Why Formatting Your Resume for Technology is Crucial

As you know, conducting a successful job search is an ever-evolving process. In the past, you needed to make sure you rounded up plenty of newspapers, found some good resume paper and had plenty of stamps and envelopes in order to apply for jobs. Then as technology changed, the process of applying for jobs changed too. As a result, much of the process was eliminated (newspapers, stamps, envelopes, resume paper) and new requirements replaced the old.

Now, it’s important to not only be technologically savvy, but also know how to maximize the submission process to make sure you’re being recognized. One way is by formatting your resume for email and mobile devices.

Technology Rules In Today’s Job Search
As mentioned previously, technology is king in today’s job search. Managers and recruiters are either asking for you to submit job applications through websites or job boards, or they’re asking you to send a resume directly to their email address to be checked via a computer or mobile device.

Because the rules of the digital world are so different from the paper world, it’s important to make sure that formatting your resume is geared toward easy reading on a computer screen or small mobile device’s screen. Also, it should accommodate a short attention span. Here are a couple of ways to do this…

Create White Space and Prepare for Text-Based Submissions
Because you’re making submissions primarily via the Internet nowadays, and screens - especially those found on small mobile devices - can be more challenging to read than the standard piece of paper, it’s important to make sure that your resume has plenty of white space. This can be accomplished by using more than one font size and type to help direct the eyes to various parts of your resume. Also, you can use bullet points and bold letters to create the same effect.

In addition to creating white space on your resume, it’s good to get used to creating a functional, text-based resume that can accommodate mobile devices. Sometimes the formatting of a resume created in a word processing program can get a little funky, especially if the device automatically converts documents into a text format. By taking those steps yourself, you can ensure that your resume is always easy to read, no matter what device happens to pick it up.

Make the Top Third of Your Resume the Best
One formatting recommendation that many job seekers don’t consider is making sure that the top third of their resume contains the best, most eye-catching information. There are two reasons to take this route when creating your resume. The first is that those who read your resume may have a difficult time viewing the entire resume depending on the device they’re using and can only see the top part. However, if someone can see the entire thing, they’re attention span may simply not be that great. For both reasons, it’s good to place your highlights at the top.

Technology has managed to change the landscape of our society, so it’s no surprise that the job search realm eventually followed. Now it’s up to you to make sure you keep up with these changes to increase your chances of a successful job search.