Get A Job HQ

Since scanning equipment may differ from company to company, it’s best to err on the conservative side when choosing fonts that will be easily read by the software.

Therefore, avoid all “designer” fonts that are difficult for a human being to read. If anything, the scanning software will have even more difficulty.

It’s best to stick with classic fonts like Arial, which is san serif, or Times New Roman, a popular serif font. Other good choices are Garamond, Bookman, Courier New, and Century Schoolbook.
Font size

Don’t make the software work extra hard to read all the characters in your resume, as this may lead to mistakes and missed keywords. It’s best to use a font size between 9 and 12, depending upon the font.

Physical/Email Address

In addition to your street address, including your city, state and zip, it’s important to include an email address. With today’s technology, a hiring manager most often contacts successful candidates by phone or by email.

Because of the importance of email correspondence in a job search, it’s wise to choose an email address that is businesslike in tone, rather that one that reflects a special interest or a nickname.

For example, the following would be considered inappropriate:

sexylady@net.net

savethewhales@net.net

pinballchamp@net.net

overthehillgal@net.net

Another important piece of advice is to avoid using work-related email addresses. Hiring managers are rarely interested in interviewing someone who is using their current employer’s time or email system to look for another job.

The key is: Always be professional

Phone Numbers

It’s sometimes wise to include a cell phone number along with your home phone number, especially if that’s your easiest point of contact. However, be certain of the quality of your cell phone and service provider before offering the number. Nothing is more frustrating to a hiring manager than to conduct a cell phone conversation through static and breaks in conversation due to poor technology.

In modern resumes, fax numbers are rarely provided. Most hiring managers will not fax an interview request to prospective candidates.
Never include current work phone numbers in your scannable resume. Hiring managers think poorly of candidates who use a current employer’s time to search for new opportunities.

It’s always wise to put your name on each page of your scannable resume. Why? If one of the pages of your three-page resume gets separated from the others, it will be nearly impossible for the administrative assistant handling it to know where it might belong. It’s best to avoid this situation by putting your name at the top of each page, along with a page number.