I’m continually amazed at the lack of detail utilized by people who are trying to find a job. They just don’t think about a common sense approach to how it should be done. The thing that prompted this reaction is a resume I received today that had a file name . . . “Resume”!
I get scores and scores of unsolicited resumes every week. Maybe hundreds some months. Anyone who’s in the business of hiring, like recruiters, HR professionals, and hiring managers in corporations all receive many, many resumes every week. It’s difficult to keep them all straight, under the best of circumstances and even with the finest databases and support technology available. My plea to candidates is to help us . . . please! Save a resume document with your name as a part of the file name. Don’t use your initials and don’t use my name! Amazingly, I’ve had resumes sent to me named “Bishop Resume”!
All of us out there in the “people” business need your help! Pick a file name that’s as close to your name as possible, and tell us what the file is! In my case, it would be Bob_Bishop_Resume 9.08 . . . simple and effective. We have some chance of remembering a name (especially if you impress us somehow), and if we can accomplish that we can probably use technology to find your resume and other information. At least we have a fighting chance!
This same thing is true with email addresses. I’ve been just astounded at some of the unprofessional names people pick for their email addresses. Don’t do it. Don’t think of it as a “personal” email address, think of it as a professional email address that you’re using personally. Many candidates have a specific email address dedicated to the effort of searching for a new job, or professional correspondence not coming from their office. They use a separate one for personal use.
While on the topic of email addresses. You should not use the address you used in school, after you’ve graduated and you’re trying to get that first job out of school. Most of those addresses have a (limited) life, and at some point (two years in many cases) are terminated after you graduate. Establish an email address that you intend to keep for a very long time, and use it for your professional correspondence, outside of the workplace.