Submitting resume? Read this ahead

Today I am going to share with you something that always bugs people’s mind when they are applying for a job. Many of you might have already secured a job but you too might have faced this problem earlier. There is no written rule which says that you need to follow this pattern. This suggestion below is totally from an HR point of view or the person who reads your job application.This has been discussed earlier by Alison Green in her post. I thought it would be interesting to share with you all, with my own perspective on the subject. Alright!Here we go.

1.What format should my resume be in?
Both of them (PDF and Word) are equally acceptable but my preference is PDF. When you send your resume as a PDF, you can be sure that your layout and all the tweaks you have made to it will be preserved. While on MS word, it might be a problem, if the person looking at your resume is using a different version than yours. It means that each of them will see your resume differently if it is in word format.

2.Should I attach both formats and allow the employer to choose on their own?
No! You shouldn’t do this. If you are sending both the documents, your employer might check both hoping there might be some differences. If it is not, you are just wasting their time.

3.Do I need to send a cover letter or only the resume?
It’s not about correct or incorrect. It’s about effective and ineffective. So please make sure you write a cover letter along with your resume. As HR people, I feel we look at your resume and find out what your weaknesses are but in the cover letter we find out what your strengths are and how passionate you are about this job. Writing a cover letter effectively helps to brand you. If you want to build a rapport with the employer and give a sense of which you are beyond the academic and work experience, I recommend you to write a cover letter for the job you are applying for. Please don’t make a mistake of sending the same cover letter everywhere you apply.

4.What should I write in the email when I have already attached the cover letter?
You shouldn’t write a lengthy descriptive sentence in your email. If you haven’t attached a separate cover letter with the mail, you can write it in the email itself. But don’t repeat the same thing again and again. For an illustration, you can write something like this:
“I’d like to apply for____ position. Please find the attached documents.”
Please make sure that you have your signature in the email. As many of you are not using email signature, I would like to give a small format, which might be helpful for you.

For student:
Full Name:
Email address: (yes you need to put it. Sometimes your documents are forwarded by other people)
University /Major and Year of Graduation:
Cell phone number or Phone number:
Website or Blog:

For Employees:
Full Name:
Email address: (Personal not the official one):
Company Name:
Position at your company:
Department:
Company website:

5.What to write as the subject of the email?
It shouldn’t be an issue. But few people make the mistake of sending an email without a subject title. Please write a subject title like “Resume and cover letter of____.” In addition, Please don’t forget to check the name of your attached file before you decide to send it. I got a few resumes with titles like “Sunilko resume 2008.” This shows that you haven’t updated it.

It might sound minor but many of you have ignored these points while applying for the job. Yes! Like I said above, it is not correct or incorrect it is about personal branding while doing those things professionally. If you have a personal opinion about this, please drop your views in the comment section below.