Recruiters Want To Receive Résumés Via E-Mail
Jeffrey Weiner, a human-resources director, keeps a scrapbook on a nearby shelf to keep him
humble. It's filled with more than 400 "no thank you" responses he received from employers
during his last job hunt. During his search, he e-mailed more than 50 résumés a week to
employers. "E-mail made the process so easy. It was the quickest way to contact companies,"
says Mr. Weiner. After six months, he eventually found a good fit at Alpha Technologies, a
Piscataway, N.J., information-technology consulting firm.
Likewise, Richard Paul, a business analyst, spent 75% of his recent job search sending résumés
via e-mail before landing a job at Cylogix, a Princeton, N.J., financial-software firm. "Speed is the
biggest advantage," he says. He kept a résumé file and generic cover letter on his PC and tailored
each to every employer he targeted. "I modified it as necessary, and it took almost no time at all."
It's no surprise that the best way to contact most recruiters today is through e-mail. In fact, a
recent e-mail survey of 416 U.S. recruiters by Manchester Inc., a staffing firm based in
Jacksonville, Fla., found that 82% of respondents prefer to receive résumés by e-mail. "If I get
phone calls from everyone, I'm on the phone all day long," says Mike Sweeney, managing director
of project staffing for T. Williams Consulting, a staffing firm in Collegeville, Pa. "E-mail adds
efficiency to the process. It helps me to screen résumés better."
Further, he says, it's more efficient to communicate with candidates by e-mail since so many
professionals work in cubicles, making it difficult for them to speak on the phone during the
workday. He'll e-mail standard questions about salary expectations, why they're looking to leave
and whether they're willing to relocate.
"When we talk later, we can talk details," he says. "You
can pick up a lot about the candidate from their answers to questions via e-mail. A lot of jobs
people get hired for their technical skills, but e-mail is a subtle way of testing other skills."
E-mail correspondence offers candidates an opportunity to sell themselves, says Mr. Wiener.
"How many people are really taking the time to write an e-mail to sell something? Hop on the
bandwagon and sell yourself," he says.
Mr. Paul says his e-mail helped him stand out from the crowd. "We went back and forth via e-mail"
answering brief questions and scheduling interviews, he says. "They even e-mailed directions to
get there."
Sending your résumé by e-mail also says you're adept at using office technology. A résumé that's
sent through U.S. mail or fax may be a signal that you're behind the times. "You have to be able to
use Microsoft Office proficiently. If I don't get the résumé by e-mail, it's a negative," Mr. Sweeney
says. In his view, a résumé sent by U.S. mail is "the ultimate kiss of death" for a candidate. "If
these people can't use technology, that's a basic," he says.
Consider Ellen Minardo, an events programming assistant at the N.J. Technology Council in
Mount Laurel, N.J. Before she started her last job search, she never used e-mail and didn't know how to attach a document. She learned, she says, not only to land a job, but because "I know
these are the basic skills companies want today. I learned by using it over and over and asking
questions. By doing it, I was able to show potential employers that I could use the tools."
Many recruiters responding to the Manchester survey (44%) prefer to receive résumés as
attached Word documents. Says Mr. Sweeney, "It's the standard and an e-mailed résumé in Word
can easily be circulated to the various hiring managers. If I get a faxed copy, I have to make
copies. It's more difficult for me," he says.
Organization Matters
Thirty-three percent of the surveyed recruiters who expressed a preference about résumé format
said they prefer résumés that are in chronological order. "People feel the candidate is trying to
hide gaps if they don't use chronological order in a résumé," says Mr. Sweeney.
Still, there are others who prefer an accomplishment-oriented format. Mr. Weiner organizes his
own résumé in this way. "By listing accomplishments, I think you intrigue the reader. Chronological
résumés tend to be too detailed-oriented," he says. The object of a résumé is not to get the job,
but to get the interview. "Leaving a gray area is good. A recruiter can't sell you without the detail,
so they have to follow up with you. The recruiter is a middleman who needs info to sell you to their
client. When it gets to a manager, and they call you for details, your foot is in the door."
What's the best way to approach recruiters by e-mail?
Consider these three tips from recruiters.
Send only targeted résumés. Mr. Sweeney says that more than 90% of the résumés he receives
are from people who aren't qualified. To make a good impression, show that you've done your
homework. Visit the company's Web site to learn more about the company and tailor your
document accordingly.
Scan all documents for viruses. Most companies scan incoming e-mail. If a virus is detected, the
e-mail is deleted and no one is going to see your résumé.
Put your name in the filename of your résumé document. For example, use "AlanJones.doc"
instead of "résumé.doc." Recruiters and managers receive numerous résumés each day named
"résumé.doc." or "myresume.doc."