There is a lot of confusion today as to the correct format of a professional resume-as to what is acceptable and what is not-and what is most effective at getting an employer’s attention to the get the interview. One of the most compelling areas of grief is how to format a paper resume as opposed to an email resume. Quite pointedly, with so much talk about email resumes and online applications, less and less attention has been given the paper form-which is not to say that employers do not still request them. They offer a means of showing thought to presentation in not just format and content, but also paper choice, ink, and collaboration of pages. So-for someone sending a paper resume that is more than one page, should they-in fact-staple the document? Yes, simple things like this do and have separated a winning job candidate from an unhired one! Read on to find out the correct conduct.
A resume sent in paper form should never be stapled, and here are the main reasons why. First, it is common these days that human resources departments scan resumes into their computer database as soon as they are received. With a staple included, this makes the process more difficult for them. Second, resumes are documents that are reviewed by countless people and studied carefully-if chosen for further interest-and without a staple, a resume is much easier to reference. Third, more often than not, an employer will copy a resume that they have received so that their supervisor, department , or hiring partners can have a copy for reference. Staples make copying very difficult.
This said, a two page resume should be combined in some way or form to avoid losing pages, and staying organized; so what is one to do? Use a paper clip or some other form of removable clip that can allow the hiring manager to do what they will with the document, while still keeping the information together.