E-resume stands for an electronic resume and is most commonly used to refer to a resume that is submitted via email. An e-resume is a crucial component to any successful job search. A job search that relies only on the use of a traditional, paper resume isn’t leveraging the advantages that a broad-based approach that includes e-resumes would bring. As a job seeker you must take advantage of e-resumes to maximize your chances of securing a job.

Today’s job search is vastly different from the days of combing the want ads, days of printing out your resume, and snail mailing it to the company. Now instead of waiting for the newspaper to check the classifieds you can search for a job 24/7 online. If you see a job you want to apply for you can have your resume submitted in less than a minute using an e-resume.

Just as the way we apply to jobs has changed, the way companies look for qualified candidates has changed as well. Thanks to the internet, a hiring manager can post an open job, receive your resume via email and be viewing your qualifications in an instant. This is why having an e-resume is essential to your job search.

If you are emailing your resume you will want to use a text version of your resume. A text version of your resume is not pretty to look at but it is easy for an employer to enter it into a database that will scan your resume for the specific qualities they are looking for. You should place your text resume directly into the body of your email. It’s more likely to be read if it’s right there in front of the reader when they open the email. As a backup you can send an attachment of your resume as a Word document or PDF with the same email.

Additionally, when you submit your resume through an online application process you may be asked to copy and paste your resume; be sure to copy and paste a text version of your resume when doing this to ensure that your resume is database friendly. Sending a text version of your resume allows an employer to enter your resume in a database; this database allows an employer to quickly pinpoint candidates that meet their specified requirements. Quite the time saver for hiring managers overwhelmed with responses to open positions.

To convert your resume to a text version follow the steps below:

1. Save your document as .txt
2. Any formatting will not transfer to a text version so you will have to do some cleaning up.
3. Limit your text resume to 60 spaces across.
4. Left justify all of your text, don’t try centering anything.
5. Get creative by using capital letters in place of bold, * or -> in place of bullets and =============== or ------------------------- to separate different sections.
6. Use the space bar instead of Tab to create indents.
7. Remove page numbers and headings.

Keep your text resume current so that you are ready to submit it at any time. Whenever you update your formatted resume, update your text resume as well.