Apply for Posted Jobs

When responding to advertised jobs, the first thing to remember is this:

Always send the requested resume format. Never send a Web resume URL in lieu of requested format.
Here's one way to respond to an advertised job when an ASCII resume is requested:
  1. Paste ASCII cover letter into e-mail window
  2. Paste ASCII resume below cover letter
  3. Add a URL (live link to Web resume) to the cover letter.

Related Links:

 


O P T I M I Z E
Your Efforts!

Be sure to include an
ASCII download on your Web
resume. An easily accessible
download increases the
likelihood that your resume
will be captured for
database input.

The Right Keywords = Success

If you forward your resume to recruiters, there's a good chance it will be processed electronically – and categorized, archived, and eventually selected (or not) based on its keyword content. To ensure a high number of keyword matches, your resume must include job target-specific keywords. What every job seeker should know about keywords

Career Correspondence

During a non-confidential job search, you can promote your Web resume when communicating with networking contacts, responding to inquiries from employers, or forwarding your resume to recruiters.

  • Mail: Include your Web resume URL (if it's short) on the "letterhead" portion of your resume and cover letter.

  • Fax: Include your Web Resume URL (if it's short) on your fax cover sheet.

  • eMail: Add the URL to your e-mail signature line:

Jonathan Newton
www.careerfolio.com/jonnewton

  • Make it Live: Many e-mail programs allow you to add or create a live hyperlink from your e-mail to your Web resume. Ideally, this link is placed near the top of the cover letter (sample) so that your readers see it immediately.

Cover Letter Strategies

Cover Letters for the Wired Job Market
 ASCII cover letter templates, samples with hyperlinks, and strategies for keyword-loading. Includes examples of ASCII cover letters with links to Web resumes.

HOT TIP: Entice the reader! In your cover letter, briefly refer to "additional details" or "relevant projects" that are fleshed out in your Web resume. This is the reader's incentive. You don't want to overdo it, but your objective is to motivate the reader to read further. More cover letter tips

Direct Contact the Electronic Way

Using a combined-format strategy (ASCII with HTML link) is a great approach, because it satisfies employers' needs either way – and it provides additional exposure for your Web resume.

Obviously, when contacting employers directly, you are not limited to sending a particular format (check the company's Web site for format instructions), but it's always smart to include an ASCII version.

How to Promote a Web Resume with ASCII Cover Letter:

  1. Paste ASCII cover letter and ASCII resume into e-mail window. Add a notation about your Web resume, including linked URL, near the beginning of the cover letter.
  2. ASCII cover letter with URL to Web resume; URL placement near top, within text, and/or URL in P.S. at end of letter. Include an ASCII download on the Web resume.
  3. ASCII cover letter with URL / live link to Web resume; MS Word resume as attachment. Include an ASCII download on the Web resume.

Additional Information:
Cover Letters for the Wired Job Market


Get the Word Out!

If your Web resume's URL is short and easy-to-remember, be sure to mention it to networking contacts and recruiters. If your URL is complicated or too long, your marketing efforts will suffer the consequences.

Keyword Loading

Before launching any kind of personal marketing campaign, you need to make sure your resume is market-ready.

Since most resumes are processed electronically (based on their keyword content) your goal is to figure out what those keywords are and then build them into your resume. How to Research Your Job Target Keywords

Recruiters and employers use various kinds of applications and systems to find Web resumes, as most believe that they harbor the best "untapped" candidates. Regardless of the software or system, the strategy is the same:

Maximize Your Keywords = Maximize Your Results

Use a Search Agent

Sign up for a Personal Search Agent, keyword-matched jobs are delivered to you by e-mail. You should always respond to these jobs using the requested format. However, there's no reason you can't include a live link to your Web resume at the top of the cover letter.

ASCII Strategies

Anytime you use your ASCII resume (with the Web resume URL), you are promoting your Web resume. And because employers and recruiters search for both types (ASCII and HTML), job seekers should tap both markets. If you post your ASCII resume on the Net with a hyperlink to your Web resume, employers will not only find your ASCII resume, but can immediately access your eye-appealing Web resume.

Guard Your Privacy

If you have privacy concerns – or need to ensure that your job search is not discovered by your current employer – remove the identifiers from your resume and change the document name and title (Confidential Sample). Once you've taken these precautionary steps, you can actively market your resume.

Caution! A Web resume offers some level of privacy but unless it's hosted in a private non-searchable database, the search engine "spiders" will eventually find it and index it.