What are the “rule” for submitting a resume?

Can you settle a bet? My wife and I are arguing over a job search technique. My wife says that there is a “rule” for sending a resume in response to a job post. I think they should be PDF. She says that they should be in word format. Can you settle a bet? The quiet of my home is at stake.

A: Years ago, a resume was submitted via snail mail or even a fax!  Today most resumes are sent via email. Email is best, as hard copies are difficult to share and often require that the recipient scan them. I have some guidelines on how to submit resumes:

1. Make sure that you are sending your resume in a format that is “openable” by the receiver. Sometimes I receive resumes that cannot be opened or read. This is unfortunate. Sometimes I will email the job seeker and request that the resume be re-sent. But sometimes I do not, especially if I have received many resumes from candidates who may be of interest.

• Follow directions.  This is a !! for me.  If the posting asks you to submit an email to a specific address, do that!  If a posting asks you to submit it via LinkedIn, do that!  

• Ensure you send it to the correct email address if emailing your resume.

• Name your resume appropriately. Avoid names like resume2024.doc, resume.pdf or executiveadminrole.doc. Instead consider PatriciaHSinacole.pdf or PatriciaHSinacole.doc. Why does it matter? When I am searching for a resume, I usually know the candidate’s name. A title of resume2024 is not helpful for searching purposes.  Additionally avoid names like Sinacolesalesresume.doc. It makes it sound like you are not really a salesperson but instead you are using just one version of your resume and crafting your resume to suit the sales role. However, having different versions of your resume is ok! When you use names which scream that you have edited it, then it feels like you are not a focused candidate, and only have marginal interest in the role. If you have different versions, use different titles for different versions. You might use PatriciaHSinacole.pdf for your primary resume, but another version might be PatriciaSinacole2024.doc. Additionally, don’t use an email address that is salacious or inappropriate.  By that I mean [email protected] or or [email protected]. 

• When possible, try to email your resume to a person rather than a generic [email protected]. The value of networking is important. If you know an employee within the company, that employee will often forward it to the appropriate contact. I always pay more attention to personal referrals rather than responses to an online posting.

• Consider this option: write your cover letter in the body of the email and attach a copy of your resume. This eliminates the need to click on two attachments (on the receiving end).

• Make sure that your email and your resume have your correct contact information. It is smart to add an email signature line with your contact information. I have called candidates only to find out that they have provided the wrong phone number on their resume and/or within their email.

• Spelling and grammar can be a differentiator. Understand that and make sure that your correspondence is crisp, well-written and easy to read.

• Now the big question. PDF or not? I like the PDF version because its “freezes” the format. I think all of us have had the challenge of opening a document, when it is in Word, and the formatting is askew. I am cheering for the PDF side!

When you email a resume to another individual, you are often connecting to that person for the first time. First impressions count. It is important to understand that, even via email, you are sending a message about who you are as a candidate.

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