A scannable resume is a paper resume that will be scanned onto a computer database using Optical Character Recognition software. In order for the employer's computer to recognize your text, it must be simple and unadorned.
Keywords
Resumes are retrieved from databases using keyword searches, so your scannable resume should contain a keyword section just below your objective. For more information on keywords, click here.
Fonts and characters
- Avoid boldface, italicizing, script, shading, graphics, borders, and underlining.
- Don't use any special characters, such as bullets (use asterisks or hyphens, if you wish, but make sure they are separated from any words by a space).
- Use 10-14 point common sans serif fonts such as Helvetica, or use clean popular serif fonts like Times Roman or Palatino as a second choice.
- Avoid slashes ("design/develop").
- Avoid compressing spaces between letters.
- Don't put parentheses around an area code, as some scanners have trouble reading them correctly. (NOTE - when creating an e-mail resume, you should use parentheses around area codes.)
Spacing, lines, and section headings
- Your name should be the first line of your resume. Category headings ("EDUCATION," "EXPERIENCE," etc.) should also occupy their own line.
- If your scannable resume is longer than one page, put your name at the top of the second page on a separate line.
- Each line of your address should occupy a separate line.
- If you are listing two addresses (such as "College Address" and "Permanent Address"), list one below the other, rather than one address on the left and one on the right (text is read by a computer across the page). If you need to conserve space on your scannable resume, you can list one entire address on one line, though some scanning systems may have trouble with this.
- You may use capitals to set off a section, such as EDUCATION.
- Always put a line or two of space after the end of each job description.
- Do not use horizontal or vertical lines. Computers will try to read lines and may blur them into characters. Vertical lines may be confused with the letter "I."
- Avoid complex layouts, tables or columns.
- If you are unsure whether an employer prefers a scannable resume or a fully-formatted text resume, send both and add the words "Scannable resume" at the bottom of that resume.
Printing and paper
- Print your resume on a laser printer (avoid dot-matrix printers--this applies to any resume).
- White, ivory or off-white paper is acceptable.
- Don't fold a scannable resume - send it flat and without staples (use a paper clip to hold it together).
- If you fax your resume, turn on the fine print feature on your fax machine.