and look messy.
I attended a workshop via the unemployment office that was about creating an electronic resume. We saved the Word document as a text file, changed bullets to stars, hit enter at the end of each line (to prevent unintended wrapping), made smaller right hand margins (so all text fit in the box), and a few other things that I can not remember right now.
My understanding was that fixing it before pasting, was better than pasting and then fixing (more likely to stay the way we wanted). Also, the text file can be used for other applications, insead of having to fix the resume with each application.
If you have access to workshops, that might help. Or, as someone mentioned, search for scannable resumes, or electronic resumes.
if you have your resume with bullets and horizontal lines in a Word doc and when you try to copy and paste it to a text field online, it'll come up as a jarbled mess when you try to submit it.
I have seen this, but only about 1/4 of the time, copying and pasting wouldn't affect the formatting regardless of program since it will most likely be reformatted in plain text either way.
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