Experts say a resume is nothing more than a piece of paper, that it won't get you a job. Ha! After being on both the hiring and the hired ends, I can tell you resumes do matter. I study them hard when I get them, and that's easier to do when they're in an electronic format.

You're not far from producing an e-resume, since you probably have a resume stored on your computer somewhere. However, before you send it around, remember that it's probably in a funky format that doesn't jive with an employer's computer system -- the whole Mac vs. PC thing.

Electro-Compatibility

Rich Text Format (RTF) files can break down this computer barrier. RTF is a document type that supports simple formatting, such as bold and italics, but still can be read by various systems. An easy way of making an RTF version of your resume is to go to the Save As function in your word processor and select RTF as the file type.

ASCII (pronounced ASS-key) is just a fancy name for text. It's the vanilla of electronic resumes: It goes with anything, but it's plain. Putting your resume into ASCII is minimizing it to the max. No underlines, no bolds, no italics -- little more than capitals and periods. But ASCII files can be read by nearly any word processor, and many employers request attachments be e-mailed in this format.

Text is wonderfully basic, but if you use it, you need to come up with a style and format that is both easy to read and showcases your abilities. A few tips to keep in mind when text-izing your resume:

• Align everything to the left
• Use capitals instead of bold
• Put everything on a separate line

Going Online

You have free Web space at your disposal. You should have your resume online. Not only do online resumes save you the cost of fancy paper, they're whenever a connection to the Internet is. Plus, if you have any clips or have done any work on a Web site, an online resume is the perfect vehicle for showing off.

Now, you might have learned the virtues of DHTML, animated gifs, and MIDI files, which can make your cyber-resume look and sound like Saturday morning cartoons, but think simple when making an online resume. You can use style and panache, just bear in mind these versions get printed out and passed around, and flashy graphics look lame on paper.

If you remember that simplicity is the key to making it easy for employers to learn about you, you'll have your e-resume up and working for you in no time.