Crib notes on how to produce a scannable resume.

1. THE SCANNABLE RESUME
How to Beat a Resume Parsing System

2. RÉSUMÉS

3. CHANGES TO THE JOB
APPLICATION PROCESS
 Internet boom inspires HR to use internet
attachments for résumés
 Software was created to help HR and Recruiters
sort through the résumés

4. INTRODUCING THE PARSER
Parser:
 A résumé computer program that removes
styling (bullets, lines, shading, borders, ect.) in
order to break down text on submitted résumés
for relevant information.
 AKA Applicant Tracking System

5. HOW DOES THE PARSER READ MY
RÉSUMÉ?
 The parser assigns values to the contents
of your résumé
 Examples of Categories
 Education-Where you went to school.
 Contact Info.-Are you local?
 Skills- What skills on your résumé are
relevant to the position?
 Work Experience- Does the résumé have the
work experience needed for the job?

6. HOW DOES HR USE THIS INFO.?
 HR personnel uses the information from the
parser to scan candidates with relevant skills
and work experience
 They do a “Google Search” with the parser to
“keyword search” your résumé

7. WHAT’S A “RÉSUMÉ KEYWORD?”
 Keywords are specific words or phrases that job
seekers use to search for jobs and employers use
to find the right candidates.
 Every industry and job posting has phrases,
technology, or certifications specifications.
 Ex. Project Manager, PMP Certificate

8. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
 Your résumé will be scored on its relevancy to
the position
 Relevancy is defined as:
Matching of employer search terms and your
résumé
 If you don’t have the relevant keywords, your
résumé won’t be read by HR

9. HOW TO WRITE A SCANNABLE
RESUME
 Know Your Fonts
 Spacing, Spacing, Spacing
 Contact Information
 Summary of Qualifications/Keywords
 Education & Experience

10. FONTS AND CHARACTERS
Just Say No To:
 Bold, Italicizing, Script, Shading, Graphics,
Shading
Borders & Underlining
 Replace bullets with *(asterisks) or –(hyphens)
 Avoid Slashes
Ex. Design/develop

11. FONTS AND CHARACTERS
 Use 10 – 14 point font
Use Helvetica, Times New Roman, Arial, or
Palatino
Don’t compress lines between characters
Don’tput lines around area codes, use
periods
Ex. 555.555.555

12. LINES AND SETTINGS
 Put a line of space between job descriptions
 Don’t use horizontal or vertical lines.
 Don’t use tables, complex layouts, or columns

13. PERSONAL INFO &
SECTION HEADINGS
 Your name should be the first line of your
résumé on top of the page.
 Ifyour resume has two pages, put your
name and Page Two on the second page.
 Each line of your address should be on a
separate line.
 Category Headings should be listed with
capital letters
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE

14. KEYWORDS AND PLACEMENT
 The keyword section should be on page one to
earn a higher ranking
 Place keywords in the Summary section of your
résumé
 This is a noun-intensive description of your
experience and skills.
Example keywords: manager, managing,
management, BS Computer Science, mainframes,
programming, programmer.
 Use them to describe actions from your job.
Ex. Instructor for Java Script course

15. WHERE TO FIND KEYWORDS
Keyword Sources:
Resume Specific Keywords
http://resumekeywords.org/industry-specific-
resume-keywords/
ONET : http://www.onetonline.org/
Google: www.google.com

16. SAMPLE KEYWORD SUMMARY

17. EXPERIENCE
 Focus on accomplishments that relate to your
goal.
 Don’t list job responsibilities.
 Quantify your results.
Example:
Increased revenues from $300,000 in 2008 to $3.5
million in 2012.

18. EDUCATION-DON’T FORGET TO
LIST…
 Institution type
 Education/degree
 % Marks (GPA Above 3.7)
 Year of passing
 Certifications
 College Name
 College Address
 Highest education
 Languages
 Software Skills (Oracle, Windows)
 Certifications

19. HOW TO CHECK YOUR SCORE
 RezScore is a free parsing site Upload your
resume to find your score.
http://rezscore.com/
*HR likes to see a score of 80% or higher or a “B”
on this rating system

20. COMPARE TO JOB DESCRIPTION
 Compare your resume to a job description here:
Resunate: The Only Smart Online Resume Builder

21. FINAL NOTES
 Smallercompanies don’t use parsers, so
send them a formatted résumé
 Not sure an employer wants a scannable
or formatted résumé?
*Send both and add words “Scannable
Résumé at the bottom
 Useformatted résumés for interviews and
Job Fairs

22. QUESTIONS

23. RESOURCES
 Boston College Career Center
 Carnegie Library Career Center
 Resume Keywords
 ONET
 Resunate
 RezScore