ASCII Formatted Text
ASCII stands for America Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is a form of data that is understood by most computers throughout the world. The most popular ASCII file format used on the Internet to transfer resumes across computer networks is plain text or text only, which is identified by the ".txt" file extension.
Traditional resume writing advice has evangelized the use of fancy fonts printed on specialty papers, but your resume is at risk if it is sent electronically in any other format than ASCII plain text. Sending your resume in ASCII plain text allows it to be read and understood by computers, as it has no formatting. Many employers electronically sort resumes in order to log them into computer databases. Resumes sent with formatting are not easily readable and are often discarded as a result.
The normally formatted version may be attached as well, or sent via postal mail.
To successfully email a resume, first convert it to ASCII or Text format. Follow these steps:
- Open the document in MS Word or WordPerfect
- Perform a "Save As" to Plain Text (or Text Only) file type
- Email your resume to yourself to make sure that the information is readable and formatted correctly (This will ensure the recipients are able to open and read the document)
- Email it to your recipient
To increase readability of documents saved in ASCII:
- Change bullets to asterisks or dashes
- Use acronyms and spell out the full name
- Place document headings (name, address, phone numbers, email addresses) in a logical order
- Place the important information in the top third of the document (the computer will only print the top third of the screen)
