altering CV with job web sites in mind

[dwater]

I've noticed that some job web sites try to parse my CV and it is *that* that agencies/etc get to see. My CV doesn't seem to parse very well. Are there any hints/etc to how to format a CV so it comes out well on the job sites?

For example, I don't have Microsoft Word (it's expensive and I also don't have Microsoft Windows easily available), so I use Google Docs and download as pdf. Unfortunately, I don't think the job sites work too well with pdf and I really need to consider using Word.

Of course, I'd like to avoid trying to keep two versions of my CV - one for humans and one for s/w parsing.

Any tips?

[sal]

PDFs are bad idea as some of the search bots are not working well with them and most agencies slap their headers to your CV when forwarding it to the client which is PITA with .pdf for the average agent. Hence the recommendation to use .doc (not .docx) format for your CV. In that regard:

There is Open office / Libre Office that are free alternatives to MS Word.
There is free MS office trial

Take your pick.

[northernladuk]

How expensive is a copy of Word compared to a day on the bench?

[eek]

How expensive is a copy of Word compared to a day on the bench?

How expensive is a 1 month subscription to Office 365 compared to a day on the bench?

[stek]

How expensive is a copy of Word compared to a day on the bench?

Or nicking it from Torrent sites or using it at work like we all do let's face it...

Also pretty sure Libre Office or OpenOffice or even IBM Symphony (all free) can save in Word format, but I'm not a fan of freeware, it's free for a reason....

For the price of one days worth of a poo or two Office 365 is fine....

[SueEllen]

Or nicking it from Torrent sites or using it at work like we all do let's face it...

Also pretty sure Libre Office or OpenOffice or even IBM Symphony (all free) can save in Word format, but I'm not a fan of freeware, it's free for a reason....

They can and do.

They use to be better at converting documents to .pdf then MS Office.

What you use depends on the features you need and the OS you work on.

[dwater]

How expensive is a copy of Word compared to a day on the bench?

Well, that's a good point I guess, except I would also have to have a computer to run Microsoft Windows...though I have that one in the corner gathering dust, and does it have a copy of Windows on it...primarily Ubuntu, but one of the disks...hrm.

Office 365 might be a better option....looks it up...seems the online version might only be £3.10/month, so not a lot.

I admit that I'm kind of in a 'keep spending low' mode atm, and I traditionally shun Microsoft software - I guess I'll have to get out of that mindset from now on. I don't have Microsoft Windows readily available nor a computer to run it on.

Yeah, OpenOffice might work, though I'm not sure why that would be any better than Google Docs - they both don't have Microsoft's formats as native formats...but allow you to export to them.

I wonder if that is 'good enough'. I wonder how to be sure without getting Microsoft stuff...it's no small thing to have to switch to Microsoft Windows, but I guess that's difficult to understand if you've been using it extensively.

I'm trying to get my student edition of Microsoft Windows 7 going on a spare computer, but I still don't know how to get Microsoft Office...I might have a 'key' for it somewhere that I got when I was a student a few years ago, along with Windows itself (in Finland, where education is 'free')...so that's worth a try.

Gosh, what a faff ...but, yeah, has to be done, and good use of down time I suppose.

[cojak]

Well, that's a good point I guess, except I would also have to have a computer to run Microsoft Windows...though I have that one in the corner gathering dust, and does it have a copy of Windows on it...primarily Ubuntu, but one of the disks...hrm.

Office 365 might be a better option....looks it up...seems the online version might only be £3.10/month, so not a lot.

I admit that I'm kind of in a 'keep spending low' mode atm, and I traditionally shun Microsoft software - I guess I'll have to get out of that mindset from now on. I don't have Microsoft Windows readily available nor a computer to run it on.

Yeah, OpenOffice might work, though I'm not sure why that would be any better than Google Docs - they both don't have Microsoft's formats as native formats...but allow you to export to them.

I wonder if that is 'good enough'. I wonder how to be sure without getting Microsoft stuff...it's no small thing to have to switch to Microsoft Windows, but I guess that's difficult to understand if you've been using it extensively.

I'm trying to get my student edition of Microsoft Windows 7 going on a spare computer, but I still don't know how to get Microsoft Office...I might have a 'key' for it somewhere that I got when I was a student a few years ago, along with Windows itself (in Finland, where education is 'free')...so that's worth a try.

Gosh, what a faff ...but, yeah, has to be done, and good use of down time I suppose.

You ARE an IT contractor and not a freelance lorry driver, aren't you??? If you're Linux then you must have Libre Office, use that and save as .doc

[dwater]

You ARE an IT contractor and not a freelance lorry driver, aren't you??? If you're Linux then you must have Libre Office, use that and save as .doc

LOL, of course. However, being able to save as .doc usually doesn't mean much. In the past, I've tried to go that way and when people with real Word try to read it, it is mostly nonsense.

Has the situation changed and/or your experience is different?

[northernladuk]

You got no friends or family that own a PC? You current client, local library?