Tell Me About Scannable Resumes?

• Many employers today, especially some of the larger companies, are scanning resumes electronically, so you may need a scannable version of your resume.
• Scannable resumes are typically not much to look at, so if you know or believe that a company will be scanning your resume, send two versions (one scannable, one for human viewing), using a Post-It note to indicate the scannable version.
• Rules are somewhat different for scannable resumes. The scanners tend to look for keywords (Nouns), as opposed to the verbs you would use on a print resume so you will need to rewrite your current resume for scanning probably.
• There should be no italics, script, underlining, bullets, graphics, shading, multiple columns, vertical lines. Basically, no formatting whatsoever. Use a basic sans-serif font – Arial, Helvetica, etc.
• Use a high-quality printer and print on plain white paper.
• Many companies that request scannable resumes offer tips on how to format a resume for their scanners. Be sure to check out each specific company’s website to see if they have guidelines to follow.
• Here is a good web resource for scannable resumes - Quintessential Careers Scannable Resumes

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