When required to submit a scannable résumé, you should check with the potential employer regarding specific guidelines. The following are general guidelines to avoid having your résumé overlooked.

Format

• Note that it is acceptable to have a one-and-a-half to two page résumé.
• Left justify the entire document.
• Place your name at the top of the page on its own line.
• Use standard address format below your name.
• If you have more than one address, one should be placed on top of the other.
• List each phone number on its own line.
• Avoid vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, and boxes/tables.
• Avoid using special characters such as bullets.
• Avoid punctuation as much as possible. The computer might not recognize a word with a comma or period after it. If you must have punctuation, be sure it does not touch the word.

Font/Typestyle

• Use standard serif fonts such as Times New Roman, Courier, and Palatino or sans serif fonts such as Arial, Futura, and Univers.
• Use a font size of 10 to 12 points.
• Avoid fancy font styles such as italics, underline, and shadows.
• Boldface and capital letters are acceptable as long as the letters do not touch each other.
• Avoid condensing the space between letters because they may touch.
• Provide white space between words. For example, separate the area code from a phone number with a space rather than parentheses: 555 123 - 4567 (also notice the space before and after the hyphen).

Keywords

• Research the industry or position you are interested in to make yourself familiar with the keywords in the particular industry.
• Use keywords that appear in the job description in describing your qualifications.
• Use more phrases and nouns than action verbs. For example, instead of writing "designed promotional materials" use a noun such as "promotions designer" or "designer of promotions."
• Use only those abbreviations that are familiar with your field of study.
• Create a keyword summary section at the beginning of your résumé.