Resumes for the Work at Home job

Cyber-Resumes for Work-At-Home Jobs


The Internet has created many new opportunities for job seekers to find, apply, and obtain a work-at-home job all online. Nevertheless, simplified job searching capabilities and the ability to e-mail a prospective employer in an instant do not change the basic rules and etiquette of applying for jobs in the online arena. A quick e-mail note to an employer letting him know you are interested in a posted job is not going to get you hired.

In the cyber-world as in the real world, your resume and cover letter are the first chance you have to make an impression on a potential employer. A well-written resume shows that you have the experience and meet the requirements of the job. Further, it will help you proceed to the next step in the job hiring process. A resume that falls short in terms of providing relevant information or a sense of professionalism will be discarded. Do not let your work-at-home resume end up in the reject
pile.

Cyber- resumes differ only slightly from traditional resumes. You should prepare a text-only resume that can be copied and pasted into an email, as most companies will not open an attachment. Nevertheless, you should have a formatted or “scannable” resume that you can send via snail mail or as an attachment if the company asks for one.

Before sending your resume and cover letter to a potential employer, check to make sure you follow the guidelines below:

Do:

1. Follow the job announcement’s instruction for applying to the job.
2. Limit your resume to one page.
3. Use 12-pt font size.
4. Avoid fancy style fonts and formats. Not all computers can accurately decipher special fonts and formatting (i.e. bold, italics).
5. Spell out all abbreviations; even those that should be obvious to everyone.
6. Include your full name, address, telephone number and e-mail in all documents.
7. In your resume, outline relevant work experience using your most recent occupation first.
8. If you are recent graduate, consider listing your education before your work experience.
9. List other relevant experience such as volunteer work, certifications, course work, etc.
10. Address your cover or introductory letter to a specific person. You can get this from the job announcement or the company’s web site.
11. Your letter of introduction should include the position to which you are applying and where you saw the position advertised.
12. Highlight your skills and experience that are specific to the job in the body of your letter.
13. Proofread, proofread, and proofread your resume and letter of introduction (cover letter) again.

Don’t:
1. List skills or experience that are unrelated to the position offered in your resume or cover letter.
2. Exaggerate or falsify anything.
3. Give personal information such as marital status, age, etc.
4. Have any grammar or typographical errors.
5. Use a personal or buddy-like tone in your cover letter.
6. Send bulk, generic resumes and cover letters.
7. Sound desperate. Companies want the best person for the job. Your financial situation will not sway a decision one way or another.
8. Be over enthusiastic. ‘Salesmen’ type hype does not impress employers.
9. Refer to yourself in the third person in your cover letter. Instead, use “I”, and “me”, etc.
10. Send your resume as an attachment unless you are told specifically to do so. Most companies delete e-mail with attachments for security purposes.

Finding a work-at-home job has become much easier with the growth of the Internet but the time and effort in conducting a job search remains the same. You can avoid getting a rejection letter by following the rules and etiquette of applying to jobs that have endured since the invention of the resume.


Leslie Truex is the author of Jobs At Home: A Complete Guide to Finding or Creating a Work-At-Home Job. She has worked at home as a social worker, a school program coordinator, a sales person, and a freelancer for Internet-based companies doing research, writing documents, and more. Check out her top telecommuting reviews at http://www.jobsathomesuccess.com.