When you apply for a job at a larger firm, there's a high chance that your resume will be scanned by a filtering software for words related to certain job vacancies.
This kind of automation process will also reject your resume if it doesn't "meet traditional, business-dictated document formatting," writes Rick Gillis in his book "Job!: Learn How to Find Your Next Job In 1 Day."
Here are some formatting rules that Gillis says job seekers should follow to create a filtering software-friendly resume:
Do not place your contact information in the header of your resume, because filtering softwares can be set to ignore headers and footers so there is a risk this information will be deleted.
Choose a conservative font such as Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, or Calibri. Gillis says that serif fonts, such as Times Roman or Cambria may be rejected by screening software.
Do not use any script fonts.
The smallest font size to use for the body of your resume should be 11 point. "Any smaller and you're probably asking for trouble."
No graphics or logos.
Do not format using tables.
No borders.
A one-inch margin top and bottom is best.
- Do not use any lines that cross the entire page from margin to margin, because "some filters have been created that will reject a document for nothing more than having a single line run continuously across the page," he writes.
