You may hear the term e-resume or electronic resume thrown about. It’s used in reference to several different types of non-paper resumes. Did you know there are 5 types of e-resumes that you may need to use? Here are the 5 types of e-resumes you might come across:

1. ASCII Resume
ASCII resumes are also referred to as text resumes. They have no formatting (no bold, italics, horizontal lines etc.) and are created using only characters found on your keyboard. The lack of formatting in ASCII resumes means they are compatible with all software and can be easily pasted into the body of an email.

2. Formatted Resume
A formatted resume is a resume that has all of the formatting of a standard paper resume. It becomes an e-resume when it is sent to an employer as an attachment. Formatted resumes sent as email attachments should only be sent at the employer’s request. Never send an unsolicited resume as an email attachment; it simply won’t get opened.

3. PDF Resume
A PDF resume is a formatted resume that has been saved as a PDF file. PDF resumes retain their original formatting across different software programs and are printer friendly.

4. Posted Resume
Any resume posted to an online database, such as Monster.com, is a posted resume. Typically the easiest way to post resumes on these sites is to start with a text version of your resume that you can simply copy and paste into the forms on each web site you use.

5. Web Resume or Online Portfolio
Some job seekers create their own web resumes with an independent URL. They may consist of a single page web resume, or the site may be a full portfolio with links to work samples, references or other supporting documents.

These resumes are typically most useful for people who are consultants and, therefore, constantly seeking new contracts, people who would benefit from the ability to show a multimedia work portfolio and people who would benefit from showing that they are very “tech savvy”.