Cyber Resume for Telecommuters

by Leslie Truex

Published on this site: May 13th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

The Internet has created many new opportunities for job seekers to find, apply, and obtain a work-at-home job online. But simplified job searching capabilities and the ability to e-mail a prospective employer in an instant do not change the basic rules and etiquette of applying to jobs. A quick e-mail note to an employer letting him know you are interested in a posted job is not going to get you hired.

In the cyber-world as in the real world, your resume and cover letter are the first chance you have to make an impression on a potential employer. A well-written resume shows that you are a professional and will help you proceed to the next step in the job hiring process. A resume that falls short in terms of providing relevant information or a sense of professionalism will be discarded. Do not let your work-at-home resume end up in the reject pile.

Cyber resumes differ only slightly from traditional resumes. You should prepare a text-only resume that can be copied and pasted into an email, as most companies will not open an attachment. Nevertheless, you should have a formatted or "scannable" resume that you can send via snail mail or as an attachment if the company asks for one.

Before sending your resume and cover letter to a potential employer, check to make sure you follow the guidelines below:

Do:

1. Follow the job announcement's instruction for applying to the job.
   
   
2. Limit your resume to one page.
   
   
3. Use 12-pt font size.
   
   
4. Avoid fancy style fonts and formats. Not all computers can accurately decipher special fonts and formatting (i.e. bold, italics).
   
   
5. Spell out all abbreviations; even those that should be obvious.
   
   
6. Include your full name, address, telephone number and e-mail in all documents.
   
   
7. Outline relevant work experience using your most recent occupation first.
   
   
8. If you are recent graduate, consider listing your education before your work experience.
   
   
9. List other relevant experience such as volunteer work, certifications, course work, etc.
   
   
10. Address your cover or introductory letter to a specific person. You can get this from the job announcement or the company's web site.
    
    
11. Your letter of introduction should include the position to which you are applying and where you saw the position advertised.
    
    
12. Highlight your skills and experience that are specific to the job in the body of your letter.
    
    
13. Proofread, proofread, and proofread your resume and letter of introduction (cover letter). It doesn't matter how qualified you are for the job if your resume has typos and grammatical errors.

Don't:

1. List skills or experience that are unrelated to the position offered in your resume or cover letter.
   
   
2. Exaggerate or falsify anything.
   
   
3. Give personal information such as marital status, age, etc.
   
   
4. Have any grammatical or typographical errors.
   
   
5. Use a personal or buddy-like tone in your cover letter.
   
   
6. Send bulk, generic resumes and cover letters.
   
   
7. Sound desperate. Companies want the best person for the job. Your financial situation will not sway a decision one way or another.
   
   
8. Be over enthusiastic. 'Salesmen' type hype does not impress employers.
   
   
9. Refer to yourself in the third person in your cover letter. Instead, use "I", and "me", etc.
   
   
10. Send your resume as an attachment unless you are told specifically to do so. Most companies delete e-mail with attachments for security purposes.

Finding a work-at-home job has become much easier with the growth of the Internet. Nevertheless, you must maintain the same professional manner that you would in applying for a job in the traditional work world. You can avoid getting a rejection letter by following the rules and etiquette of applying to jobs that have endured since the invention of the resume.

Leslie Truex has telecommuted in a variety jobs since 1990. She shares her secrets to finding and obtaining work-at-home jobs in her book Jobs at Home: A Complete Guide to Finding or Creating a Work-at-Home Job. Sign up for her free 5-day "Jobs At Home" e-course at http://www.jobsathomesuccess.com