In this high tech Twenty-First Century it's not uncommon for a job seeker to unexpectedly misapply or misunderstand some aspect of their own resume. After all, resumes advanced from the basic one page outline of a person's work history, till now they can arrive in one of a hundred different key-character font styles, with fancy backgrounds, customized digital stationary, even with full facial photographs; or in one of dozens of various file formats. Enough variation to create a sense of some minor confusion for an eager job seeker who doesn't pay attention.

This article addresses four key areas of resume focus:

anti virus
use of snail mail
resume url & resume file format match
use of "Objective" in modern resume and Cover Letter usage

It is important that you keep your computer virus protection up to date. Many anti-virus software packages include email scan functionality. Make sure yours is turned on. If you are not sure, consult the product documentation that came with your anti-virus software. If you dont have anti-virus software, get some. Many email anti-virus software firms offer excellent packages. Several good products even offer their products free with automatic virus definition upgrades. It will never help your chances of getting hired if you send a computer virus into the company where you want to work. Such viruses, if they exist in your PC, can get hooked into innocent documents and thusly become transferred from and tracked directly back to your resume. Protect your email from viruses. Its considered good manners and will help you get hired faster.

Current conventional wisdom has it that we are in an employers market -- which means that the employer has the upper hand. With nearly one hundred qualified applicants for every position, there is some real truth to this view. So, when you respond to a job posting that requests a rsum via standard post, print out your rsum and cover letter, fold them up, put them in an envelope, address it, put a stamp on it, and put it in a mailbox. Do not try to be creative. Dont follow up by sending a digital version via email unless requested. Sometimes the modern way is to do things the old fashioned way.

Similarly, when instructed to submit a rsum digitally, do not submit the URL (web page location) for a web page that contains your rsum. Submit an actual digital version of your rsum instead. Even seemingly insignificant departures from instructions that employers post for submission of your credentials can be cause enough for your removal from the process. Follow resume submission rules. The appropriate way to distinguish you from others -- is to communicate clearly and follow their rules. Show yourself as the ideal choice for this position by not bending the rules to your own advantage.

Some new considerations In the past, there has been some dispute over the effectiveness of having an OBJECTIVE statement at the top of ones rsum. Some felt the Cover Letter was the place to present that information. In light of the fact that nowadays a job seekers resume will be included in one or more prospective employers candidate database, the OBJECTIVE statement now becomes the spot on the rsum where you indicate the position you prefer or other pertinent information that often would only appear in a Cover Letter. The idea is, that most candidate databases dont include a candidates Cover Letter, only the resume.

By including a brief entry in the OBJECTIVE area, a candidate can be certain anyone reading their resume will also know the candidates employment preferences. The days when you might have been able to mail a rsum in to a personnel manager, and he or she might look it over for you, and see if they have any openings that might fit your talents and experience, are almost gone for good. In such an environment as we have now, much less personal, following proven strategies of netiquette can make your resume stands out from the others, for a start. By customizing your resume to carry your important career skills and accomplishments, and also to present some basic aspects of your career preferences, you send a polite message to every hiring agent who may find you in that candidate database, that you are capable and focused.

There is a good argument that an online job search does not require a resume COVER LETTER. In the digital realm, a cover letter adds an extra attachment, extra time for the processors, something unexpected that someone will have to deal with. In the case of submitting your rsum via the web, a cover letter is nearly superfluous, unless it contains crucial information not easily written into your rsum, such as physical handicaps or other special or extenuating circumstances. In which case, your cover letter should be short and to the point. Do not use the cover letter to market yourself to the company, or you run the risk someone thinks you are trying to manipulate their system.

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

Mark Baber
http://www.mcbaber.com