APPLYING ONLINE: 5 POINTS FOR RESUME SUBMISSION
by Darrell W. Gurney, CPC, JCTC, RScP
A Permanent Success National Career Coaching & Search Partners

1. Include your resume both in the body of the e-mail (never snail mail) as well as in an attached Word file. Some career experts advise not including an attachment due to virus scares, but I disagree. An interested recruiter will want a nice hard copy of your resume to present to hiring companies. If you’re sending directly to a company, a professionally formatted version of your information always looks better on a hiring manager’s desk. Since most organizations utilize anti-virus software these days, the attachment is not a threat. Plus, if your resume is in the body of the e-mail as well, they can choose, based upon interest, whether or not to open the attachment.
   
   
2. State the title and location of the position for which you are applying. Recruiters and companies posting positions to various online job boards are often assigned a listing ID#, to which they pay no attention. When you apply for “Position ID# 1234567,” they have no idea which opening you refer to. So, state exactly where you saw the position listed as well as the title and location to help them focus more quickly on evaluating your qualifications for the job. If you’re just sending in for any applicable positions, say so, instead of mentioning any particular position you saw.
   
   
3. Always include every bit of personal contact information in your cover letter and resume, including both cell phone and private e-mail address (as opposed to corporate). Not only are all avenues then made available for immediate contact, but you stand a greater chance of having at least one avenue still "alive" when the recruiter tries to call you again a year later when another appropriate opportunity arises. Be smart and keep all your "career partners" updated whenever you move (homes, employers, etc.), but in case you forget, they’ll have an easier time tracking you down with more contact info.
   
   If you have submitted to a recruiter once, you might as well update your file continually, keeping it "live" in their system for other opportunities that might interest you down the road. You won’t move unless it’s right for you, but it never hurts to know what’s going on in your field.
   
   
4. Include basic cover letter information in the body of the e-mail such as positions and industries desired (for general openings submissions), preferred locations, and salary history. Drop the salary info for letters going directly to companies, but definitely include it when sending to recruiters.
   
   
5. Sounds silly, but e-mail yourself first so you can "see" what you’re sending out. Make sure your e-mail text flows smoothly and all attachments are indeed attached and downloadable.