How to submit a resume & apply online on NWjobs

Creating a resume online that captures an employer's attention should be easy, but the process is often racked with problems. I'm going to offer you specific ways to improve your resume and its online format for NWjobs, to emphasize your skills so employers will find you.

A key factor to remember is that your online resume has some different rules and guidelines than your hard-copy version. For instance, if you try to use fancy fonts, bold or italics, the lines will get all scrunched together when you paste it into the system. So the first resume you create is going to take some extra time to make presentable, but once saved here, whenever you locate a job you want to apply for, simply log in at NWjobs to send your resume to the employer.

Getting started
On the home page of NWjobs under the red "Jobs" section, click on the "Submit Resume" button. (You can also access this form from within a specific job opening by clicking on the "Apply Online" icon-this will also take you to the same resume-builder section, but only if you don't already have a resume in the system).

Confidentiality and Contact Information
The first fields you'll see are regarding Confidentiality. Click on the appropriate response you want based on your current job search situation:

• Hide all my information. Send it only to the employers I select. This option will keep your resume from being viewed by employers who have access to search the NWjobs resume database. You will only use your saved resume to directly apply for jobs you're interested in on the site. This is probably best for the passive job seeker who is only interested in a select set of jobs.
• Hide my contact information, but let employers view the contents of my resume. This option allows employers to search your resume through the database, but they can't view your name or contact information. The employer can contact you through a blind e-mail form. (This option is useful if you fear your current employer could be searching the database and you don't want them to know you're looking for a new position!) Important tip: If you select this option, be sure you don't include contact information directly in the resume box-employers will see it there. This option blocks only the contact fields from view.
• Hide nothing (often the best choice for most people). This is a good option for the active job seeker who is open to being contacted by any employer that has access to the database, as well as using the resume to apply directly for jobs.

Do complete all the fielded contact information requested: name, address, phone number, e-mail address and password. This information allows you to access your resume from "My Profile" once you've completed it, and is how employers will contact you whether or not they can actually see the information based on the confidentiality level you selected.

Contact & Employment information

• Job Title - use the title of the position it's most likely to be called such as: Buyer.
• Contact Info - name, address, phone number and home e-mail.
• E-mail & Password - this is how your resume is saved and how employers will contact you. Tip: it's best to use your home e-mail and not your present work e-mail. Also, don't use funky e-mail addresses like sexkitten@hotmail.com - employers will NOT be impressed. Best to use a version of your own name.
• Education: degree(s) completed
• Salary Desired: Tricky question. I tried to leave this one blank and the system wouldn't let me. Preserve your salary negotiation power and click on the "open" response. Many times your desired salary is LOWER than what the employer planned to pay and the hiring manager may downgrade your skills if you suggest a salary that is too low.
• I am willing to relocate: If you don't want to move, leave this option alone.

Resume Name
Give your resume a name that identifies which job the resume is tailored to. You can create various resumes focused on different jobs, i.e. Accountant, Financial Analyst, etc. You'll want to be able to easily know the difference when selecting which resume you wish to send during the application process.

Inserting Your Actual Resume
Open your resume in your word processing program, perform a spell check, and save as a text document. You can do this in MS Word by selecting file/save as/ text only. Highlight your entire resume, then copy and paste it into the resume box on the site. The resume tool does not accept any formatting including bullets, bolding or italicizing. It's easy to fix any formatting gaps or awkward line breaks. Put your mouse into the box and simply click. Now you can alter the document. My headings lost their bolding and underlines-I was not able to fix those as the system doesn't allow formatting-so I separated them out on their own line using the return key, making sure they clearly stood out. Bullets can be replaced by dashes or asterisks for a formatted look using text characters. Tip: You can also use HTML if you know how to create formatting.

Add Key Words - At the very end of your resume I recommend you add a section that contains possible job titles and any key job duties that might be used by the employer searching this database. Note: just add these in the resume area, I don't recommend you put this in the primary skills box as the bottom of the resume provides better placement. These words help you to get selected so spend time on the Web site reading ads to be sure every variation of the position sought is noted in this section. For example: this client's job title was "Multimedia Product Manager" but employers can be looking for someone with his background searching under numerous other titles so we listed his keywords as follows:

KEYWORDS Multimedia Product Manager; Multimedia Producer; Executive Producer; Producer; International Distribution; Multimedia Director; Creative Director; Contract negotiations; Documentary films; CD-ROM; Written proposals; Wrote proposals; CD-ROM Product Manager; CD-ROM Publisher; Multimedia Product Manager; Interactive Service Manager; Interactive Games Producer

Primary skills
Since you included keywords at the bottom of your resume, just leave this section blank.

Final Step
Check everything over one more time! Employers notice spelling and typographical errors and many refuse to hire you because of them, so BE CAREFUL. Next, I hit save, only to find I left a few boxes empty in the Employment Information area, and it DEMANDS answers. So, be sure you have all the boxes filled out that have the asterisk next to them-these are required!

Finding your resume again
Voila! You have created your first online resume. Now you can view it in "My Profile" section. Log in and take a look at your resume. Once you are logged in to your profile, you can use the preview function to see what your resume will look like to employers. You can make any final edits to your resume by clicking on the paper and pencil icon. (Don't forget to write down your user name and password for easy retrieval later.)

Apply for a job
APPLY ONLINE: click on the phrase and it will bring up a log-in page. If you only have one resume in your profile, that resume will automatically be sent once you enter your e-mail and password. If you have more than one resume or cover letter, the system will ask you which one you want to send to this employer. WARNING: if you are logged in and searching jobs, hitting the "apply online" button will automatically send your resume if you only have one in the system. Don't let that surprise you! Note that some employers require you to apply through their job system when you hit the "Apply online" link. This may require an additional registration. To save time, you can copy and paste your formatted resume from your NWjobs profile.

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Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, CNN, CNBC and is considered America's top career coach. She is the best-selling author of: 60 Seconds & You're Hired!; Winning Resumes; Winning Cover Letters, and What to Do with the Rest of Your Life. She's the creator of the highly acclaimed audio training program Interview Advantage and The DreamMaker. Robin's passion is helping people find better jobs which she successfully does through her career counseling practice where she offers individual career coaching and resume writing services. A popular national speaker, Robin has spoken to over a thousand audiences on improving their lives and obtaining greater success. To purchase products or contact Robin visit her Web site at www.robinryan.com.