How to Make a Resume for the Online World

A job seeker at Yahoo Answers posed a question about how to make a resume for the online world. Specifically, she wanted to know if should post her resume online at sites like Monster and Career Builder, or if she should  make it available by email through those sites.

Personally, I don’t think these job search sites are the best way to get a job, but there is nothing to lose by trying. Look at them as one more tool in your job search toolkit but don’t let them be the only tool you use.

However, you must understand that if you are currently employed, your employer could discover that you are job hunting if you post online.

If that’s not a deterrant, then I suggest posting your resume online rather than sending it by email. It’s not difficult to learn how to make a resume suitable for posting at these sites. In most cases, they will have an automatic HTML coder that does the technical work for you. If you know HTML yourself, so much the better.

 I see several limitations to choosing the email option to deliver your resume to interested employers. First, email often gets trapped in spam filters and is never seen by the recipient.  Secondly,  many people are so inundated with email at work that they become almost numb to the messages in their in box. Thirdly, HTML coding is often distorted in transit and what looks good on your computer is a scrambled mess when the recipient gets it. If you choose to learn how to make a resume using basic text, it is more likely to be delivered in one piece, but the challenge is formatting it so it is not too ugly.

Considering these cons to choosing the email format for delivering your resume, I believe the online version is preferable.

 Today’s job hunter has much to know about how to make a resume. Technology is a double edged sword. It allows us to reach potential employers that we might never have reached before, but the task of writing and delivering the resume is more complex than ever before.