by Matt Daly

Created on: February 16, 2007   Last Updated: October 02, 2010

Resumes often now get scanned. To ensure your resume has the best possible chance of being seen by a human being (if you can call a recruitment officer that) you need to ensure that you follow some basic principles when designing your resume.

Remember it may be scanned from paper in to a computer for cross checking, key word searches etc. Or it may be directly entered in to a database if you send your resume via email. Many recruitment companies and large organizations use these methods now to try and automatically pre-screen resumes to save time and dollars. This can seem frustrating, but can also be a gold mine opportunity for those who can make the system work effectively for them.

Tips to get your resume from the database and in to the hands / on to the computer screen of the recruitment officer in charge of arranging job interviews:

1. Print your resume on plain paper, much easier to scan cleanly and therefore be read easily.

2. Design your resume with the thought it may be read from a computer screen. Use clean fonts like Arial. (Times New Roman isn't the easiest to read on a screen.)

3. Read the advert / position description carefully for key skills / criteria they will be looking for. Make sure you include these key words in your resume.

4. Keep all formatting simple, left adjusted, one font, not too many different font sizes. Remember the information is key in this process, not how it looks. Take time to simply make it look clean and easy to read.

5. Include early on, a skills section which clearly and succinctly, in dot point fashion. states your key skills for the role. Elaborate on this further down in your employment history section (this will add more key words and more chance that your resume will pop up in a database search).

Obviously there are more little tips and tricks, but if you can try and get these five points right, you are well on your way to having your resume seen and therefore increase your opportunities towards gaining an interview and of course that desired job. Best of luck!

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