Expert Career Advice from CambodiaWorks

Resumes

Apply for Jobs Online - An Experience in Communicating Electronically

Jeffrey Banks, a corporate recruiter for Microsoft, advises potential candidates:
"Candidates should think about who they are applying to. I would have to question a candidate's fit for this company if they cannot communicate with me electronically."

Thus, as a job seeker, you may not control in the hiring process; however, you do have control over the applying procedure such as preparing and submitting resume to potential employers. When you are applying online, how you prepare your document is very important step.

File Format

You need to choose what file format to you want to save your resume in. There are three popular files formats: plain text, rich text, and hypertext (htm).

Unfortunately, style and portability often oppose each other and you have to make trade-offs when deciding which one to use.

Plain text is the most popular ASCII format used on the Internet. However, its weakness is that it's just plain text without formatting. In contrast, rich text file gives a nice formatting. However, it is not commonly supported by e-mail editor; therefore, sometimes the content of an e-mail message will result in unreadable text. Hypertext format requires skill in FrontPage or Composer.

Keyword and Scannable Resumes

In database technology, keywords take advantage of. Keywords provide the context from which to search for a resume in a database, whether the database serves for one company, or whether it is a Web-based search engine that serves for general public. Your goal is to have good keywords so that you will come up on the "hit list". It doesn't mean that you should include every possible keyword a recruiter may use in your resume. The idea is to focus on all possible keywords that address your skills and support the kinds of jobs that you are looking for. Also, DON"T forget to do spelling check!

Sending resumes

Resumes look better when they get send by attachments, but some employers are asking applicants not to send their CVs as attachments because of the danger of viruses. Some companies even automatically delete e-mail with attachments.

In summary, the application process is crucial. Getting a first interview or to the assessment stage of recruitment depends upon the quality of the initial application. It's like the start of the campaign to secure a job - and therefore worth careful preparation.

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