Resume Scanning: was Tech writer who can't write a resume

[Bob Morrisette <Robert -dot- Morrisette -at- EBAY -dot- SUN -dot- COM>]

>From TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu Thu Dec  7 20:39 PST 1995
>Date:         Thu, 7 Dec 1995 13:29:33 -0800
>From: "Marvin W. Miller" <Marvin_Miller -at- SEC -dot- SEL -dot- SONY -dot- COM>
>Subject:      Re: Tech writer who can't write a resume
>Comments: To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L
          <TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu>
>To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L <TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu>

>--part_ACEC9CBD00581FC700000004
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>In the Great Land of Oz, a.k.a. the Silicon Valley, it is not uncommon for
>companies to scan in all resumes and eliminate those without words pertaining
>to the job description ("buzzwords"). Some cold-hearted piece of silicon and
>plastic performs this task!

>To be certain your resume is at least glanced at by a human, you must place
>these buzzwords in your resume. For example, if the job description includes
>web page authoring, you would want to make sure the acronyms HTML and WWW
>appear somewhere.

>I include most of my buzzwords in a Software Expertise section so I don't have
>to rewrite the current job description each time. I saw one with a section
>tagged on the end called "Scanner Topics."

>BTW, we don't use a resume scanner here. Still have the human touch. :-)

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Resume scanning is not limited to Silicon Valley; it is common
throughout the US. The scanning companies claim that 3/4 of
Fortune 500 companies use scanning in one division or another.
Scanning "experts" recommend:

Put a section called Key Word Summary just under your name and
address and include all the buzz words you can think of that
pertain to your situation. Resumes that do not contain enough
key words will not be seen by human eyes.

Resume length is not an issue.

Don't use a staple.

Use black type on white paper, 10 to 14 point.

If your employer uses scanning, you might have a better
chance at new job openings if your scanner resume is in
their skills inventory file.

Of course, use a regular resume for non-scanning eyes.

Bob Morrisette
writer -at- sabu -dot- EBay -dot- sun -dot- com