Electronic Resume Submissions

There are three commonly used methods of submitting your resume information electronically:

• By e-mail, as an attachment  (PDF is best)
• By attachment through an online application system
• By cut-and-paste into an employer’s database.

Resumes submitted as e-mail attachments will keep their format (especially when sent as a PDF), and will appear to the reader just as they appear to you.

Resumes submitted to an employer’s database as cut-and-paste generally lose their formatting, including bolding and underlining. While employers realize that the resume has lost the formatting, if you make minor revisions such as using capitalization (with a small font) rather than bolding it might help improve readability.

When sending a resume by e-mail, make the subject line clear (maybe include the job posting number or job title). If you are also sending a cover letter, most employers prefer that you only send one attachment, including both documents together.