Formating Email Resumes

May 18, 2005 8:07 AM

I want to apply for an internship, and the posting says to send cover letter, resume, and references via email. My question is: how exactly should this be done?

Do I format my email as cover letter and attach my resume, or is the cover letter expect to be included in the attachment?

Is there a preferable method for resume-presenting other than attachment?

Is MS Word the best format for attachments?

posted by dagnyscott to Work & Money (15 answers total)

I've always used the email message as my cover letter and sent the resume and references as attachments. Some places don't want attachments, and those places usually specify no attachments in their ads.

MS Word is the standard format for attachments.

Good luck!
posted by SisterHavana at 8:11 AM on May 18, 2005

When I've done this, I've usually sent my cover letter as the body of my email and attached my resume twice: once as a Word doc and once as a .txt file. Some companies have parsing utilities for resumes that will work more easily for them if you just hand them .txt (save them a cut-and-paste).
posted by gurple at 8:12 AM on May 18, 2005

My standard method that works for most recipients is to write the email as the cover letter - in more of a standard "cover letter" style with salutation, signature, and complete sentences in paragraphs - rather than email style. Then I attach the resume and references (2 separate documents) as MS Word files. However, this is relating to employers and/or recruiters in the tech industry, so if you are dealing with nonprofits or literary institutions, they might not have the latest and greatest. You should probably contact the organization and see what they prefer. (On preview, sometimes I also attach a .txt version of the resume, along with a sentence in the cover letter explaining that I have sent the resume in both versions in case they have problems with the MS Word file.)
posted by matildaben at 8:14 AM on May 18, 2005

Attach the documents to an e/mail as a file that can be read by any computer. I would recommend either a text (.txt) file or, if you want to preserve the formatting, as a PDF file.

My agency is Mac based, when people send me Word files I can read them but they might look like crap... PDF is always good, plus it shows that you have the sense to not assume that everyone is using Word...
posted by HuronBob at 8:14 AM on May 18, 2005

I've always sent them as an attachment with two components. First, a pdf with the cover letter, resume and references as pages 1, 2, and 3 looking just like they should when you priont them. Second, I add an additional attachment with all three in one plain text file, clearly marked "plain text".

This way no matter the system they are using they can read it. But look closelyt at the announcement, some employers ask for the info in the body of an email. Monster has a similar, though slightly different plan.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 8:16 AM on May 18, 2005 [1 favorite]

I never send them as an attachment. I use the cover letter and resume both as the body of the email, then repeat them both in a PDF file which I make available for download via a link. There's a 100% success rate with this method.
posted by Mo Nickels at 8:22 AM on May 18, 2005

A lot of them want to copy and paste text out of the resume, which you can't do with a PDF.
posted by matildaben at 8:30 AM on May 18, 2005

How to Copy Text From a PDF (Acrobat) Document
posted by kirkaracha at 8:39 AM on May 18, 2005

In the past, I've had luck writing a friendly (but formal) note in the body of the email and then attaching a formal/standard cover letter and CV (Word and plain text files). In fact, I got an interview (and subsequently a job) over specialists in the field as a result of my email message. This may not work in all cases, though.
posted by lumiere at 8:49 AM on May 18, 2005

I write a line or 2 in the email saying both covering letter and c.v. (Word) are attached. Maybe I should stick in txt files also hmm? I figure most times they will want to print a few copies to give to their HR dept. and whoever's on the panel and a formatted letter looks better (says me, having just assumed they will have MS Word) - and I prefer saving the .doc's together --- I say this because I'm in the midst of applying to quite a few jobs and this is easier to organize for me.
posted by peacay at 8:51 AM on May 18, 2005

As someone who has received many a resume via email, I can tell you what I prefer to receive:

In body of email:
Formal cover letter
Resume and references in plain text form

AND:

As attachment:
Word .doc of resume / references

This enables me to quickly scan the email to see whether the applicant has the qualifications I seek, plus gives me the ability to save / print out a nicely formatted document for a file copy and / or to show my executive producer and / or the appropriate department head.

This is in the TV industry, however; practices may vary in whatever industry you're in.
posted by dersins at 9:06 AM on May 18, 2005

Non-technologically astute offices might react negatively to the informality of a cover e-mail. If the ad does not specify what format they want the cover letter and resume, I recommend attaching both as a PDF.

This is especially true for large organizations, where the person you are e-mailing is probably not the person who decides whom to interview. Often, your e-mail goes to a secretary or HR person, and all they will do is print what you've sent and pass it along. You may as well make sure that everything with your name attached is as good-looking as possible, so that means a real cover letter. PDF is also good in these situations, because you know exactly what your PDF will look like when printed on someone else's computer. The same cannot always be said for word processor files.
posted by profwhat at 9:38 AM on May 18, 2005

I've been attaching the resume and the cover letter (both .doc format) and in the email I write something like, "Hey, I'm applying for this job and these two things are attached, thanks for your time." (obviously much more formal than that but you get the idea).
posted by elisabeth r at 9:44 AM on May 18, 2005

Here's another tip if you haven't thought of it yet: Don't attach your files as just "resume.doc" / "resume.pdf" or "coverletter.doc" / "coverletter.pdf"-- include your full name or some portion thereof in the filename as well. People sorting and storing a pool of applicants will thank you.
posted by safetyfork at 10:25 AM on May 18, 2005

Use LaTeX if you want extra points for style. It blows Word squarely out of the water. There are various free CV packages for LaTeX available on the web.

You can choose from a lot of output formats, I think PDF will probably be the most appropriate in your case.
posted by koenie at 4:45 PM on May 18, 2005