Page 199 - Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Resume

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Chapter 11 ➤ Step Six: The Big Production

Here’s what a typical fax cover sheet looks like:
Date: September 13, 1999

To: Brad Thompson
From: Susan Ireland
Pages: Three: cover letter Job-Hunt Hint

resume Figure out when your resume
and cover letter are likely to
fax cover sheet
land on the employer’s desk
(depending on whether you send
If you fax your cover letter and resume, call the employer and ask
it via U.S. mail, courier, fax, or
whether you should also send your resume by mail. Some compa-
e-mail). Then make a note to
nies are so inundated with paperwork that they prefer not to
follow up by phone one day
receive duplicate resumes. Others appreciate having the real thing
after you think your packet has
sent on nice paper, especially if they don’t have high-quality fax
arrived.
machines or copiers.
E-mail Flash
If your potential employer is expecting your resume and cover letter to arrive by e-mail,
check out Chapter 21, “It’s all a Scan: Scannable Resumes,” where I explain how to format a
resume that will survive and thrive in the world of e-mail.

The Least You Need to Know
➤ Limit your resume to one page, if possible, and no more than two pages.

➤ No paragraphs! Use bullet points to make your material look quick and easy to read.
➤ Choose an appropriate font, set wide margins, adjust line spaces, and indent text to
make the body of your resume inviting to read.
➤ Print your resume on a laser or inkjet printer.
➤ Reproduce your resume on a high-quality copier using appropriate paper.

➤ Send your cover letter and resume via U.S. Post, express/courier service, fax, or
e-mail, depending on how quickly it must arrive and which way the employer would
like it to be delivered.

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