I’ve been looking for jobs recently, and up until now I’ve been submitting my resume exclusively via email. But that hasn’t gotten me a postion yet, so I think I’m going to start sending in physical resumes, either instead of or in additon to the electronic ones.
I have 2 questions about submitting my resume.
I have it printed out on nice resume paper. Now, how do I send it in? Is it alright to fold it like a regular letter and put in a normal envelope? Or, am I supposed to get bigger enevelope so I can mail it without folding?
Am I supposed to print out the cover letter on the same thicker resume paper as well, or should the cover letter be on regular paper?
Oh, and because I’m horribly anal about these things myself, let me pass along the following letter-folding and envelope-stuffing suggestions:[ul][]Lay the sheet(s) to be folded in front of you, right side up, oriented as you would to read them.[]Fold the bottom third up to just belowthe imaginary line separating the top third from the middle third.[]Fold the top third down so that it nearly but not quite meets the first fold. []Insert the folded sheet(s) into the envelope so that the second fold points up and the loose edge is against the front side of the envelope (the side that gets addressed) and points down.[/ul]
[QUOTE] Originally posted by KneadToKnow *
**Oh, and because I’m horribly anal about these things myself, let me pass along the following letter-folding and envelope-stuffing suggestions:[ul][li]Lay the sheet(s) to be folded in front of you, right side up, oriented as you would to read them.[]Fold the bottom third up to just belowthe imaginary line separating the top third from the middle third.[]Fold the top third down so that it nearly but not quite meets the first fold. []Insert the folded sheet(s) into the envelope so that the second fold points up and the loose edge is against the front side of the envelope (the side that gets addressed) and points down.[/ul] **[/li][/QUOTE]
Whoa! That really is anal. What’s the reason for all this?
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=153927
The functional resume is definitely the way to go and I’ve seen a surge in them within the past five years. Used to be, a functional resume (FR) was a tip-off of a spotty work history. No more. These days, the FR often gives a competitive advantage, and is common among senior executives and high-techies, as well as those with complex/different skill sets.
Think about it: a resume is an advertisement of your skill sets. As most hiring officials quickly scan resumes, you must grab their attention fast–and this is the strength of the FR format and the corresponding weakness of the chronological format. The FR is optimized for rapid scanning, it’s super-organized (dividing skill sets into neat subject headings), more intuitive, and can be made visually pleasing.
Perhaps the best solution is the “hybrid resume.” Start with the functional format, and include a brief work chronology at the bottom. That should satisfy even old-school HR types.
[snip…]
Again, the purpose of the FR–or any resume–is to quickly sell yourself to the hiring official/HR screener. Shoehorning your skills into a general category does nothing to help you. Instead, consider a well-organized and visually inviting skill-set heading named “achievements” with the following indented subheads: sales experience, project management skills, communication skills, budgeting, HR-related, managerial/administrative, computer skills, etc.
Using a few bulleted items below each subcategory, focus on achievements, not responsibilities. Additional sections below this achievements section might include “expertise,” “education,” “key words,” “awards,” and the all-important “chronology.”
I cannot comment on the business world way of doing things, but, in medicine, folding your resume is unusual at best and bad form at worst. I have received hundreds, maybe over a thousand, of resumes in my time and can’t recall a single one being folded.
Although it’s less relevant in this era of electronic transmittal, folding your resume will make it harder to photocopy (the paper may get jammed). There may be also be a “fold shadow” on the copies.
And, you can call me anal, but there’s no way a folded resume looks as neat and professional as one sent in a full sized business envelope.
In any case, why would you not opt to buy an extra stamp and appropriately sized envelope? Is there a possible gain to be had by folding? As stated, I think there’s a possible liability.
It makes the folded paper(s) easy to remove from the envelope by providing a little “catch” where the fingers go in to pull it out. Granted, this assumes that the opener opens the envelope correctly: with the seal side facing him/her, slicing the seal fold along its length.
Well, okay, that’s a rationalization, not a reason. The reason is: anal don’t need a reason.
And I defer to KarlGauss on the proprieties of the medical world. My experience with business correspondence is limited to just that, business correspondence. My advice is based on my belief that a resume arriving in a 9x12 envelope will look like you’re trying to say “hey, look at me!” in the same one written in purple ink on lexan would.
In medicine, however - as in various other scientific/research fields - one doesn’t tend to have the common 1-2 page resume, but a multi-page CV (curriculum vitae) that would look sloppy if folded. In that case, folding is out of the question.
The first boss I had at my previous job, a pediatrics office, had been in practice for 40+ years when he retired. His CV was over 30 pages long, listing all of the publications he’d done and so forth.
The answer may depend on what industry and what kind of companies you are applying to.
First, the reason you are not getting responses may have to do with the job market in your area, how your resume is written, a cover letter if you include one, etc. It may have nothing to do with electronic vs. paper. You may want to spend a few bucks to have a pro review and revise your resume.
Second, I have been a manager for 15 years at medium to large companies (300-45,000 employees). HR receives the resumes and photocopies them to distribute to managers. Many “experts” suggest using high-grade paper but I would say that it is a waste of money. The one you want to impress rarely gets an original resume. The content is far more important than the paper.
I will never forget the time I got a resume for a “softwear engineer” (and I don’t mean a clothing designer). Hard to take that seriously.
I have also seen resumes that are just a stream of keywords without telling me what the person has actually achieved.
I won’t go on since the Web is full of sites offering advice on this stuff. Check out some of the career search sites and see if you can find some free advice.
As far as the field I’m applying for jobs in, they are pretty much in the business field more or less. My degree is in MIS, so I’ve been looking at a lot of IT jobs, but am also looking at postions that are outside of the specific IT area and more general business.
Yeah, the minimal extra cost or extra time put into mailing the bigger envelope isn’t my concern. My only concern is submitting something that will look professional or be done “the right way”.
When I was getting my bachelor’s in Accountancy, we were instructed to NEVER fold a resume. I think it had something to do with the professionalism of it all.
Of course, it was also beaten into our heads that it was bad form to wear anything other than a navy blue or black suit to an interview. So it may just be the anal accounting types I was schooled by.
But if I were mailing out resumes, even now, almost 10 years later, I’d get big envelopes and send them out unfolded. Call me skittish.
