Scannable Resume, What and Why?

One resume is difficult enough to perfect. But now most career counselors recommend that you create two. Why the extra hassle?

In addition to the traditional resume with its bullets, bold headings and varying font sizes, more and more companies now either ask for scannable resumes or opt to scan traditional paper resumes into their databases. So, if you are applying to a medium- to large-sized organization, ask the recruiter if they would like both a scannable and traditional resume.

Since human resource departments want to make the job of managing applications easier, many have installed electronic resume tracking systems. The company scans your paper resume into its database, where it resides as pure text. Then, when a job opening comes up, the company can do a keyword search for the skills and experience it needs in a candidate.

So how does a scannable resume differ from a traditional resume? Mainly, a scannable resume should be as plain as possible. We know -- you just spent hours coming up with the right bullet style and squeezing all the text perfectly onto one page -- but for the scannable resume that kind of formatting just isn't necessary.

Here are a few tips for increasing the chances that your resume will catch the recruiter's (and the computer's) eye:

Nouns over verbs: You've probably been told to use as many action verbs as possible in your resume, but for scannability, it's the nouns that count. Remember, you are basically putting together a list of keywords.

Know the language: Put yourself inside the heads of the people conducting the search. They're going to use industry buzzwords and professional jargon. So should you. These phrases can often be found in job postings in your field.

Keep it clean: No lines, no columns, no tabs, no bullets, no graphics, no italics -- nada!

No weird fonts: Always use a standard 12-point font throughout the document. If possible, use a sans serif style, like Helvetica, Geneva, or Universe.

Crisper is better: Do not fold, staple, or in any other way mangle your resume if you are mailing it in. Print on the whitest of white papers -- fancy backgrounds and colors will screw up the text when it's scanned.

Laser legible: Use a laser-jet printer. Do not print by hand or in cursive.

Take up space: Put your personal info -- address, phone numbers, etc.-- on separate lines. If you have to use more than one page, do it. You don't need to write a book, but it may be tough to cram everything onto the same page after you change the fonts and spacing.

Don't get lost: Put your name at the top of every page.

The white space is your friend: While the scannable resume may sound like the most boring document in the world, you don't need to throw all the aesthetics out the window. Use capital letters instead of bold letters for headers, and be smart with your use of white space.

Remember, some poor people are going to be searching through a ton of these things. It's your job to make their job that much easier.