Tips for Maximizing Your Résumé’s "Readability"

Include Pertinent Information:

• Place your name at the top of the page, on a line of its own. Your name can also be the first text on additional pages.
• Use standard address format below your name.
• List each telephone number on its own line.
• Use common headings such as: Work Experience, Education, Skills, Summary of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Additional Information, Professional Affiliations, and Certifications.
• Use more than one page if necessary. The computer can easily handle multiple-page résumés, and it uses all of the information it extracts to determine if your skills match available positions.
• Omit information regarding: hobbies, Social Security number, health, citizenship, age, race, religion, or marital status.
• Please do not include thesis, dissertations, research papers, or lists of publications.

Be Specific:

• Use enough key words to define your skills, experience, education, and professional affiliations.
• Describe your experience using concrete words, rather than vague descriptions (e.g., "managed a team of Software Engineers" rather than "responsible for managing and training").
• Use jargon and acronyms specific to your function/industry (e.g., Proof Machine, Consumer Lending, Bankcard Application, CPA, COBOL, JAVA, etc.).
• Increase your list of key words by including specifics (e.g., list software applications such as Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, etc.).

If you prefer to fax or mail your résumé, please consider these tips for Formatting the Ideal "Scannable" Résumé for Faxing or Mailing.

• Provide the cleanest original possible.
• Use white or light colored 8-1/2 x 11 paper, printed on one side only.
• Provide a laser printed original, if possible. A typewritten original or a high-quality photocopy is acceptable. Avoid dot-matrix printouts and poor quality copies.
• Do not fold or staple.
• Use standard typefaces such as Arial, Futura, Optima, Univers, Times, New Roman, Palatino, Aquiline Book and Courier, with a font size of 10 to 14 point. (Avoid Times 10 point.)
• Use boldface and/or all capital letters for section headings, as long as letters don’t touch each other.
• Avoid drawing vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, and boxes. Use standard margins
• Avoid fancy treatments such as italics, underlines, shadows and reverses (white letters on black background). Avoid two-column format or résumés that look like newspapers or newsletters.
• Avoid dark, multi-colored, or textured paper.

Additional Tips:

• When faxing your résumé, set the fax to "fine mode" to ensure that we get the best-quality copy of your résumé possible.
• Please include the job code ENETFSB & Job Number on the cover letter or résumé. Also, please tell us where you viewed our job listing.