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Unlike Microsoft Word and other word processors, plain text does not allow bold,
italics or different fonts. While it may seem boring, this simplicity allows
recruiters to view resumes the same way regardless of the software they use.
Creating Your Plain Text Resume
There are two ways you can enter your resume into a text editor.
- From scratch: Once you've found a text editor, start it up and begin
typing in your resume. Keep the organization clean and simple as you will not be
able to use bold, italics or fonts in different sizes.
- Copy and paste: If you cut and paste a formatted resume into a text
editor, you'll notice that a lot of the formatting will be lost. Your font will
be uniform and any text with bold or italics will be replaced with plain
text.
If you are using a text editor, your document should automatically be saved
as text. Double check this by making sure your document has a ".txt" file
extension.
Also, text editors do not typically have spell check. So, copy and paste your
text resume into Microsoft Word or another word processing program with spell
check. Spell check the document. Be sure to make any necessary changes to the
text document and save it again. If you're writing on form at a website, browser such as Mozilla Firefox will highlight any error (if any) and suggest you the correct one.
Creating a Plain-Text E-Mail
If a job description asks you to include a plain-text resume in the body of
an e-mail, make sure your e-mail software is set to send plain text. Otherwise,
your e-mail browser will add formatting to your resume and the recruiter may
assume you didn't follow instructions.
The method for sending a plain-text e-mail depends on the e-mail program
you're using. I've included directions for some major e-mail programs below. If
your e-mail program isn't listed, look in the "help" section of your e-mail or
consider calling your Internet Service Provider.
- Yahoo! Mail: Create a new e-mail. At the bottom of the e- mail, click
the "plain text" button. Then, simply copy and paste your resume into the
e-mail. You may have to make some minor formatting changes.
- Hotmail: Create a new e-mail, in the pull-down field labeled "Tools"
make sure the "Rich Text Editor" is off. You'll be able to tell if you've
successfully turned the Rich Text Editor off as all the formatting options will
disappear from your composition screen. You may have to make some minor
formatting changes.
- Microsoft Outlook: Create a new e-mail, click on the "Format" button
and choose the "Plain Text" option. Then, simply copy and paste your resume into
the new e-mail. You may have to make some minor changes, but most of your
formatting should remain intact.
Helpful Formatting Tips
- Use all caps to make headers stand out from body text. Since plain text does
not allow for bold and italics, it can be difficult to distinguish between
resume sections. I use all capital letters for "OBJECTIVE," "WORK EXPERIENCE"
and "EDUCATION" to give them prominence.
- You can use bullets in a plain-text document, but it's not as easy as
clicking a button. If you want to use a bullet point in your plain-text resume,
copy and paste this bullet (
- ) without the parentheses into your resume. Otherwise, you can use an
asterisk (*) or dashes (--).
- Avoid using the "Tab" key, because plain text when saved may not retain the
tab command. Instead, use the space bar.
- Always e-mail a copy of your plain-text resume to yourself before sending it
to a recruiter. This gives you a chance to see the resume as the recruiter will
see it.
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Tools You'll Need
If you don't already have a text editor (and most people with computers do),
you can get one for free online.
As far as text editors go, I like two in particular:
- Notepad: If you're running Microsoft Windows software on your
computer, chances are you have Notepad, which is Microsoft's default text
editor.
- NoteTab Light
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