Definition:

A resume (chronological or functional) formatted to read well when scanned and searched by optical scanning systems.

Employer Rating:

Some large employers use electronic resume processing systems (or "automated applicant tracking systems") to handle large volumes of resumes. A smaller employer may subscribe to a scanning service that offers them a way to automate this function for their small (or non-existent) human resource department.

The resume is scanned and entered in a database that the personnel department or the hiring manager can search by keyword.

For example, a department manager may search the database for a candidate with
4 years of Teleconference Training or 8 years of JIST (Just-In-Time) Inventory Control.
Not only must your resume include any relevant keywords, you must avoid fonts and formatting that will not scan properly into the system such as italics, bold and fancy typefaces.

Works Best For:

The verdict is out on this! Are there really jobs offered on the basis of these employer databanks? Or is it just a convenient way for companies to manage a flood of paper? While any resume you post to an electronic resume job bank must be in a suitable electronic format, you can't always know if the resume you send to a classified ad is going into one of these databanks.

Electra's advice: If you are applying to large companies (say, more than 100 employees), there is a possibility your resume will be scanned. Prepare for this by reading about electronic resumes and preparing an electronic version of your resume. Ask your professional network for advice: Is this a common practice in your industry?

FAVORITE SITE---
Rebecca Smith's eResumes & Resources is, hands down, the BEST site on dealing with the glories and the hassles of online resumes.
Gallery of Electronic Resumes is packed with samples of both email resumes and Web versions. Nice tips are provided on formatting & attachments in FAQS of Resume Posting Online and Attachment Anxiety.

The Riley Guide: Online Job Application: Preparing Your Resume for the Internet
A good outline of types of electronic resumes (as well as some myths about them.) Includes step-by-step instructions for preparing a mail version, a scannable version and an Internet version.

Yahoo - Business and Economy:Companies:Employment Services:Resume Services
A general listing of commercial (meaning for a fee) resume writers and resume databanks. You can't be sure, of course, how effective many of these resumes are--but you can see samples from other job seekers in your field. You may get some ideas!

Recommended Books on Electronic Resumes:

Job Searching Online for Dummies. Pam Dixon.
Excellent coverage in Part II: "Building Your Electronic Toolkit."

Electronic Resume Revolution: Create a Winning Resume for the New World of Job Seeking. Joyce Lain Kennedy & Thomas Morrow.
[ Joyce Lain Kennedy is a syndicated columnist writing for the Los Angeles Times, among other newspapers.]

Finding a Job on the Internet. Alfred and Emily Glossbrenner.

Using the Internet in Your Job Search. Fred Jandt & Mary Nemnich.