Teena Rose is a columnist, public speaker, and certified/published
resume writer with Resume to Referral (http://www.resumebycprw.com).
She's authored several books, including How to Design, Write, and
Compile a Quality Brag Book, 20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer, and
Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales.

In 1986 when a college graduate embarked upon their first job search
in the professional world, the first task was to break out the
Remington typewriter, grab some fresh sheets of paper, and start
plucking away at creating a resume. Just 20 years later, it seems
like a prehistoric way to put a resume together.

The typewriter went the way of other prehistoric creatures, replaced
by the personal computer, which essentially creates resumes the same
way a typewriter did, with fewer errors and more efficiency. Now,
the latest technology is again threatening the way job seekers put
together their resumes, making the emailed MS Word document, once
thought of as cutting edge, an endangered species.

Several high-tech alternatives have become players in the resume
market, including Web resumes, PDFs, Flash, and even video resumes
called "talkers."

The Web-based resume is becoming extremely popular for those in the
high-tech and creative industries who also have portfolios to show
off. These Web-ready HTML resumes can be packaged with samples like
art work, advertising pages, or Web creations, are available at a
moments notice, allowing employers to view data with one click of a
link. The resume never gets lost, and can be viewed by any employer
in any city, 24 hours a day. Once it's on the Web, your work is
pretty much over. No folding up your resume and stuffing it into an
envelope, not to mention buying stamps. Even if you don't have your
own Web space, there are many websites that offer free space to post
your resume.

The PDF resume is also gaining popularity. It's similar to a Word
resume, but provides a sort of digital coating. PDF, which stands
for Portable Document Format, lets resume writers produce a secure
and reliable document that can't be altered once it hits someone
else's email inbox. If a Word document is saved as a PDF, it retains
all the original content, including images, graphics, etc. On the
receiving end, a potential employer must have the Adobe Reader to
view the resume, but that's typically not an issue since the
software is free and a basic component for most computer users.

Flash resumes are adding some spice to the job-hunting world. Flash
is brand-name software used for creating interactive websites and
other digital experiences. The Flash resume can be a bit like making
a movie, and has the potential to add as many bells and whistles as
you like. These resumes are a big hit in the creative industries,
although they can be simple and straightforward enough to appeal to
every employer.

There are a handful of services online that provide all the
templates and formatting for a Flash resume. You just have to fill
in the information. When applying for jobs, however, you don't email
employers your resume since the files would be too large. Instead,
job seekers should get Web space and upload the Flash resume as part
of their online presentation.