Converting your MS WORD Résumé Into Text Only/Plain Text Format

Please note that these instructions assume that your Step 3: résumé is in MS Word for Windows. If your résumé is Delete any references to “page two,” “Continued,” or in another word processing application or on a different your name or head on page 2. computer platform like Macintosh or Windows Vista, you You are making your résumé appear as one continuous may need to consult your word processing manual for electronic document. specific instructions. Step 4: Step 1: Remove MS Word formatting. Save Your Résumé as a Text Only document. Because MS Word formatting is not universal, convert A Text Only (called Plain Text in Windows XP) document your résumé into “keyboard” formatting by removing all works best for an electronic résumé because you can bold, italics, underlines, bullets, and tabs, and only use adjust the margins and formatting to suit the database or formatting you find on your keyboard. email system in which you are working. To convert your MS Word résumé to Text Only/Plain Text: Step 5: Use all CAPS for words that need special emphasis. For the best overall effect, use all caps sparingly, 1. Open the MS Word document that contains your highlighting only what you really want to have stand out. résumé. Step 6: 2. Click File in your tool bar and select Save As. Replace each bullet point with a standard keyboard symbol. 3. Type in a new name for this document in File Name, Suggested replacements are: such as “ResTextOnly.” Dashes (-) Plus signs (+) 4. Under this is the Save As Type pull-down menu. From Single or Double Asterisks (*) (**) this list, select “Text Only” (*.txt). If you’re on a Windows XP computer, select “Plain Text” from the pull-down Use the Space Bar, not the Tab Key, to place a single menu. space immediately after each symbol (and before the words). Allow the lines to wrap naturally at the end of a 5. Click Save to perform the conversion. line. Don’t put a forced return (don’t push the Return or Enter key) if it’s not the end of the statement and don’t 6. Close the document but stay in MS Word. indent the second line of a statement with the Space Bar.

7. Reopen the document you just closed by going to Step 7: File in the tool bar, click Open, select the file named Use straight quotes in place of curly quotes. “ResTextOnly.txt,” and click Open. Warning: If you To do this, select the text that includes the quotes you exit MS Word and then open the résumé document by want to change. Click Format in your tool bar and select clicking on its icon in the directory, it will be opened in AutoFormat. Click the Options button, and make sure Notepad -- not what you want if you intend to use this Replace Straight Quotes With Smart Quotes is not version to prepare an emailable résumé. selected under both the AutoFormat and AutoFormat As You Type tabs. Then click OK to exit the AutoFormat box, and your curly quotes will be changed to straight quotes. After converting your résumé to Text Only, what appears in your document window is your résumé stripped of any Step 8: fancy formatting. You are now ready to make a few final Rearrange text if necessary. adjustments before posting it online: Do a line-by-line review of your document to make sure there are no odd-looking line wraps, extra spaces, or Step 2: words scrunched together in the body, making adjustments Check keywords. accordingly. This may require inserting commas between Make sure you have all the keywords that define your job items that were once in columns and are now in paragraph qualifications. format because tabs and tables disappeared when the document was converted to Text Only. Emailing Your Plain Text Résumé

Now that you have the Plain Text Résumé for Posting, it Email Step 2: takes just a few more steps to create a perfect Plain Text Save as Text Only with Line Breaks. Résumé for Emailing. Again, if you take the time to do To save changes you made in Step 1, you must convert this now, you will save yourself a lot of time later. your Text Only document one more time by doing the following: Email Step 1: Limit line lengths. • With your Text Only résumé document open, click File in Because each email software has its own length of lines, your tool bar and select Save As. your message may not look as good when it is read by a • Type in a new name for this document in File Name, such potential employer. To avoid this problem, limit each line to as “ResTextBreak.” no more than 65 characters, including spaces. To do this: • Directly under this is the Save As Type pull-down menu. From this list, select “Text Only with Line Breaks Open MS Word, click Open, select the file named (*.txt).” Click Save to perform the conversion. If you’re “ResTextOnly.txt,” and click Open. Warning: If you a Windows XP user, save your document as Plain Text. open the résumé document by clicking on its icon in the When the File Conversion window appears on your directory, it will be opened in Notepad -- not what you want screen, click “Insert line breaks” under Options; then click right now. OK. • Now close the document and exit MS Word. 1. Select the entire document and change the font to • Reopen the résumé document (ResTextBreak.txt) by Courier, 12 pt. clicking on its icon in the directory. That will open it as a 2. Go to Format in your toolbar; select Page Setup Notepad document. (Windows XP users will find Page Setup under File in their toolbars); set the left margin at 1 inch and your Email Step 3: right margin at 1.75 inch. (Yahoo! email users set your Copy the entire text in your ResTextBreak.txt right margin at 2.5.) document that you’ve opened in Notepad, and paste it 3. Select the entire document and change the font to in the body of the email message. Times, Arial, or some other standard font you like. Before sending your résumé to an employer, run a test by sending it to yourself and to a friend to see how it looks With the font, size of font, and side margins set, each line after going through the Internet. (It’s even better if your of your document will be no more than 65 characters and friend uses a different email program than you do , such as spaces. Don’t worry about whether you want the employer Outlook or Gmail.) This will help you identify any additional to see your résumé in Courier font - his or her e-mail formatting problems you need to correct before you start software will convert it to the font set on his or her system. sending it out to possible employers.

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