Although not all cover letters get scanned into computer databases, you should still take the time to create a strong cover letter because many employers use covers to learn a lot about you. It should utilize a 12 point, sans serif font also.

In almost all cases resumes should be sent to a specific person. If the organization is identified in the ad, call and ask for the best person to address your cover letter. Although not every organization will give you a name, many will. Then address your cover letter to that person with the correct title. While you have a person from that organization on the phone, also ask if they scan resumes. If they don't, send only one version of your resume, the one that visually looks the best. If you simply don't know if your resume will be scanned, send both versions.

Since in most cases you will know if the organization scans resumes, a key word section in your scanning resume could be quite helpful. If you have created a qualifications section, a key word section will fit right into that format. For a salesperson it might work like this:

OBJECTIVE: Sales Representative

QUALIFICATIONS:
Strong sales background. Consistently exceed quote and always become a top producer. Effectively build long-term relationships with accounts. Excellent at cold calling and adding new accounts.

Areas of experience include: Calling on key accounts; territory management, sell to OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturers), retail chains, wholesalers, and distributors; experienced with co-op advertising; marketing; advertising agencies; market research; repeat and referral business; consultative selling; increase sales; increase market share; increase profits; cold calls; international sales; tradeshows; develop collateral material; number one West Coast rep; work effectively with buyers and merchandise managers; turn around problem territories.

In this example the first paragraph already exists and it contains some desirable key words. The second paragraph is the key word section. Some of the terms in the key word section appear elsewhere in the resume but most do not. This person has just increase the likelihood that her resume will show up on the employers computer screen when initiating a key word search.

A computer really does not care how long your resume is. It can store and retrieve a ten-page resume as easily as a one-page resume. The answer to the question regarding the best length of a resume remains: It should be long enough to adequately sell you and not so long that a person hesitates to even get started. Most resumes are one or two pages in length, with an occasional three-page resume being appropriate for some people.

Electronic resumes are often a little longer than the norm because the lines tend to be shorter. This is due to the advice of keeping lines to 80 characters or less. On many resumes people have lines with 90-100 characters. It looks fine on a printed resume, but as we saw, when a resume is word wrapped in a way you never intended, it does not look good. For this reason my advice is that one-, two-, and three-page resumes will work fine. Just make sure that everything in the resume is there because it helps sell you.

Clearly the growing use of resume databases is having an impact on job finding. In a year or two, scanners and OCR software may have reached a level of sophistication that they can even read the handwriting of physicians. Until that time arrives, it is best to follow the advice that ensures virtually a one hundred percent accurately scanned resume. Take the time to insert your key words so employers can find you. Personnel file drawers containing resumes have for years been referred to as black holes. Once a resume got in a file drawer, it never seemed to see the light of day again. At least now, if you understand the rules, your resume will pop up on many computer screens and you'll have the opportunity to sell yourself.