Judging from the sound of it, ASCII may be some complicated doohickey that companies ask applicants to operate so that 95% of them will be eliminated presto.
Alright, enough of the scary thing. ASCII (As-kee) is actually a plain text language in which everything you write is stripped of its formatting and embellishments. In simple words, it is writing in a computer's notepad. You can't choose a font, use bullets, align a paragraph, and not even italicize a word. The major advantage of this style is that employers will not get distracted by the diversity of the overall layout and can make more unbiased choice towards the job candidates. And most of all, this ASCII resume format enables some legendary computer software to scan for keywords in your application paper.
Online applicants may feel stuck clueless and hampered by this askee thing forever, not knowing that the mechanism is plain simple: write your resume in notepad. Moreover, if you want to be one of the strongest contenders in the electronic job market, you may want to learn more tips in mastering the art of online application:
1. This is not Microsoft Word
First of all, it is advised that you write your document first in MS Word. However, don't use any button from the ribbon above because chances are, the style will only be eliminated. Practices starting a paragraph without punching in the tab. Tabs don't actually work once you paste them on Notepad. You may not be able to utilize several Word features in for your application. However, you can maximize the use of built-in thesaurus (a.k.a. right click synonyms) to improve your diction and generate a compelling content despite the very simple style.
2. Alternative to bullets
Since you cannot use bullets, dividers, and borders, here you can take advantage of some symbols like '+', '_' and '*'. They keep your copy coherent and organized as much as borders can do. You will never run out of resources once you know your keyboard well. So don't fret for not having to use your favorite diamond bullets and be thankful instead that you can still utilize some overlooked characters.
3. On formatting
One rule: never use anything that is not in your keyboard. Since the aim of ASCII resume format is to simplify the layout to make people concentrate more on the content, it is wise to invest more on keeping an engaging and impressing substance in your self-advertisement. Don't worry much about the presentation if it's very plain. If you badly needed to center or indent the word, use a space bar. All caps are also good for emphasis, but only use them for highly important details like your name and the name of the section.
4. The Magic of Word Wrap
Now you finish your e-resume and think it's already perfected, so you copy-pasted to Notepad. But to your surprise, the layout appeared to be too broad for the document. What to do? Go to Format menu and click Word Wrap. Set the margins at 0 and 65. Then, put a line break by punching enter every after 65 characters or less. In that way, you won't have to deal with an odd-looking layout and know exactly how your document will look like in print.
Using the ASCII resume format may look a little bit of a hassle, but you can almost be sure of a rewarding online job hunting once you got the hang of it.
Nelson Mullins is a former corporate hiring and recruitment expert who regularly writes articles on resumes, resume writing, personality development, and career in general. He is a father of three who also enjoys photography and biking. Nelson believes that while the employment world continues to be a rat race for applicants, it is important to always be equipped with new ideas on sustaining career growth and opportunities.
