What should you not do when including your job resume in your email?

Most employers that I have ever worked with specify that they want your resume in a certain format (typically Word). If they didn't specify, I would probably send it in Word format anyway. Any major company should have virus protection in place to avoid such issues. Of course, you could always ask what format they would like.

i never realize that...but it has been very common to send job applications through email with an attachment of the resume that i did not think much of it. after all, they specifically request to send a Word file with the resume attached :D

This is a very valid point, but like yourself I would not have previously thought about it. Most companies are now becoming almost neurotic about viruses, but I can understand that due to the dependance of companies on their computer system to support the business. My own company do not even allow me to send an attachment. I can email in to my work related inbox, or that of anyone else at work, but if I send an attachment the email will be deleted and never arrive.

If it appears in the body of the email it is more apt to draw attention. If the employer needs to open the attachement to read it, it may just go overlooked.

I copy and paste it also. Because there are so many viruses out there, I think it is best for the potential employer to feel safe about viewing my resume. Also, copying and pasting is a quicker view for them. If they had to open it...and think about opening it...it could waste some time and it may never be view or catch the employer's attention.

I have sent it in both as an email and as an attachment. From my experience most prefer it as an attachment. It can be download and then printed

There is no fixed standard format and is totally an employer dependent option. normally they ask you to attach your resume in word or a plain text format and you would have to stick to that. so never get worried of passing virus to the other end with your attachments and FYI it's still the most widely used option to send and receive files. :) Thanks

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Well, it depends from company to company. Majority prefers resumes as attachment, some companies prefer the candidate to actually register in the company website, and some in text format only. In my case I have submitted only through atttachments. To bring out the effect on the name of the topic you have posted, I would ask every one to keep their resumes in a very well know location in their computers. You wouldn't like to mix it with other unrelated documents leading you to attach a recipe instead of your resume unknowingly...

When I was searching for a job I would send my resume as and attachment, in a PDF file, unless it specifies Word.

The company should have virus protection. Unless specified otherwise, I send mine in pdf format. There are some free converters that will convert your Word doc into Adobe pdf. It takes up less space in their inbox. Anyway my resume is typed up in Excel! Makes it easier to line up the columns :)

All the employers have adequate security system in place: the correct way to send a resume is with a covering letter: almost all employers of any merit have formated the resume in the order in which they require: but if the employer has defined the way it has to be sent, OK go ahead.

Firstly i have to thank u for posting such a good discussion as i came to know a lot from the responses and comming to the point,Most of the job seekers send their resume in attachment form and most of the recruiters also prefer the same.It purely depends on the company in accpeting ur resume and if they insist only then i suggest u to go for this copy and pste method and if they do not just send as an attachment and dont worry abt the virus problem as the virus cant be transfered thro word or text format.So keep sending the resume in the attachment rather than the copy and paste method....

The problem with copy pasting resume in email as text is that the formatting goes completely haywire due to different email systems at different places. It only leads to problems for the employer to make sense of the mail. Moreover, most of the email engines and companies have stringent checks built-in to scan all incoming mails. One solution is that one should write a brief summary of his profile as part of email and send main resume as attachment. So, even if the attachment can't be opened, the summary should suffice to interest the employer.

I didn't know that. I usually do whatever they ask me to do.

As per company's request. If they requested to include your resume as attachment then you can do it. But most of the company do not accept attachment for most of the viruses are emailed in the form of attachment. So most of the time I include my resume as part of the body of the letter itself... Hope this helps.

Thanq for your valuable advise. I generally attach my resume when applying for a job. Even though I found a column like "PASTE YOUR RESUME HERE" I wouldn't care for that. At that time I was confused why they ask to paste and to upload the resume. But now I got an answer for my question. Thank you, Thank you very must. From now onwards I prefer to paste my resume.

send in the word format

i'm in habit of sending resume as an email attachment. there are some employers also who provide a table type of thing at the body of the mail to send sone information. But i think the should have virus protection to open the CVs. its the most general way of sending resume.

There are a few factors to take into consideration when doing either. Most important, if they specify a format do so exactly. If they don't, here are a few things to think about. 1. If you copy and paste your resume it may not appear the way you expected. Their email preferences aren't the same as yours. That could result in your resume looking sloppy. 2. The attachment you send may be a file type they can't open or they may have images blocked in their email. 3. Don't worry about an employer being concerned about getting a virus. I can't think of any email provider that doesn't come with virus detection. 4. They most likely have virus protection software on their computer. 5. Lastly, your best option for sending your resume is as an attachment in the format of a PDF. They are the most stable file format for sending text attachments. Everyone can open them. Good luck.