Understanding the Technology
by
ResumeEdge.com
- The Net's Premier Resume Writing and Editing Service
When your paper resume is received by a human
resource department that uses a computerized applicant tracking
system, your resume must first be transferred from paper into binary
information that a computer can read before it can be stored in
the resume database. This is accomplished with a scanner that is
connected to a computer running a special kind of software that
can examine the dots of ink on your printed page and determine by
their shapes which letters they represent. This is called optical
character recognition, or OCR for short.
This software matches patterns with sets of characters
stored in its memory, which is one of the reasons why it is important
to choose a type style (or font) for your resume that conforms to
normal letter shapes. If you use a highly decorative type style,
the OCR software will have difficulty making matches and will misinterpret
letters. This means your words won't be spelled correctly, which
of course means that a keyword search for the word bookkeeping will
never turn up your resume if the OCR thought you typed bmkkeepmg.
For now, let's assume that you have designed
a resume that the scanner can read. First, depending on the company's
procedures, your resume will be received directly by the recruiter
assigned to fill a certain position (if the job was advertised)
or by the human resource department in general (if you have sent
your resume unsolicited).
When the recruiter has finished reviewing your
information, your resume is added to the stacks of resumes to be
processed by the computer that day. A clerk will then put your resume
into the automatic feeder bin of a flatbed scanner, separating your
resume from the one above and below it with a blank piece of paper.
Within seconds, the scanner has passed its light over your pieces
of paper and the software interprets the black dots of ink as letters
of the alphabet. The computer then begins extracting information
to fill in its electronic form, which will become part of your resume
in cyberspace.
From Designing the Perfect Resume, by Pat Criscito.
Copyright 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's
Educational Series, Inc.
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