Tips for naming your resume file
Posted on 05. Jun, 2009 by jay in Job Hunting News, Resume Formatting, Resume Tips, Resume Writing
The Internet and computers have profoundly changed how people look and apply for jobs. They have opened up job opening announcements to candidates beyond the immediate local area and facilitated potential employer/employee communication. They have also presented jobseekers and recruiters with some interesting challenges including how to name resume files so they can be easily recognized and organized.
Many jobseekers have multiple resumes: some are tailored to specific job titles, others to specific companies or organizations and some may even apply only to certain geographic locations. Employers also have multiple resumes because each job opening they advertise generates several resume from a number of different people. Both require a means of keeping track of the resumes they have on file and locating the applicable resume(s) quickly when opportunities arise. One of the best ways to organize and categorize electronic resumes is by using descriptive names for the resume files.
An unscientific survey of experts on LinkedIN resulted in the following suggestions for naming resume files:
- Include your name. There is some debate over whether it is best to use First Name Last Name, First Name Middle Name/Initial Surname, Surname First Name Middle Initial or Surname first Name but what is clear is that your name is a vital component of your resume file name.
- Include the word “resume”. This helps distinguish your resume from other files and materials prospective employers may have collected about you.
- Spell Everything Correctly. It sounds silly but some people actually use filenames containing misspellings. Most people responding to the survey reported this was a distinct turn-off and would probably result in the candidate not being called or contacted about the job.
- Include Keyword or Job Title. This suggestion was not as universal as the previous suggestions but was still popular, especially if you think you may apply for more than one job or job type within the same organization. One important note: recruiters regularly conduct boolean searches to locate prospective candidates, so using the right keywords can be crucial. If you don’t know what keywords to use, look at the job ads and descriptions you are interested in and determine what keywords are used the most then use one or more in your resume file name.
- Include a Date. This was even less popular, however, including a date or at least a year may help your resume stand out, particularly if you are submitting it around the start of a new year.
- Grab Attention With Descriptors. Keywords provide clues about the kind of jobs you are interested in and qualified for. But among a group of similarly titled resumes, they don’t really stand out. A few respondents suggested using descriptors, anything from “award-winning” to “best” in your resume filename as a means of sparking interest and enticing recruiters and employers to take a closer look.
You should treat the naming of your resume with the same attention to detail and results as you treat any other aspect of your resume. Maybe more. After all, in many cases, the filename is the first thing recruiters and employers see about you. And in today’s competitive job market making the best possible first impression is vital for landing a job.