Copying and pasting your resume into a Web-page form is one of the most common ways to apply for jobs online. After you submit your application, human resources professionals and hiring managers study your resume and might even compare your qualifications with other job applicants. For this reason, you need to make sure the text from your pasted resume shows up in the employer's applicant tracking system according to the expectations of selecting officials -- precise and professional.
Step 1
Read the online application instructions on the Web page to discover how the hiring employer prefers applicants paste the resume for review. Some instructions might ask for a plain-text format, or ".TXT." Other employers may instruct users to copy and paste from a word-processed or rich-text format (".DOC" or ".RTF," respectively). Some companies don't offer any specific formatting instructions at all, simply stating on the Web page to "Paste Your Resume Here."
Step 2
Open your resume document in your word processor program. Use your mouse to drag the cursor across all of the text in your resume, beginning to end. Right-click on the highlighted text to reveal a menu. Select "Copy."
Step 3
Move the cursor back over to your Web browser that is showing the online application. Place the cursor in the blank text field where you are to paste your resume. Right-click on any spot in the blank field. Select "Paste" from the menu. Avoid clicking the "Submit Resume" or similarly labeled button so early in the process, if one immediately appears or activates after you have pasted your resume.
Step 4
Edit the text in the field if your resume lost its structure and formatting after pasting. Special fonts, bolding, italics, underlining and bullets may or may not transfer from the word-processed document into the blank field, depending on how the employer set up the Web page. Correct extra spacing and indentation issues as well.
Step 5
Exercise some of the rules for pasting a plain-text resume, if this is the employer's preference. Remove special characters, such as accent marks over letters. Left justify everything, including employment dates. Use the Space Bar key for indentation instead of Tab. Press the Enter key after every line for a hard break.
Step 6
Look for a button on the Web page that allows applicants to review the resume as a rough draft before it is finalized and submitted to the company, such as "Preview" or "Save Draft." Proofread your resume to make sure there are no formatting issues and that no important information is omitted.
Step 7
Click the button that submits the final version of your resume to the employer, such as "Submit" or "Upload."
