Got your ASCII resume? If so, you’re almost ready to post that resume to the Web and transmit that resume vial email to whomever. But wait… you’ll need to fix the problems that accompany almost all plain text resume conversions. Here’s what to do, in a 5-point checklist.
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So you’ve written your resume and converted a copy to ASCII, the simple text format that allows any document to be read by practically any computer in the world. That’s good. Now you’re ready to post your resume onto online forms with corporations and job banks, and send that resume electronically via email in response to ads. Right? Well, just about.

The conversion to plain text is part one of two parts. Yes, your resume in its current ASCII form will be easily read by computer software scanning for keywords. But what happens when your resume succeeds in getting through the initial scan and ends up on the PC monitor of an actual human being? At that point, you don’t want your ASCII resume to be overly hard to read. After all, it’s a human who will call you in for the interview. In the interest of human eyes, here is a checklist of 5 points to go over before your first ASCII resume steps out onto the Web.

5 Things To Check to a Readable ASCII Resume

1- Adjust The Header. Unless your header (i.e., name and contact information) was centered and devoid of design instructions from the beginning, it was likely jumbled in the conversion to ASCII. Fix it by first placing everything on the left margin. Then allocate a single line for each bit of information: Name, Address, Phone Number, Email Address, and Web Address URL (if applicable).

2 – Correct The Spacing. Often times, an ASCI conversion results in a massive block of text where once there were paragraphs and sectional spacing. The fix is your “enter” key on your keyboard. Use it to insert a line space between paragraphs, and a double line space between category sections of your resume.

3 – Fix Bullet Points. In a perfect world, bullet points from your MS Word or WordPerfect resume should be transformed into asterisks during an ASCII conversion. We don’t live in a perfect world. Check those bullet points. If they’ve disappeared, or were turned into question marks, fix them by making them asterisks.

4 – Look For Other Anomalies. Beyond bullet points, look for other type characters that may have grown warts in the process. Candidates for conversion warts include the em dash (similar to an extended hyphen), diacritical marks (i.e., the accent mark above a letter), and other characters created by software and not found on the keyboard. To correct these anomalies, find the closest approximation that resides on your keyboard (if it appears on your keyboard, it’s ASCII supported).

5 – Tinker With Category Headings To Improve Readability. Seriously consider transforming your category headings (i.e. Summary, Education, Experience, etc.) in ALL CAPS to help distinguish the various sections of the resume. In addition, consider adding a series of marks either directly above or below the category headings, crafting either a full line or partial line. Try a series of equal signs ====== or tildes/squigglies ~~~~~~ for the sake of appearance. Don’t go overboard. And remember to limit any character additions to those found on the keyboard.

Now Your ASCII Resume Is Readable

As a final test of your new and improved ASCII resume, email it to yourself and a friend, preferably someone with a different email client (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Gmail, Thunderbird, etc.). Look good? Time to get that ASCII resume out there on the Web.

Author Bio: David Alan Carter is a former recruiter. Writing for the website http://www.BestResumeServices.org Carter has put together Resume Writing Services Reviews of the Web’s most popular writers. And for those happy with their resume, consider Resume Distribution Services to save time and gain exposure.

Category: Career
Keywords: ASCII resume,plain text resume,resume writing