| Formatting your MS Word resume
for Hokies4Hire (formerly eRecruiting) |
| When you upload a Microsoft
Word resume into Hokies4Hire, the system converts it to PDF format
and to HTML format. After you upload your resume, you should check
both the PDF and HTML versions to be sure the formatting is satisfactory.
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| PDF (Portable Document
Format) was designed by Adobe Systems to preserve the exact format
of the original document, so the PDF version of your resume should
look exactly like the Microsoft Word version. In contrast, HTML
was designed with other purposes in mind. Many assumptions and compromises
are necessary to convert a Word document to HTML format. However,
you can be more confident that the HTML version of your resume will
look like the Microsoft Word original if you follow a few guidelines: |
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| 1. |
Place all the text in
the Word document in one or more tables. If you’re unfamiliar
with using table in Word, review this topic in Word’s on-line
help, or search the web for on-line tutorials for Word tables (e.g.,
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Microsoft+Word+Tables+tutorial).
You can learn the basics quickly and will find this time well-spent. |
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| 2. |
Set the page margins before
inserting any tables. Be aware that if you set a margin to less
than 0.5 inches, Hokies4Hire will automatically adjust it to 0.5
inches, to accommodate many printers which don't allow margins less
than this amount. |
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| 3. |
Do not drag the table
borders outside the margins after you insert them, or you’ll
get very unpredictable results. |
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| 4. |
Don't place text outside
a table and center it on the page. Instead, place the text in a
table cell, then set the cell alignment to center the text within
the cell. |
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| 5. |
Similarly, don't place
text outside a table and use right-aligned tab stops to position
the text. Again, place the text in a table cell, then set the cell
alignment to right-justify the text within the cell. |
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| 6. |
In fact, don't attempt
to use tabs of any kind to align text. Use tables instead. For example,
if you're creating a traditional resume with section headings on
the left side of the page, create a table with one column for the
headings, another column for the descriptive information, and one
row for each section. (See
how to do this.) |
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| 7. |
You should also avoid
using repeated spaces, margin adjustments, multiple columns, or
indents to position text. The results will be unpredictable. |
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| 8. |
Avoid graphic images,
lines, headers and footers, and unusual fonts. |
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| 9. |
In general, you’ll
get the most predictable results if you keep layout of the Microsoft
Word document as simple as possible. Remember, employers are looking
for content, so don't worry about trying to create something elaborate. |
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| 10. |
If solid gridlines appear
around the cells in your tables, turn them off as follows: Place
the cursor in the table. Click on Table on the main menu bar, then
choose Table Properties. Click on the Borders and Shading button.
Select the Borders tab. Set the Setting to None. At the lower right
of the pane, apply the Setting to the Table, then click the OK button
twice to return to the document. |
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You may continue to
see faint table gridlines. These appear for your convenience only.
They won’t appear in the HTML version of your resume. You
can turn the faint gridlines off and on from the Table menu. |
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| 11. |
If you still get unpredictable
results, try displaying the formatting marks in your document. Do
this by clicking on Tools on the main menu bar, then on Options.
On the View tab, under Formatting Marks, check the box labelled
All, then click on the OK button. Review your document for any unexpected
formatting marks. In particular, look for ones between the margins
and the edges of the page. |
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| 12. |
Still not getting the
results you want? Send a copy of your resume in Microsoft Word format
as an e-mail attachment to career.services@vt.edu
with a request for assistance. |
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Sample resumes formatted
according to these guidelines are available at resume
formats and samples. You can download one of these and change
the data in it if you don't want to start from scratch. |
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