Many companies now collect resumes electronically—via email or the World Wide Web. As with any communication with employers, you must maintain a professional tone. An electronic resume that can be easily emailed is essential.

Use a professional sounding email address (not muffin@…, or sexybuns@...)

Make use of the subject header—be specific!

Follow company directions carefully. Some employers will not accept resumes sent as attachments, but will accept them as part of the email.

Avoid using special characters/symbols (LOL or mathematical symbols).

Keep format left-justified.

Do not underline, bold or italicize text.

Stick to a common font: Courier, Ariel or Times New Roman.

To insert a line break, use hard return instead of word wrap.

“Sign” your email with your full name.

Proofread and spell check prior to sending.

Check the formatting of your resume by sending an email resume to yourself.

In your email, ask the employer to inform you if they are unable to read your resume as sent. If you send your resume as an attachment, consider saving it as a text or ASCII document to reduce the chance of sending a virus to the employer.If you post your resume on Internet Job Boards, consider ways to protect your privacy. Email the job board and inquire about security.

Also, use only your email address; do not list your street address or phone number. Even with these precautions, information on your resume and email address tends to indicate your area of residence.