Open Text

Jun/08

Open Text

Basically, an ASCII (plain text) resume is a document short of any formatting, symbols, etc. that could cause computer programs such as ATS (Applicant Tracking System) confusion. Nowadays these computer programs are often the first pair of "eyes" reviewing your candidacy, and having an incomprehensible document effectively amounts to losing out on opportunities. Here's how to create one:

1) Open up your document using a standard Word Processing application such as MS Word.

2) Adjust your margins so no side is set smaller than 1 inch.

3) Change the font of all text to either Courier or Monaco. These are known as "non-proportional" fonts because they use a single standard width for all glyphs in the font.

4) Change the font size to 12-point.

5) Go through the resume and take out any logos, graphics, and sidebars. The goal here is to end up with TEXT ONLY.

6) Swap out any symbols that cause problems, such as bullets, em or en dashes, and others with ASCII-acceptable substitutes, such as hyphens, standard quotation marks, and asterisks.

7) Left justify all text. This may require manually adjusting certain sections.

Save this version as "Plain Text" or "Text Only" WITHOUT line breaks. Mac User Tip #1: after saving as plain text choose "Other Encoding" then "Western (ASCII)".

9) Use a plain text editor such as Notepad or Text Edit to open your new document. Mac User Tip #2: Go to "Preferences" and make sure "Plain Text" is selected. What You're looking at is how your resume will be seen in ASCII format.

10) Go through your resume carefully, correcting spelling mistakes, removing line breaks, and eliminating inconsistencies. Any non-ASCII characters will show up as question marks, square blocks and other strange symbols. Replace these with acceptable substitutes as described in Step 6.

Note: ONLY utilize an ASCII resume when submitting through online forms or similar (i.e. cut-and-paste). For all other methods, use the traditional version of your resume.

Anish Majumdar is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Owner at Resume Orbit. 95% of clients report a significant increase in interviews within 30 days, and all work comes backed by a 100% Satisfaction or Money Back Guarantee (in writing). ALL CLIENTS RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY ASCII (PLAIN TEXT) RESUME WHEN PURCHASING RESUME REWRITE SERVICES.

Please submit your existing resume for a FREE CRITIQUE spanning structure, language, and content.

How do you open text editor when copying info from a chart?

I am trying to set up a table on excel, but I was told the information that I am using has to be copied onto a notepad sheet through a text editor, which then can be imported onto the excel spread sheet to make my chart, where do I find the text editor to copy my information from the table to the note pad. The table is through adobe reader, I am not well versed in excel.

If You Are running Windows I would suggest you use Notepad which comes with Windows.

Go to Start - Run and type in notepad and press OK
or
Start - Programs - Accessories - Notepad

You can then copy and paste as required...

Open Text Demo @ MWC 2010