How Selecting The Correct Rsum File Name Can Help You Get Hired
When you name your résumé file correctly , it makes you look more professional to an employer. It also makes it easy to find your résumé. Hiring managers are always busy, so they do not want to waste time opening each document to find your résumé.
If you have correctly named your résumé, you can apply for jobs that suit your skills without applying by yourself. Yes, when you join the LoopCV platform, you do not need to waste time searching for job applications online. Instead, you can channel your energy in preparing for the interviews.
LoopCV allows you to apply for more jobs without spending any time at your computer. Imagine being invited for an interview for a high-paying job that you did not apply for. And this is only one of the advantages of joining the LoopCV platform.
How To Choose A Resume File Name
When it comes time to submit a resume, you want to make sure that every part of the process reflects who you are as a professional. Sometimes that means paying attention to the file name and type of your resume. This is something that’s easy to overlook but can make a difference. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of your resume file name, along with how to choose a resume file name and type, before you apply for your next position.
How To Name Your Resume Or Cover Letter
Once you have chosen the best file format, the next task is to decide the name for the file. You should put a clean and clear name for your document.
If it is a resume save it with the word resume followed by your first and last name. In between the names you can use underscore if you prefer. For example:
- Jacksonsmithresume.pdf
- Jackson_smith_resume.docx
- JacksonResume.pdf
Similarly when you save your cover letter include at least your first name or last name as a part of the file name. See the below examples:
- coverletterjanesmith.doc
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How To Name A Resume
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William Shakespeare once asked, whats in a name? When it comes to resumes, names are very important as they are the first thing a potential new employer will see about you. You want to tell potential new employers who you are and why you are the person for the job. This article will show you how to combine your name with a summary statement to create the perfect title for your resume. Once you have done that, you are ready to apply for jobs and stand out from the crowd. Just see Step 1 below to get started.
Get Your Resume Right
Apart from getting your cover letter and resumes file names and file types down, youll also need to make sure that the content within those documents especially your resume is well-written.
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Why Is A Resume File Name Important
A resume file name is the first thing that distinguishes your resume from the rest of the crowd when applying for jobs. Following resume file name conventions makes your resume easier for employers to locate and to understand what file it is they are accessing. Keeping resume file names brief and highly readable also works to your benefit as an applicant.
Most recruiters and talent scouts don’t spend a lot of time scanning resumes. It may be just a matter of seconds that makes the difference between your resume getting selected for an interview or not. Perfecting your resume file name is one way to ensure your resume stands out, for instance, in a database where company resumes are held or on a web platform, like Indeed.
Having the right resume file name will make your resume more searchable on job websites and in email inboxes, so if someone is looking for your resume they will be more likely to find it. If it’s short and to the point, it’s easier for a busy recruiter to absorb at a glance. The resume file name is one small way to ensure you are capitalizing on every opportunity to make a good impression and be competitive.
Why Naming A Resume And Cover Letter Is Important
Many applicants make the mistake of applying for a position digitally with a resume or cover letter file which has a generic name, such as resume.pdf, or unprofessional like Document_1.pdf. Although what is inside the file once its opened will be more important to a hiring manager, its still important to make a strong choice when naming your resume or cover letter. Not only does a professional name reflect well on your attention to detail, but it also makes your hiring managers job easier. When many candidates all apply with generic names on files and are stored in a folder of applicants for the job, its hard to differentiate them from each other on their computer. Your professional resume name will help you stand out and make it easier for the hiring manager to stay organized.
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Tips For Creating A Resume Filename
You think you have your hands full with your resume, your cover letter, your application in general. So it may be crazy to realize that when a future employer downloads your files to read, youre then competing not with other applicants resumes, etc., but with their resume filenames. Its true! The game starts as soon as you hit send.
Heres how to make sure you have a good filename for your resume.
1. Include Your Name
It seems silly titling a file with your name when its your file in the first place, but always title your job materials as though you were titling it from the recipients point of view. You leave out your name, and your file is likely to be lost in the shuffle. Plus, having your name directly in the file means your name is being seen, even when the file isnt being accessed! Anytime the recipient opens that folder or looks for another file, theres your name.
2. Keep It Snappy
You dont want a run-on filename. Keep it under 24 characters and spacesplus the .doc extension. Many computers only show the first 24 characters, so avoid getting elided or truncated on their screen.
3. Follow the Rules
Letters and numbers are all fine, plus a few standard keyboard symbols You can capitalize where correct thats particularly useful if you have a long name and need to omit spaces to save space. You can also use dashes.
4. Include the Word Resume
5. Leave Out the Version Numbers
So What Is A Good Filename For Your Resume
The most appropriate filename for a resume or cover letter is, naturally, your name. The hiring manager will be more likely to think it is a legitimate file and therefore, will be more likely to open it. It will also help them to find your resume or cover letter if searching for it via their mailbox. If your name is particularly long, you might want to abbreviate it. As a general rule, you want to keep your file name as short as possible, while making it easy to find and recognise. For instance, if your name was Bernard Theopolopotis, you may want to shorten it to B Theopolopotis resume. In this way, the hiring manager will still be able to find you, but it will keep it neat and professional.
Resume and cover letter filename examples
The naming convention used for your resume should match the one used for your cover letter so as not to confuse the hiring manager. For example, if your resume filename is A_Greenwood_Resume, your cover letter should be A_Greenwood_CoverLetter and not Alice_G_CoverLetter.
You should generally prioritize your last name since its more professional and can help differentiate you since other applicants may have your same first name.
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Keep It Casual And Memorable
First off, a resume is a marketing piece, not a legal document. It should not be confused with any legal document, like a check, job application, last-will-and-testament, to which one would normally sign ones name.
Besides, being formal or doing what everyone else does isnt necessarily the best way to market ones self as a unique individual. The idea here is to get some name recognition going. Adding a middle initial just adds another bit of data to obscure your name. Lets put it another way would your boss or co-workers know you by your middle initial? They usually call you by an informal first name and your surname, right? The people reviewing your resume should be looking at a name that sounds approachable and similar to other names of co-workers. Bob Greene is just easier to recall and more approachable than Robert F. Greene.
Is your given name just a bit too common? The John Smiths of the world, all 897,324 of them, might want to add the entire second name to the header for a little pizzazz. Better to add the second name, though, than just the initial, in my opinion. Or go back to first and second initials.
Skip the Junior and the III, IV, and V, though. Most recruiters are too overworked to be interested in whether there were two, three, or fifty Vincent Aaron Van Aardvarks in the family tree before you.
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What Employers See In Your Resume File Name
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The details matter. When youre competing with other candidates for a job, employers are going to notice which potential hire put the most care and attention into getting it right. In a few recent articles, weve pointed out that employers can read more into your contact information than you realized you were communicating, as well as what leaving half a blank page could be telling them.
One of the most overlooked details on candidate resumes is what they call their file. Not the resume title at the top of the page, but the actual file name as it is saved and more importantly shared.
When employers receive your resume as an email attachment, the first thing they read before theyve even opened it is the name of the file. So that is their real first impression of the document.
The example I use to illustrate this is from one time when I was hiring a content editor for a website I was publishing. This was a couple of years ago, so lets say it was in 2016. One candidate emailed me his resume to apply for the job. The attachment to his cover letter email was called Irwin_Jones_Editor_Jobs_Resume_Updated_2014.doc
Based just on his file name, before Ive even looked at the resume, heres what I assume about Irwin Jones. He applies for different kinds of jobs, and this is the resume that he uses for positions as an editor. He also may or may not have updated it two years previously.
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How To Save Your Resume Or Cover Letter
resume.doc not 1. Keep the format consistent across itemsand always save as a PDF2. Include your last name in the document name
- Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf i.e., Jane-Doe-Resume.pdf
- Firstname-Lastname-References.pdf
3. Consider including the job title as well
- Firstname-Lastname-Resume-Role.pdf i.e. Jane-Doe-Resume-Technical-Assistant.pdf
Resume File Name Tips
Before sending your resume to prospective employers it is important to be aware of the following resume file name best practices
- Dont just name it Resume.
Every detail of your resume, including the resume file name, should help it to stand out from the rest. A generic title like resume.doc does the opposite of this. How will a potential employer be able to differentiate your resume if it has same resume file name as the others?
- Include your name
This will ensure that the prospective employer knows the resume is yours. Each time they open, close, minimize or maximize it, the resume file name will make it clear whose resume it is. If you leave out your name, your resume may be lost in the first shuffle. Choose a resume file name which includes your name.
- Use the word resume
Just as its important for the employer to know that it is yours, it is also important for them to know what it is. Use the word resume as well as your name. It is typical to send multiple files in a job application, make sure it is clear which file is which. If this is confusing it will be off-putting, and your resume will be dismissed.
- Keep it professional
- Dont include version numbers
- Keep it short
- Use capitals where necessary
There is no unwritten rule stating that you cant use capitals in a resume file name. Dont write the whole thing in capitals but use them as you would normally, theres no harm in capitalizing the first letter of each of your names.
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How To Name Your Rsum File When Applying For Jobs
According to statistics, hiring managers receive about 250 applications for a corporate job opening. Out of the 250 applicants, several people will save their résumés with generic titles like resume.doc. .
These résumés get lost instantly and the chances of being opened are very low.
If you want your employers to not miss your résumé file when applying for a job, here are few ways to do it:
How To Name Your Cover Letter File
Your cover letter will be attached to the resume so it’s not as important but you should still use best practices when naming your cover letter.
It should follow the same principles but you don’t need to include the title of the position. Your name and “cover letter” works best in this situation. This also makes it easier for the hiring manager to locate you in the database.
Here are some examples of good cover letter file names:
AllenSmith.CoverLetter.Doc
Sarah.Brown.CoverLetter.Doc
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Get Your Resume Naming Convention Right And Position Yourself For The Job Right From The Get Go
Aside from your resumes content, it is also important that you give your application documents the appropriate filename. Make it easier for both the recruiter and the applicant tracking system to identify and record your documents.
Avoid using generic labels for your resume. Big companies receive hundreds of applications on a daily basis. You wouldnt want your documents to get lost in that big pile of resume haystack, would you? By using filenames like resume.docx or myresume.docx, there will be difficult to distinguish it from all of the other files sent by the other applicants.
The best way, of course, to identify your resume is to include your name in the naming convention. It will be easier to track your documents. It would be better to use both your first and last name so that your resume wont be confused with someone elses. Acceptable formats are: John Brown Resume.doc / BROWN, John Resume.doc / John-Brown-Resume.pdf.
If you have a common name, you may include your middle initial in the filename: John E. Brown Resume.doc. Also, it is very important that your documents and your online professional profiles are named consistently. If your resume is labeled as John E. Brown Resume.doc, then also use John E. Brown in your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ profiles.
In CV Saviour, we follow the following procedure in naming and saving our clients marketing documents.
For example:
BROWN, John Sales Executive April 2016
What Is The Best File Format To Use For Your Resume
Not all file formats are created equal.
You’ve written your resume, keyword-optimized it, and had at least three people edit it. Now it’s time to save your document and send it out. But have you saved it in the best resume file format for hiring managers to process?
We’ve all been taught to polish our resumes, divide them into readable sections, and stay away from writing in the first person, but what about the actual fire format? No one ever mentions that detail. Which file format should job seekers use to upload, email, and submit their resumes? The answer: It depends on the situation.
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How To Name Your Resume File
Executive & Leadership Coach who helps individuals take ownership of their leadership and career.
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Dear Coach Wolfgang:How do you name your resume document that you send to employers?
Good question! We dont really take time to think about this question. You may be inclined to name you resume document resume. It makes sense, especially when it is kept on your computer in your job search folder. It is a name that is easy for you to find because you are only concerned with reviewing and editing your own resume.
What Should You Name Your Resume File
You should name your resume file First-Name-Last-Name-Target-Job-Title-Resume. For example, Robin-Walker-Marketing-Assistant-Resume.pdf would be a good resume file name.
Using your full name and the job title separated by dashes or underscores makes your resume file immediately identifiable to the hiring manager, who may receive hundreds of applications.
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