Electronic resumes are crucial advancement tools - Career Development

Healthcare Financial Management,  April, 2002  by Scott Ransom

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Senior healthcare financial executives entering today's career marketplace should be adept at preparing and maintaining an electronic resume that can be sent via e-mail and stored electronically for future retrieval. The current appropriateness of electronic resumes has its roots in the pressures of time and distance. Hiring executives travel frequently, and often can be reached most easily by e-mail.

When a senior executive position becomes available, both the hiring organization and potential candidates are best served by facilitating communication. Sending a resume as an email attachment is a convenient and practical way to drive the often-lengthy process of identifying, qualifying, interviewing, and hiring a suitable candidate.

The recommended resume of the past was a tangible work of art, handsomely printed on expensive stock. Resume preparation, manuals asserted that a traditional resume literally represented the executive whose professional story it related. As an executive's personal sales brochure, the resume had to promote an executive impression through the quality of its design, paper, printing, type fonts, and envelope. Today those qualities of a resume are less important than the image of a forward-thinking, energetic executive that an electronic resume can convey.

Resumes on paper are not entirely passe. Candidates may wish to follow up their electronic resume with a traditional, printed resume mailed to the employer or recruiter, and it is a good idea to have a printed resume on hand to give to an interviewer personally if needed. But increasingly, employers and recruiters expect electronic resumes, and candidates who send a traditional but not an electronic resume may be considered out of step.

For executives unaccustomed to doing so, dispatching a resume with the click of a button can produce anxiety. The Internet has assumed an accepted role as a communication tool, however. Healthcare financial managers therefore should become comfortable with using electronic resumes appropriately to advance their careers. Here are a few ideas on preparing an electronic resume.

In essence, an electronic resume is exactly the same as a printed resume, except that it is communicated electronically. Consequently the major steps in developing a traditional resume should be followed, including updating the resume with any professional and personal changes, such as new titles, accomplishments, education, certifications, awards, community involvement, and telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

After career accomplishments have been catalogued and incorporated into the resume, a resume format should be chosen. Commercial software programs are available to help prepare an electronic resume. Such programs provide a choice of resume formats and typefaces and eliminate formatting errors such as incorrect page breaks or margins. Most commercial resume software is compatible with information technology systems used by executive search firms and employers, so good-quality software purchased from a reputable vendor can be used with confidence.

The two major format options offered in commercial resume software are chronological and functional. The chronological format, in which the most recent position and achievements are followed in order by earlier positions, will get more attention from executive search consultants and hiring executives because it offers a picture of career progression. A functional resume may be chosen by someone in the early stages of his or her career as a way of highlighting accomplishments to be positioned for career progression.

A cover letter sent as an e-mail attachment should accompany an electronic resume. The resume should be sent as a separate attachment to the e-mail message so that it can be circulated easily within an organization. A cover letter can communicate more personal style and warmth than the more businesslike resume can convey, so it is important to put real energy into developing it. In the cover letter, the writer can cast his or her professional situation in positive terms, naming career goals or ambitions that reasonably can be met in a new setting.

The cover letter also is the place to mention things that would not appear in a resume, such as a desire to live in a certain part of the country or a friend or acquaintance the applicant shares with the recipient of the letter. The candidate also might mention that the e-mail will be followed by a phone call and/or a mailed paper resume, if that is intended. The cover letter should be gracious, brief (generally not longer than one page), and timely Nonetheless, the resume must be able to stand alone without its cover letter.

The electronic resume also should be tested for potential problems. If the resume cannot be opened, it cannot be read. It might be instructive to e-mail a copy of the completed resume to several professional friends, who can report any problems before the resume is sent to a search firm or hiring organization.