Unless you have applied for a position recently or are part of
the organization that receives applications, it can be hard to
keep up with the evolution of what is expected for on-line
applications and resume submission. So I seek feedback on
blog readers experiences in on-line applications.
Recently I received an email from a member:
“…a quick question. It has been my experience so far that many,
many companies use a specific from on the web for applicants.
…I spent … time perfecting my format and inserting hyperlinks to
my publications and linked in [profile]. I recently applied for a
position that gave the user the option of uploading a resume in
addition to filling out the online form. My feeling was that
uploading the resume, especially as a source of additional
information, couldn’t hurt. [Feedback from] the company was
that they did not appreciate the uploaded form of my resume.
Just stick to the online form…
Do you recommend not including my .pdf formatted resume
when an online submission form is available or do you think
this one is an aberration?…”
I first approached a number of my mentors on this question.
A. Dr. J. Shulman:
“…only for the company I was directly associated with…They
absolutely required that their online form be filled out
[completely] and would not consider anyone who did not fill
out the form. As for uploading a resume, that would be
encouraged as a .pdf; the links contained in a resume would
be superfluous. The 2- or 3-pages of resume should stand on
their own. The applicant should assume that anything in the
resume that demands additional work by anyone involved in
the hiring process very well might not be well received…
The only companies that might look positively on a resume
containing links could be the very technology-oriented companies,
like Google or Facebook.”
The following agreed with Joel, saying additionally:
B. Dr. J. Jolson:
“…he seems to be confident in his programming skills. Because the job
market for PhD chemists could be better, and the job market for computer
scientists is excellent, he may want to consider positions that require
programming skills in addition to jobs that just require a knowledge of
chemistry.”
C. Dr. L Kirschenbaum:
“Emphasize the ‘rules’. Keep it short. If I see something worthwhile
in 20 seconds, I’ll spend a few minutes on it and send it along. But
I am certainly not going to follow the links. More in this instance is
not better and may backfire.”
D. my 2 cents:
“- you need to use select keywords in your resume, since firms use
Applicant Tracking Systems to sort resumes…
- place links for documentation of previous performance into your
Linkedin.com profile
- resumes submitted online are short and targeted for known positions
- there is a security concern when hyperlinks are in attachments
- consider including a cover letter in the file
I wish to thank my dedicated professional colleagues who
selflessly shared their perspectives. All highly valued.
December 18th, 2012 at 9:47 am
How do you convert a Word document to .pdf?
www.freepdfconvert.com .
December 18th, 2012 at 9:49 am
Please do not use “I, my, or our” in the resume.
In limited fashion they can be used in your cover
letter.
Be watchful of beginning a paragraph with “I”.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:02 am
The oft used phrases of the kind of candidate you
are– results oriented, excellent communication
skills, self-motivated, goal-driven, etc are
“FEATURES WITHOUT BENEFITS” as termed
in marketing.
Beware of using them.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:05 am
Knock-outs for applications:
- spouse as a reference
- abbreviations for names of schools or employers
- skipping the location of an employer
- skipping the area code in a telephone number or a
bad phone number (check it out in advance)
- using only the first name of a reference
December 18th, 2012 at 10:07 am
While many places will insist on uploading your resume
online, it can be advantageous to send your resume to a
specific person who is willing to accept it.