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Printed Resumé Do's and Don'ts
As professionals, we have increasingly come to rely on the Internet to search for jobs and on e-mail to apply for them. Because we typically create our resumés and cover letters to fit the electronic format, having an employer request a printed resumé can be a cause for alarm, and if they are carelessly produced, may result in mistakes that show us in a poor light.
First, let's examine the situations which require a printed resumé rather than an electronic one. Although you are able to complete a large number of job applications online, when they call you in for an interview, you will want to have printed copies of your resumé to bring with you, both for your own reference and to give to your interviewers. In addition, it is very likely an employer who is interested in you will print out your resumé from a job search web site or from the e-mail you sent expressing interest in the job. Thus, it is very important that you verify how your electronic resumé looks when printed out before sending it anywhere.
As a rule, when printing out your resumé, make sure to use high-quality white or ivory paper. You can get a package of resumé paper at any office supplies store. You will want your resume to appear clean and professional. Do not use colored paper or change the color of the font in order to make your resumé stand out; instead it will look garish, more like a flier suitable for distributing on bulletin boards than a summation of your professional accomplishments.
If your resumé is longer than one page, print it single-sided on multiple pages. Don't print on the front and the back of a single page, which requires the potential employer to turn the sheet over to see the rest of the resumé. Because stacks of printed resumés have been known to get dropped on the floor and disarrayed, the pages of your resumé should be numbered to facilitate putting them back in order. There should never be any handwriting on your resumé when you deliver it to an employer, so use a header function in your word-processing application to insert page numbers that will be printed along with the resumé content.
Make sure that you let your resumé sit on the printer for a few moments before picking it up. This will help avoid smudging the ink of the paper, especially if you are using a printer that uses liquid ink, such as ink-jet technology. You want to assure that the resumé is free of smudging, stains, or crumpling when you are handing it to your potential employer. First impressions are important -- you don't want to make a potential employer see you as sloppy and careless.
When going in for an interview, make sure to bring multiple copies of your resumé. Some people think this is unnecessary because your potential employer already has your resumé, but this assumption can come back to bite you. Frequently the hiring manager may ask another associate to meet you during the interviewing process, and that person may not have a copy of your resumé. If the hiring manager has not made extra copies for whoever is sitting in on the interview, being able to hand them one helps make you look professional, prepared and organized, all of which make you a real asset to the company.
Although it is generally good practice to avoid putting references on resumés in order to avoid having your references become worn out by casual inquiries, it is helpful to attach a complete list of references to the resumé you bring to the interview. At this point, the employer is showing serious interest in you and you do not want anything to delay the decision-making process, as would be the case if you had to send references afterward. You can include the references directly on your resumé (typically at the bottom of the page), or you can include a separate sheet of paper with the list. The first option is preferred because it provides the employer with all of the critical information about you on a single sheet of paper. Including your references on the resumé you provide at the interview means the interviewer doesn't need to ask you for it. In addition, it helps to show you are seriously interested in the available position.
Having a well-formatted, clean and professional resumé is an important way to make a great first impression, which will help you get the job you are truly interested in.
