The development and expansion of the internet has introduced many new possibilities. Today virtually all vacancies are advertised online and most job applications are made via email.
Companies and recruitment agencies store CVs they receive in their own databases. Some of these CV banks can contain the details of hundreds of thousands of candidates. Recruiters regularly electronically scan and search these looking for suitable staff, the results are based on keyword searches. Employers will often scan a CV looking for nouns, so include industry terminology and keywords in your resume.
Doing all of the above will increase the chances that your CV will be picked up in any relevant search results.
Tips for writing a electronic CV:
- Ensure that the spelling is correct as a miss spelt word will not come up.
- Do not use unusual fonts as these may affect the search ability of your CV. Also keep the font size between a letter range of 10 to 12 points.
- Try not to underline text as this can make scanning more difficult.
- Try to have a maximum of 80 characters per line.
- Do not include pictures or line breaks as these can also confuse the search tool.
- Do not email a CV that is password protected.
Emailing your CV
Many employers are happy to receive your CV via email. For them it can speed up the recruitment process, save staff time and therefore reduce costs. Here are some tips for sending your CV via email:
- Always send your CV as a attachment, do not copy and paste it into the body of the email. Otherwise you could loose your format and also the style.
- Do not write it using a fancy new software programme that some computers cannot read. Remember many companies may not have the latest software and so may not be able to open your CV or view it fully, this is the last thing you want.
- To be on the safe side create and email your CV using a PC compatible file like Microsoft Word.
- The downside to emailing your CV is that it may not be as secure as mailing it. Bear this in mind if it will include very sensitive information.
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