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Regarding unsolicited resumes and web-based resume services:
Last year when we were recruiting for a position our HR department posted
the add on some of the on-line resume services, in addition to advertising
in the local newspapers.
We received an enormous number of resumes from the resume services, based on
matching keywords. Because we supplied a lengthily job description--and
because a single-word match was enough to trigger a reply--a large number of
these resumes were from people who were not even looking for a technical
writing position. We also received a large number of resumes from distant
states and foreign countries.
After HR went through the laborious job of filtering out the resumes that
clearly didn't apply, I did take the time to read some of these resumes. The
resumes from these web sites were very difficult to read. I suspect that the
applicant completed an on-line form or submitted the resume in ASCII format.
What we received was very poorly formatted ASCII text, made even worse by
the way lines were broken and rearranged by the email software.
I am personally much more interested in what people have to say than in how
they format their resume, so I did carefully consider some of these resumes.
Nonetheless they were a chore to read and I doubt whether most people would
take the trouble.
Personally I find the internet to be a great resource for locating
positions. However I would not subscribe to a web-based service that
automatically blasts my resume all over the world, especially after seeing
first-hand how difficult these resumes are to qualify and read.
Martin R. Smith
Manager, Technical Writing
Encorp Inc.
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