OneBuckResume > Resume > Tips

How To Guarantee Your Resume Gets Seen

There are literally thousands of resume submission sites on the net today. Merely submitting your resume to resume directories does not guarantee that it will be accepted. Many resume sites have publishing resume guidelines that are fairly general in nature. Most of the larger, more popular sites, are strict about what gets seen and what gets rejected.

If you want ensure that more of your resumes are accepted by online directories you need to make sure your resume meets the resume writer's resume guidelines. As a owner and resume writer of online resume sites for many years, I am amazed at how many authors don't take the time to read through submission resume guidelines.

Many sites will accept any resume submitted, especially if it is a new resume directory, as a means to build up their resume count. However, sites that are more established with high Alexa and Google rankings, tend to be more selective in what is posted in their directory.

The most common mistakes authors make in submitting their resume include:

1. Not following the formatting requirements.
Word wrap and HTML formatting preserve the page layout of the web site. Resumes submitted with word wrapping on is one of my biggest reasons for rejecting resumes. Forced breaks at 60 characters may be acceptable for sites that primarily feed objective fors, but it is not very appealing on a web page. Posting HTML resumes on sites that accept only text resumes is also quite frustrating for an editor to remove.

2. Microsoft formatting.
Copying and pasting from a Microsoft Word document does horrible things to a page design and layout. Quite often this type of formatting can appear within the text of the resume and can also reek havoc on online forms.

3. Affiliate links and ads.
Many resume sites do not accept resumes with affiliate links in them. This is normally allowed in the author's resource box but many authors insist on adding their affiliate links in the body of the resume or the resume sounds more like a resume creator pitch. This type of resume is often rejected. Be sure to make your resume informative to the reader.

4. Improper category selection.
While most editors will simply take a second or two to place a resume in the proper category, editors are finding this too time consuming and will often just delete the resume. Sites that receive 50 or more resumes each day normally do not have the time to edit each resume and select an appropriate category. Be sure to select the most relevant category for your resume at the time of submission.

5. Email links in resumes or resource boxes.
Although many editors are not concerned with email addresses in the resume or in a resource box, authors should be aware of the problems that can arise from using them. Resume directories are constantly being scanned by not only search engines but by mail harvester bots as well. Listing your email address in any online web page opens the author up to receive an enormous amount of spam and is generally not a good idea. Email addresses also change from time to time, leaving you with possibly thousands of resumes on the web with an email address that no longer works.

6. Author names not capitalized.
While many authors are rushing to submit a free resume samples to hundreds of sites as quickly as possible, many don't take the time to capitalize their first and last name in the author profile area. It seems to me that if Susan Smith enters her name as susan smith, it somehow makes her seem like she is minimizing herself as a person. Be proud of who you are and tell the world you are Susan Smith!

7. Punctuation and spelling errors.
Editors don't have the time to check each resume for spelling errors or punctuation. If you want to ensure that your resume is picked up from these resume directories and used on web sites, you will want to make sure that you have thoroughly checked your resume for errors. Online and newsletter editors often acquire material for their publications from these resume directories. If your resume is not well written or contains a lot of errors, your resume is most likely not going to be used for any purpose other than to provide you with a free link to your web site from the resume directory.

8. Word count is low.
Not all directories put word count restrictions on a resume writing how-to section. Personally, any resume that is less than 400 word is merely written in order to get a link back to the author's web site. Resumes that range between 600-800 words are usually better written and actually contain some value for the reader. Make sure your resume meets the resume count resume guidelines to help increase acceptance rates.

Each resume directory has different requirements for resume submissions. If you want to increase the exposure you receive for your resumes, make sure that you familiarize yourself with the requirements for each site that you submit resumes to. By following the author resume guidelines, you not only increase your chances of having your resume accepted, you also establish yourself as a credible writer and increase your web site employers as well.