Professional Correspondence

Professional courtesy should be maintained via all communication, including phone conversations, email, and traditional mail. When emailing a resume, the content of a cover letter may be included in the main text of the email; some employers may indicate they perfer to have the cover letter as an attachment, so read any instruction careful.

Further advice regarding electronic resume applications:

• Most resumes are still received by traditional method; however, surveys indicate a trend towards employers preferring resumes sent by email.
• Most companies load emailed resumes into resume scanning/tracking software (Resumix) instead of being read by an organizational staff member, so make sure yours is "scanner" friendly.
• Depending on the job position being applied for, candidates may send potential employers multimedia packages like a CD-ROM, for example: cover letter, resume, supporting documents, photos, sound bites, electronic portfolio, and animated graphics are typically included in these packages.
• Some employers may have trouble opening attached documents; therefore, it is probably advisable to put a resume in the email itself. An exception to the rule is when an employer asks for a resume in Microsoft Word document.     

Larger organizations tend to utilize specialized software to evalute resumes, which provides the capability for database searches based upon keywords, also called "key words" or "buzz words," describing the employer’s needs. Human resource professionals are able to narrow down the number of valid and qualified resumes for a particular job position quickly.  If you believe your resume will be scanned, consider building it with key/buzz words specific the job and that will increase your chances of being contacted for the career position.