Acceptable formats for resume

[wizard341]

I was just wondering what most people consider acceptable formats for sending your resume through email. More specificly...

 

How to include the resume / cover letter

Do you assume most companies have microsoft word and write your resume in that?

Do you post any highlights in the body of the email that might intice HR to open up your resume?

Do you avoid an attachment and post your whole resume in the body of the email

 

File compression

Do you compress your files?

If so - what format? .zip, .rar? ... etc

Should you compress files together in a folder with your name? Or do you compress them seperatly... IE cover letter/resume and then sample work

 

I appreciate any insight anyone has into this

[MrWhoey]

I was just wondering what most people consider acceptable formats for sending your resume through email.  More specificly...

 

How to include the resume / cover letter

Do you assume most companies have microsoft word and write your resume in that?

Do you post any highlights in the body of the email that might intice HR to open up your resume?

Do you avoid an attachment and post your whole resume in the body of the email

 

File compression

Do you compress your files?

If so - what format?  .zip, .rar? ... etc

Should you compress files together in a folder with your name?  Or do you compress them seperatly... IE cover letter/resume and then sample work

 

I appreciate any insight anyone has into this

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This was awhile ago, but I'll answer it anways since it never got one.

 

If sending in a resume via email, DO NOT compress it (unless it is requested because non-compression causes server conflicts). It creates more of a hassle for the person reading it. Think about having to read 200 compressed resume's

 

When you save your resume for emailing, be sure to save it in Rich Text Format (*.rtf). This is the most compatible format between different text processors.

 

I would say include the coversheet, but in a seperate .rtf so that they have the option to view it or skip it. You have to remember you're not trying to capture their attention as much since they have to open each one to see what it looks like anyways. (I could be wrong here)

 

Also, I highly suggest creating a resume website that includes pretty much (maybe easier to read, little smoother flowing, "prettier"). Include this link in the email that you send as well as in the resume itself. This creates a failsafe for if your resume becomes corrupted in transit or they don't have the correct software to open the file.

 

 

Anyone have anything else to add? Hope this helps.

[wizard341]

Yup it sure does! Thanks a bunch

[The Guildmaster]

MrWhoey had some really great points. What I prefer when scanning the jobs board here at Obsidian is a very simple e-mail with two .RTF or .DOC attachments: One being a cover letter, and the other being the resume. Having a link to a resume website in your e-mail body is really great too, especially if there is sample material available for download for us to check out.

 

Some other tips:

 

1) Read through your cover letter and resume before sending it. We've had some people apply to us with different company names in their cover letters - needless to say, they didn't get hired.

 

2) Spell check, grammar check, and be sure you're using proper punctuation and capitalization.

 

3) Keep your cover letter and resumes fairly brief. Cover letter should be one page at most, resume one page if possible, two at most. Also, please include 2-3 references. Having to request them takes time and employers may forget about you. Also, make sure your references know they may be called. Nothing like catching a reference offguard, it can make things go poorly.

 

4) Make sure the subject of your e-mail is useful. Keep it brief, but try to include the position you're applying for and your name. Good example: "Game Programmer Application - " Bad Examples, "Application", "Resume", "][ w4nt 4 j0b!@", "..."

 

5) Stay professional - Even if you really, really want to work someplace, it's best not to come on strong with how great the company is and/or how much you really want to work there - It can easily frighten away your prospective employer.

 

6) Be Patient - You may not hear back from the company for some time (even months in some cases...). Businesses have lots of deadlines, tons of stress, and sometimes employers can focus little time to browsing through resumes. Hang in there, though.

 

7) Try to Have Sample Work Easily Available - If at all possible, try to demonstrate some of your talent, whether it be a movie file someone can download, or a .zip file containing sample work. Including a link to a website that contains this content is great.

 

Hope that helps, and good luck on your job hunting!