When you send a paper resume, an employer usually won't have a lot of time to spend reading all the information on it, because they have probably received numerous resumes for the same position.
You already know that unless is has some unique quality that catches the employer's eye, and it is easy to read and summarized well, it will probably be passed over quickly.
Might as well be thrown into the garbage for all the time they're going to spend perusing your outstanding experience and solid qualifications.
Because the Internet has made it so much easier and faster for employers to post job openings, and job seekers to apply for those job openings, employers can expect to receive hundreds or even thousands of resumes for a single job openings.
The staffing manager isn't going to have much time to read each and every one, so it is important to prepare your resume so that the most important information, the really vital information that you really want that staffing manager to know about you and your experience, is placed in the first half of the email. This is placed in the first half of the email that will be immediately visible without the need to scroll down the page.
In printing, we call this "above the fold". That literally means that the meaty, attention-getting information is above the fold, if that paper were to be folded in half.
This is the first information that will be seen when that email is opened. Make it count!
Another important rule to follow is to not send your resume as an attachment, unless the company specifically asks you to do so. If you send an attachment, chances are that it will never even make it to their inbox, but will be deleted or filtered right away by their spam filter or anti-virus program.
You want to be sure your resume is readable by all email programs and doesn't lose it's formatting, creating a jumbled mess and and basically unreadable to the staffing manager when they open your email.
To do this, send your resume in ASCII format. ASCII can be read by every email program, as it is the most basic format for electronic text.
Just create your resume using your word processing program, and then choose to save it as a text file. All you'll have to do is to copy it into the body of an e-mail when you apply for a job, and it will keep your resume from getting all chopped up looking.
Make sure to use your spell-check tool before you click the "Send" button! Spelling errors will stand out right away, and you can bet your resume will be deleted in the blink of an eye!
If you are wondering if you should include a cover letter with an emailed resume, the answer is yes. This should be a very brief summarization, and include what position you are applying for and your qualifications.
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Resume & Cover Letter Center