Question about sending resumes via e-mail

[Stagnant]

I am currently finishing up college but I am looking for a Production Assistant or Associate Producer position at one of the local TV stations. I have sent my cover letter and resume to some stations with openings listed on their websites by both regular mail and e-mail. All of the positions listed say not to call.

I am also sending a cover letter and resume via regular mail to some places with no listed openings but I am interested in working for them. I also have these places phone numbers and plan on giving them a call... should I send them an e-mail as well or would that be a little too much?

Thanks

[ January 18, 2005, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: Stagnant ]

[Lense_Cap]

Personally I would send a hard copy if you're serious about the job. But if you want to send your resume via e-mail i would find a server you could keep a .PDF file on and send them a link to that... or just attatch the file to your e-mail. The thing about a PDF (Adobe Acrobat portable document file) is that it's fairly universal (assuming that the recipiant has an updated copy of Acrobat reader) and is read only. So no matter what word processor you use it will always look the same and print out the same. For employers, format is very important when you're looking at several resumes. A poorly formatted resume will get tossed pretty quick. If you want some ideas PM me and I will send a link to my online resume for you to check out.

[WV24fpspro]

Lense Cap is correct; pdf is the most accepted standard and keeps the format of the document is the proper perspective. One additional issue to consider is: does the person getting the document have the most up to date version of Adobe Acrobat PDF? Note that some documents created on version 6 or above are not properly compatible with some of the older versions.

Would it be appropriate to provide a link on a resume to provide updates and/or downloads to people who don't have the proper readers?

[Shaky & Blue]

The down side to PDF format is that not all computers (including NDs' machines) have it installed. Yes, that's stupid, but it's true. And it's not a matter of simply installing Acrobat on the machine in question, because the IT guys at many stations have all the computers restricted so that only administrators can install applications. So you may be sending your PDF file to someone who can never see it, because he doesn't have Acrobat and can't install it on his machine.

Likewise, many IT guys set their mail servers to strip off ANY attachments sent into their systems to avoid having boneheads open .exe files and infecting their systems with worms and viruses. That means that if you send it as a .doc or .pdf attachment, or even as a simple text attachment, it'll get stripped off so that the ND never even gets the chance to see it.

The most sure way to get your resume to your target electronically is to simply make a text version of it and include it in the body of your email. It doesn't look quite as good that way, but you can format a decent informational picture of yourself in text that will get the point across. In fact, I got my current job on a text resume pasted into a form on a website; they never saw my hard copy resume until I showed up for the interview.

Don't ever assume that the person you're targeting has either the machinery or the knowledge to handle computer files of any type. You'd think by now everyone would have caught up, but sadly that isn't the case.

[Lense_Cap]

well there is always HTML. You can just format your resume to look like you have it on paper and create a web page that looks just like it. That way you can just send the link and BINGO. Even in the most restrictive environment a plain HTML page can be pulled up using the default browser. Now the trick is formatting it in a way that it will print correctly. That can sometimes be a challenge, but is not impossible. I like tables, it's the easiest way to format HTML content and is readable by almost (if not every) modern browser. If you don't know how to code your own HTML you can use and editor like Front page (not my favorite but usually included with Microsoft Office Suite) or Dreamweaver, which I use and love.

[2gigch1]

Use snail mail.