CONFUCIUS SAY...

Prepare yourself. Read these original Life's Work articles right now:

• Why It’s Important to Have Your Résumé in ASCII Format
• Questions the Hiring Manager Might Ask
• How to Choose Your References

ASCII (pronounced ask-ee) stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

So what’s that mean?

Computers can only read numbers. Technically speaking, ASCII is a numerical representation of the letters, digits, punctuation marks, and other symbols used in conversational English. It was created in 1968 to allow data processors to ‘talk’ to each other and, although it’s been upgraded, ASCII continues to be the ‘alphabet’ almost all computers use to communicate.

That said, when a hiring manager asks for an ASCII or ‘text-only’ version of your résumé, all you really need to know is that they’re looking for an unformatted, plain-text document.

ASCII documents do not contain underlining, boldface, italics, bullets, rule lines, graphics, font choices, or any of the formatting pizzazz you’re used to with contemporary word processors. Because ASCII files are content-driven, they usually lack uniqueness and visual appeal.

So why would you want to deliver such a ‘bare bones’ document to someone you’re aiming to impress?

There are several reasons:

1. Versatility. ASCII documents are universally readable by any computer in the United States. Delivering your résumé in ASCII prevents compatibility issues between applications. Here are a few situations to demonstrate how file-format incompatibilities can obstruct your candidacy.

   Situation #1:	You deliver your résumé in Adobe FrameMaker or Acrobat format, but your target company only uses MS Word.
   Result:	The target company cannot open your attachment and fails to view your résumé.
   Situation #2:	Your résumé uses features only available in the latest version of (say) MS Word, but your target company uses an earlier version.
   Result:	The target company cannot open the file and your efforts are wasted.
   Situation #3:	You create a résumé using a font that is not a standard part of the Windows or Macintosh operating systems, and your target company hasn’t installed that same font.
   Result:	The target company will, in this case, be able to open the file. However, your résumé will not appear as you intended. Among other problems, characters unique to the font you used will be rendered as unintelligible symbols.

   In all cases, it’s unlikely that the company is going to ask you to resend your résumé. They’ll just move on to the next candidate.
   
   

2. Ease. ASCII résumés can be ‘cut & pasted’ directly into the body of an email message or web-based form, without compromising the résumé’s format. If you tried the same trick straight from word-processing applications such as Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, or Adobe FrameMaker, you’d sacrifice most of your résumé’s formatting as well as introduce ugly line breaks and non-standard characters, making your credentials substantially harder to discern.
   
   
3. Speed. Because ASCII résumés can be embedded in an email message, you can avoid sending email attachments, which saves the hiring manager the time and effort of downloading and opening your file.
   
   
4. Safety. Email attachments can carry viruses. Wary recipients may delete your email and its attachment altogether to avoid crashing their system. This really happens, especially in HR departments! By sending your résumé embedded in email, you eliminate this possibility.
   
   
5. Convertibility. ASCII résumés are easily transplanted from the body of an email message into an employer’s database, so your résumé is searchable immediately.
   
   
6. Scannability. Busy companies often use scanning software or Electronic Applicant Tracking Systems (EATS) such as Resumix or ResTrac to wade through their candidate pool. ASCII résumés are ideal, and therefore preferred, for scanning since they do not contain unusual bullets, fonts, or graphics that computers often have a hard time deciphering.
   
   
7. Mobility. ASCII résumés embedded in email are simple to pass around the office. A Human Resources representative simply forwards your message and the recipient can begin examining your credentials within seconds without having to open a separate program.
   
   
8. Marketability. Sending along an ASCII résumé, especially one that’s been edited and laid out carefully, proves you are technologically adept and, in the event that your target company requests such a résumé, a good listener.
   
   
9. Visibility. Job boards are a great way to get your résumé seen by hundreds, even thousands, of employers. These sites almost always require an ASCII version of your résumé.

   Please note:

   If you choose to use job boards, be sure to protect yourself. Eliminate your street address and personal phone number(s) from your résumé. Also, date the résumé, since it will inevitably circulate the web for several months.

Review our five Résumé-Crafting options

GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Questions the Hiring Manager Might Ask

The following are typical, legally permissible questions hiring managers ask. Although there are no perfect responses, you must be able to answer these and similar questions quickly, concisely, and confidently. Remember: how you say it is just as important as what you say.

Career:
• Tell me about yourself.
• Why do you want this job?
• Why should I give you this job?
• What are your reasons for leaving your last job?
• What have you been doing since your last job?
• What have you learned from your past jobs?
• Where do you see your career in five years?
• What are your professional goals?

  Skills and Accomplishments:

• In which areas do you think you need more experience in order to realize your goals?
• What are your strengths? Weaknesses? Tell me how you overcame a weakness.
• How would you describe your comfort level with computers?
• What new skills or capabilities have you developed recently?
• Which of your skills do you consider most applicable for this job?
• Of which work-related project are you most proud, and why?
• Tell me about a project that you think proved your versatility and initiative.
• What would your previous managers say about your work ethic? Your productivity? How about your commitment to the team’s success?
• What would former coworkers say about you?
• How much supervision do you need? How much are you comfortable with?

  Behavior:

• What motivates you (e.g. money, peer appreciation, the opportunity to do great work…)?
• What changes have you made in your approach to others, in order to function in a team?
• Tell me about a project where you had to juggle multiple responsibilities. What would you do differently next time?
• Give me an example of a project where you had to go the extra mile.
• Describe an obstacle you’ve had to overcome and how this affected you.
• How do you respond to doing lots of repetitious work?
• Do you work well under stress? How do you deal with stress?
• How do you handle conflicts? Criticism? How about chaos?

  Extracurricular Activities:

• What’s not on your résumé?
• What are your hobbies and interests outside of work? What do you do for fun?
• Can you travel, if necessary?

  Personality:

• What do you think are the most important characteristics and abilities for success?
• If you had no practical or economic considerations, and you could have any job you desired, what would that job be?
• What’s your favorite book?
• How are you unique?
• If you were an animal, what kind would you be?
• Complete this sentence: “What I really want people to know about me is …”.

  Compensation:

• How much do you want to earn from this job/contract?
• How much were you earning at your last job?
• What other kinds of rewards are important to you?

(Note: You are not required by law to answer questions regarding salary history and expectations. If the hiring manager insists on an answer to the latter, it is to your benefit to give a broad range. Regardless of what figures you provide, be sure to say that you expect compensation that reflects your skills and proven ability to contribute.)

RAVE REVIEWS
How To Choose Your References

Ultimately, the choice is yours as far as who should speak on your behalf. However, here are some guidelines to help you make an informed decision.

1. Generally speaking, your references should include at least one supervisor, a peer, and (if appropriate) a subordinate. Never supply a prospective employer with less than three references.
   
   
2. References should attest to—and be able to elaborate upon—the skills you’ve claimed in your interviews. In particular, be sure to supply references who can discuss your reliability, intelligence, adaptability, conscientiousness, productivity, resourcefulness, and ability to handle responsibility.
   
   If you’ve claimed to have a rare and valuable skill, such as mental telepathy or the ability to translate Japanese into Afrikaans, provide at least one reference who can confirm that you do indeed possess this skill.
   
   
3. It’s important that the references you supply have worked directly with you and that they know the details of your job duties. You might be surprised to learn how many of your co-workers are unaware of what it is that you do all day!
   
   
4. Keep it local. Whenever possible, use references who live and work in close proximity to your prospective employer.
   
   
5. It’s critical that you tell your references in advance that you’re looking for work and would like them to supply a reference for you. Tell them what tasks you anticipate the new job will involve, and indicate which of your skills you expect to be relevant.
   
   Do this in a face-to-face conversation or, if that’s not possible, over the phone. Please, for your own sake, do not do this by email unless you’re absolutely certain you can count on this person saying only positive things about you relative to the responsibilities you’ll have in this new position.
   
   Why? Because you’ll miss the opportunity to witness their reaction to your request for help. If you sense any discomfort or hesitation on their part about giving you a reference, we strongly advise that you DO NOT use them. Our experience is that such people’s anxiety is conveyed in their voices and body language, and hiring managers (telepathic beings that they are) pick up on it, probe deeper, and invariably discover unflattering truths.
   
   
6. Verify all of the information your references provide for you. Make sure the phone numbers are current, and that their outgoing messages are clear, professional, and distinguishable. Ideally, you’ll want direct phone numbers for each reference. However, if they can only be contacted through a switchboard, make sure their extension is included and valid. The same goes for email addresses; make sure they’re current. Send a ‘thank you’ email to your references; it’s a good way to ensure the address is current, and they’ll certainly appreciate your gratitude!
   
   Why all this double-checking? Because there’s nothing worse than enduring weeks and sometimes months of grueling interviews, only to be rejected at the last minute due to defunct contact information for one of your references. We’ve seen it happen. Despite all the ‘warm fuzzies’ you created in your interview, a busy hiring manager may penalize you for wasting his or her time.
   
   
7. Some people, especially colleagues who are still employed at the company where they worked with you, will tell you that they’re sorry but they can’t give you a reference. They’ll cite company policy about having to refer such inquiries to Human Resource representatives, who in turn will only tell callers the dates during which you worked at the company and what your title was when you left.
   
   If this is the case, your references are telling you one of two things, and it’s important that you guess correctly.
   
   
   1. The first option is that they’re reluctant to be questioned because they hold negative opinions about you or your work. Under these circumstances, accept that this person will be (at best) an ineffective advocate for your cause and drop the matter immediately. No amount of education, persuasion, or bribery will change their minds; it’ll only annoy them. Another reason not to persist: companies are routinely sued for wrongful defamation when aggrieved ex-employees learn that a current employee provided negative information about them.
   2. The second option is that the person fears being overheard and reprimanded by ‘the authorities’ for breaking the ‘never give a reference for an ex-employee’ rule.
   
   If you believe a person in category ‘b’ would provide a positive and persuasive reference, simply ask if the hiring manager can call him or her at home, after hours. If he or she agrees readily, you’re safe. Express your gratitude and ‘sign them up’ (being sure to get their home number and an idea of when they prefer to be called). If, on the other hand, they continue to express reservations, desist immediately, thank them, and look elsewhere.
   
   
8. Avoid supplying ‘character’ references who do not have recent, first-hand knowledge of your effectiveness in the kind of job for which you’re applying. They’ll only make the hiring manager wonder why you didn’t suggest someone with more relevant insight into your work.
   
   
9. You may be concerned about ‘burning out’ your references—that is, having them receive too many calls from potential employers or clients. Although this is a nice problem to have, it’s still a problem. To solve it:
   
   
   1. Don’t give your references’ contact information to a hiring manager, Human Resources representative, or recruiter unless they ask and you decide you really want the job. (However, do recognize that if it looks like you’re teasing your prospective employer by withholding this information, they’ll assume you aren’t serious about the position and will focus their efforts elsewhere.) And never include your references with a résumé you post to job boards; recruiters will solicit them for business faster and more persistently than you dreamed possible.
   2. Place limits on how many of your references may be called, and for how long they should be kept on the phone. However, be reasonable about this—three-minute phone calls are hardly sufficient to assess a professional’s qualifications. Most references are willing to devote 5 to 15 minutes of their time to help a current or former colleague.
   3. Use a third-party reference-checking service, such as the one we offer. That way, your references get one call apiece, except for possibly a brief follow-up call from your boss-to-be to confirm the information on the reports.

Review our confidential Reference-Checking service

And we have plenty more to say....

The following five articles are reserved for our customers:

• Interview Do’s and Don’ts
• How to Interview a Company
• How to Interview a Recruiter
• Truths about Contracting
• Topics to Avoid

We draw from our experience as recruiters to develop these articles, and we coach each of our clients with regard to our services, using this same expertise.