So you started preparing for the GMAT and you are wondering, “What is a good score?” While there is no simple answer to the question of what a “good score” is, here are two ways to evaluate your GMAT score and assess how much preparation you should do (or if you have taken the test already, whether you should apply with the score you have).

Personal Best Effort

Your personal best effort means that you have done all that you can do to achieve your highest possible score. Defining your best effort can be tricky, but you must consider whether you have invested all the resources at your disposal to help you achieve your score. You will have to look critically at what you have done in preparation for the GMAT and what you could have done. You have to consider what you have invested (not just financially but also mentally) in preparing for the test and whether that is all you could have invested.

The chart below shows the correlation between time invested preparing for the test and GMAT score. Over a period of 6 – 10 weeks this would mean investing no less than 10 hours per week working on the improvement of your GMAT score. Assessing whether you have given your personal best effort requires that you ask yourself, at the very least, the following questions:

1. Have I done all the homework and attended all the classes that were in the syllabus?
2. Have I taken all the practice tests that were recommended?
3. Have I evaluated my results and identified specific areas to improve?
4. Have I made my best effort to learn and implement the approaches described?
5. Have I sought out additional help (tutoring, extra classes, email or other online support)?
6. Have I allowed myself enough time to learn, digest, review, and practice the things I was taught?

If you know you did not prepare as well as you should have, then it makes sense to continue to prepare and to take the test again. However, if you know you have put in all the time, money, and mental energy you could into preparing and achieved a score that reflected your best effort, then you should put the GMAT aside and work on improving the other areas of your application.

School Range

Given that the GMAT's only purpose is to help admissions committees (adcom) evaluate candidates for admission, a “good” score can also logically be defined as the score that doesn’t eliminate you from consideration at the school you want to go to. A high score is generally thought to indicate that a candidate possesses the quantitative, analytical, and verbal skills needed for the academic rigor of typical MBA programs. Submitting a score that does not force the adcom to question whether you can handle the work at their school will demonstrate that you are serious about applying to the school and have done your due diligence on the program. When asking yourself if your GMAT score is a “good” score, you should know the range of scores for admitted students at the school you are targeting. For example, consider the table below, which contains several of the top 30 business schools in the country.If you had a GMAT score of 680 and applied to Stanford, which has a mean GMAT of 720, you would still have a "good shot" at admission, since you would fall within the range of applicants. If you were to apply to Kelley, your GMAT score would place you above the mean but would not necessarily make you a better candidate for Kelley than for Stanford. At both schools your appeal to the adcoms will be based more on your other criteria than on your GMAT since your GMAT would be in the acceptable range. Your goal should be to get a GMAT score that makes the GMAT fundamentally irrelevant in your admissions decision (which means that it does not raise questions about your ability to handle the work). If your GMAT score is within the range of the school you would like to go to, then you probably have a “good” score.

Understanding what is needed and setting realistic goals will allow you to make more informed decisions about your continued preparation for the GMAT or whether it is time to move on to the other components of your application. No matter what, you must realize that getting a good GMAT score generally requires a significant commitment of time, energy, and money. This is especially true for those who are starting significantly below the mean score of 535. You should be ready to invest all that you can in your GMAT score and business school future.

Do you think you have the key skills necessary to successfully attain a career in the industry of your choice? Nominate yourself for a complimentary personal counseling session provided by MLT at your college campus. This session is a preview of the services you will receive if you become a Career Prep fellow.
(Eligibility requirements: African American, Native American and/or Hispanic students in the class of 2011.)

Personal Counseling Session includes the following:
· Career readiness checklist- Overview of small but significant steps you can take now to prepare for the career of your dreams
· Elevator pitch- Assistance articulating your personal “brand” to a potential employer
· Resume review- Feedback on resume structure and content

About Career PrepThe MLT Career Preparation Program's mission is to prepare high-achieving minority college juniors and seniors for success in leading entry-level business-related jobs. These positions often lead to admission to top MBA programs and positions of influence in business and the community. This exploratory program exposes students to wide array of career opportunities in various industries and helps students develop key skills that are necessary to succeed in any career they pursue.

Our fellowship offers:
Professional 1-on-1 coaching every month throughout the introspective, internship search, and job conversion processes
4 leadership development weekends co-developed with corporate partners focused on skill-development and immersions
Access to job opportunities through corporate partner- led workshops and exclusive interviewing

Our Results
97% Summer internship placement rate
90+% Full-time offer rate

Nominations accepted here: http://www.ml4t.org/careerreadiness/columbia

Applications are currently being accepted!
First Deadline- February 28th
Second Deadline- April 15th

Sophomores:

Program Components:

What We Look For:

»Current Sophomores in the Class of 2011

»Under-represented minorities of any of the following groups: Black/African, Latin, and/or Native American

»Achievement in and outside of the classroom

»Candidates from all academic disciplines

www.ml4t.org/careerprep

MLT Career Prep Coach's Corner
How's Your Industry Knowledge?
By: Rosalie Schraut, MLT Career Prep Coach

In today’s market, there is an expectation that candidates will be more knowledgeable than any company has seen in the past. However, are you reading the right news, reviews, and blogs that make you competitive? With so much information available on the web, is your source reliable? Or are you reading for fun and not bolstering your understanding of the industry? It doesn’t take much to build your acumen in any area, just a little time.

For those who have little time…a major newspaper with a comprehensive business section is best.

- The New York Times has very good coverage of everything from banking to advertising to science and technology. www.nytimes.com

- The Wall Street Journal may turn many people off, but it is a great source of all things business www.wsj.com

- The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com

If you have a bit more time, you should delve into industry trades, such as Ad Age, Brand Week for marketers, or Automotive News for those in the auto industry. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can ask your mentor what they read.

Finally, there are blogs and op-eds on just about anything. Since these are opinion based, you should keep a critical eye on them.

MLT Career Prep Coach's Corner
Are you getting the word out on “Brand Me?”
By: Rishal Stanciel, MLT Career Prep Coach


How many times have you heard that networking is the key to a successful job search? Well it is absolutely a true statement. According to most job search studies, 65% of new jobs are secured via networking. Personally, I have secured 90% of my jobs over a fifteen year professional career through networking. When I consider that talking to people at my target companies about “Brand Me” and my career goals has led to over $1MM in income, it has really convinced me to be a strong advocate for the art of networking. Literally sharing “Brand Me” with my friends and colleagues, has resulted in securing key positions in my target companies. This has certainly made me a believer in the statement that networking is the key to a successful job search. You might ask, “How do I network “Brand Me?”

In the job search process, it is simply the method of GETTING THE WORD OUT about “Brand Me”. You must communicate who you are, what you have to offer, and what you are looking for to the right target audience in order to facilitate a successful job search. Your primary target audience is comprised of the hiring managers within the companies on your “hit list”. Your secondary target group represents individuals that can connect you with the hiring managers within the companies on your hit list. Just like with any brand marketing plan, you must identify all of the right vehicles to communicate your message to your target market and execute the plan. Your message can be distributed to your target audience in many ways including your 90 second pitch, cover letter, resume, introductory email, phone call, Linked In, Facebook, and any other creative way to communicate “Brand Me”.

Now that you have identified your primary and secondary target audiences and how to reach them, the next step is to Just Do It! This means talking to everyone you know about “Brand Me”, and effectively delivering your message succinctly and effectively. Ideally, you should have 20 to 30 conversations a week on a continuous basis with your target audience. If you are able to talk to everyone you know about your brand and ask them about who they know at the companies on your hit list, then you have effectively extended your network. This type of Word-of-Mouth Advertising is critical to any job search. In essence you have extended the reach of “Brand Me” and greatly increased the number of touch points against your target audience. This represents the art of networking. The ability to effectively network has as much to do with your Brand Identity message as it does with the vehicles utilized, and the persistence of your messaging.

Lastly, tracking the results of your job search plan is very critical. The results of your job search plan should be systematically monitored so that you can continue to evolve your plan, as well as utilize key learnings for future job searches. A simple Excel spreadsheet with your target audience, hit list, and touch points should assist in accurately tracking your results.
In summary, these are the five steps to Networking “Brand Me”:

• Develop the right Brand Identity message—Who are you?
• Determine the right target audience—Hiring Managers & People that know them at Hit List companies
• Decide on the right vehicles to communicate effectively
• Just Do It-Get the word out!
• Track Your results & Maintain your records for future searches

MLT Career Prep Coach's Corner
Professional Ethics
By: Lakshmi Ramanathan, MLT Career Prep Coach

We hear the term “ethics” bandied about in Corporate America today- and often understand it to relate to the ethics of doing business; the code of conduct an organization follows as it deals with customers, shareholders and other constituents. And rightfully so.

However what I would like to put forth is a personal code of ethics that I think each of us should adhere to as we engage in the professional world- as we deal with recruiters, colleagues, clients, etc. You have a sense of self, a sense of personal integrity that you need to be true to. And the reality is you bring this personal self to work- and so it is an essential part of your professional self.

It is easy to ask why when we have witnessed several instances where questions have been asked about the ethics of how companies operate. For instance I have had students ask me why it was important for them not to renege on an offer when companies rescind offers. Or why it was necessary for them to tell a recruiter in plain terms that they didn’t receive a full time offer at the end of a summer internship- especially when there wasn’t a chance that the recruiter would be able to access that information. Questions definitely worth considering.

I go back again to the thought that it is important for you to be true to yourself- because that is the kind of professional you want to develop into as you progress through your career. That is the kind of mentor you want to be when it comes time for you to turn around and lend a helping hand to those following.

And then again from a purely pragmatic perspective, this is a small world we live in- and you never know who will turn up where. So it is smart to be sensible and ethical in your dealing with others- as the recruiter at the company you interviewed with today can turn up at another company you might be pursuing a little while down the road!

So you want to go to business school but you have very limited quantitative skills. You are not alone. A lot of business school applicants have academic backgrounds in humanities or liberal arts. However, if you do not want to be overwhelmed your first year of business school, you may want to build on your quantitative skills. Another reason to attain these essential skills is to help your business school application stand out. If you are showing business school admissions officers that you are already preparing for school, it shows that you take initiative and that you are serious about going to business school.

1) Enroll in a course. You may want to enroll in an online course, at a local community college or find a pre-MBA program.

Here are some of the courses you may want to take to adequately prepare for the first year of business school:

Finance

Accounting

Economics

Statistics

Excel

2) Read some books:

Career Prep Coach's Corner
Cover Letters Matter!
By: Angie Temming, MLT Career Prep Coach

Surprisingly, some candidates actually question the value of a cover letter. As a Career Coach, my question is “Why not?” As one of possibly hundreds of candidates, your cover letter is another grand opportunity to position yourself for the employer and role. It’s also a great way to showcase your solid writing skills and demonstrate your knowledge of the organization. In fact, a good cover letter should supplement, rather than regurgitate, information already offered on your resume.

In developing robust examples for both a cover letter and job interview, think in terms of SAR = situation + action + result. While resumes present actions and results, an effective cover letter also describes the pre-existing situation, challenge or goal; why you decided to take action; and how you did it. For example, your resume may highlight your university, major, graduation date, GPA and relevant coursework. Instead of reiterating much of the same in your cover letter, share a specific class project, your approach and what you’re now capable of doing as a result of this effort. If you worked on a team, even better – cite your role and specific contribution. Similarly, consider leadership and professional development activities listed on the resume. In your cover letter, provide more detail, like why you pursued and/or were selected for such an endeavor; your goals and how you went about reaching them; and the overall impact on the organization and/or your value as a candidate.

In respect to structure, use the same font size and type as on the resume, stick to one page and vary sentence construction to convey a mature writing style. In your introduction, state your purpose for writing the letter; mention the name of a referral, if applicable; and succinctly position yourself as the ideal candidate in one to three sentences: “With X, Y and Z, I believe I am strong candidate for this position.” The next two or three paragraphs are the heart of the letter where you’re expected to share specific examples mentioned above. In your close, again summarize your value as a candidate; express your excitement about the opportunity and eagerness to arrange an interview; and thank the employer for their time and consideration. Last, but not least, proofread your work, because a grammatical error will go undetected by spell-check and could cost you an interview.

Business Week:

* 1 University of Chicago (Booth)
* 2 Harvard University
* 3 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
* 4 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
* 5 University of Michigan (Ross)
* 6 Stanford University
* 7 Columbia University
* 8 Duke University (Fuqua)
* 9 MIT (Sloan)
* 10 UC Berkeley (Haas)
* 11 Cornell University (Johnson)
* 12 Dartmouth (Tuck)
* 13 NYU (Stern)
* 14 UCLA (Anderson)
* 15 Indiana University (Kelley)
* 16 University of Virginia (Darden)
* 17 UNC - Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
* 18 Southern Methodist (Cox)
* 19 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
* 20 University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)
* 21 Texas - Austin
* 22 Brigham Young (Marriott)
* 23 Emory University (Goizueta)
* 24 Yale University
* 25 University of Southern California (Marshall)
* 26 University of Maryland (Smith)
* 27 University of Washington (Foster)
* 28 Washington University (Olin)
* 29 Georgia Tech
* 30 Vanderbilt University (Owen)


US News and World Reports Business School Rankings:

1 Harvard University, Boston MA
2 Stanford University, Stanford, CA
3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), Philadelphia PA
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan), Cambridge, MA
4 Northwestern University (Kellogg), Evanston, IL
4 University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
7 Dartmouth College (Tuck), Hanover, NH
7 UC Berkeley (Haas), Berkeley, CA
9 Columbia University, New York, NY
10 New York University (Stern), New York, NY
11 UCLA (Anderson), Los Angeles, CA
12 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Ross), Ann Arbor, MI
13 Yale University, New Haven, CT
14 Cornell University (Johnson), Ithaca, NY
14 Duke Univeristy (Fuqua), Durham, NC
14 University of Virgina (Darden), Charlottesville, VA
17 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper), Pittsburgh, PA
18 University of Teas - Austin (McCombs), Austin, TX
19 University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler), Chapel
Hill, NC
20 Indiana University - Bloomington (Kelley), Bloomington, IN
21 University of Southern California (Marshall), Los Angeles, CA
22 Arizona State University (Carey), Tempe, AZ
22 Georgetown University (McDonough), Washington, DC
24 Emory University (Goizueta), Atlanta, GA
25 University of Rochestor (Simon), Rochester, NY

I have always committed my time and energy to helping others. I thought that having a law degree would give me the best skills to help others and a path I would take to making a social impact. With a law degree, I could dedicate myself to public service. Through law, I could fight for justice and speak for those who feel they have no voice in our society. I could protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans despite their social status. However, after much reflection, I came to the following conclusions: law involves a lot of paper work and I prefer to actually interact with the group I am serving, lawyers working in the public sector burn out quickly and become jaded, injustice is very hard to fight with the laws currently in place, etc. I felt that if I went into law I would have to fight an uphill battle.

I had never considered business school so I continued with my daily life. Eventually, I ran into an old college friend and we discussed my future career goals. He told me that if I wanted to have a social impact and be able to control exactly how the organization would run that I should look into social entrepreneurship. What was that? How does it work? What kind of skills do I need to start an organization dedicated to helping others? I researched social entrepreneurship programs online which resulted in MBA program listings that specialized in this field.

I never considered how business could lead to social impact. My impression was that businesses were just profit-seeking organizations until I learned about things like corporate social responsibility and the double-bottom line. I began to see business as a tool for social change. I am currently on the path towards attaining an MBA. I have applied to MLT's MBA Prep program and have enrolled in a Kaplan course. I have researched potential schools online and have visited both Yale School of Management and Columbia Graduate School of Business.

Once you make that decision, first 3 things to do before you begin applying:

1) Start studying for the GMAT.

2) Research schools you are interested in. Look at the curriculum, professors, teaching style, facilities, etc.

3) Visit schools. You don’t want to waste time applying to a school that you can’t picture yourself attending.

Gain some insight on writing business school essays.

To listen to MLT's MBA Value Proposition presentation and MBA Prep Q&A, click on the image below:

A Few Pointers on the Letters of Recommendation

1. Don't get one from Lee Iococca. There's nothing wrong with Lee (not that I know of, anyway), but he doesn't really know you and it shows in his letter. The most common mistake applicants make with respect to the letter of recommendation is getting one from a hotshot at work or from a brand name like Lee Iococca. The admissions people are not impressed by your boss's boss's title, and they are regularly bombarded by generic recommendations from celebrity business people. So don't send them another.

You need a recommendation from someone who knows you well, preferably someone who works with you daily and can provide personal insight into your character. The job title of that person is meaningless to the admissions committee.

(And just to confirm, yes, my students have submitted recommendations from brand names ranging from Lee Iococca to Charles Schwab. In fact, the person who submitted the Lee Iococca letter and the person who submitted the Charles Schwab letter ended up at the same MBA program.)

2. Have your recommender discuss specific details of the jobs you've done. Detailing specifics will shed more light on your personality than will mouthing vague platitudes such as, "Billy will make a good leader" and "I think he is very conscientious."

3. This one may sound a little obvious, but pick someone who can write! You know Maury, the section manager who thinks you're the greatest thing on earth but who reads at a 3rd grade level? Don't ask him for a recommendation.

4. When the recommendation asks for a flaw or area of personal improvement, don't let your recommender say, "Billy works too hard." No one buys that line.

5. Give your recommender an outline of the assignments you have handled at work. Include in that outline some suggestions on how he might address specific issues such as leadership potential and motivation for attending business school. In addition to improving the recommendation, providing this information should encourage your recommender to write the letter himself rather than ask you to do the dirty work.

What Type of Program is Best for You?

MBA programs can be as varied as the people pursuing the degree. An MBA can be pursued full or part time. They can last for as little as one year but usually no longer than three.

Full-time programs

The most traditional is the two-year, full-time MBA program. This type allows for a first year of study, followed by a free summer to participate in an internship in the industry of your choice. After their internships, students return for a second year of study and then enter or re-enter the work world. Most often, students either return to their summer employer or pursue a different full-time opportunity after graduation.

There are several advantages to a full-time program, the first of which is the academic experience. During your two years, you will be in a class of students who are, like you, committed to school full time. The student body is likely to be more cohesive in a full-time program, as there is more student involvement because students don't have to balance school and work as they would in a part-time program. This involvement can take many forms, such as more academic events, lectures and symposia, student clubs and social events.

A second advantage is that the traditional program is generally where companies recruit. Most companies enjoy the opportunity to test drive students over the course of a summer before they commit to a full-time job offer. Moreover, most part-time students are committed to their current employer, and as such aren't the most tempting employee candidates. More attention from companies also means more attention from career services. Full-time students are the focus of the career services department because they are usually looking for new full-time employment after graduation and need the most help re-entering the workforce. Career search workshops and other events are usually organized according to a full-time student's schedule, limiting the opportunity for part-time students to participate.

These benefits aside, it should be said that pursuing a degree full time can be extraordinarily expensive. In looking at the total cost of the degree, you should not only consider the traditional expenses of tuition and room and board, but also the cost of lost wages from not working for two years. All included, the cost of the degree can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Part-time programs

As the MBA degree became a respected credential with the power to advance a career, more prospective students emerged, creating a demand for part-time programs aimed at students unwilling or unable to leave work to commit to the traditional full-time business school experience. Schools developed part-time programs that offered courses in the evenings to allow people to pursue their education while also continuing to work.

Companies have recognized the benefits of a part-time program. Many large companies encourage their employees to pursue part-time degrees, often paying for the degree through tuition reimbursement as a way to keeping talented staff. This additional benefit not only produces employees with the management skills companies need, but also reduces the risk of losing those who may have otherwise pursued a full-time degree.

The primary advantage of a part-time program is the flexibility allowed for its students. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on specific days, most schools have courses that will fit your schedule. Additionally, the cost of a part-time program can be much lower than a traditional full-time program. The cost is minimized by lower tuitions and absence of room and board because students usually live at home, coupled with the fact that you are still able to work during the degree. This eliminates much of the cost, which reduces the need to borrow money to finance your education and living expenses during your time in school.

The drawbacks of a part-time program include limited career services and opportunities for recruitment. Student using an MBA to switch careers may find themselves limited by the lack of recruiting opportunities available in a part-time program. However, if you are committed to staying with your current company or within the same industry, this weakness is minimized.

A second drawback is that part-time programs generally offer less camaraderie because students are less involved with the school. Between work, school and home life, students just don't have the time to participate in things like student clubs and associations. The lack of camaraderie can also be traced to the flexibility of the degree program. In most full-time programs, you will get to know your classmates because you are a part of the same class, taking the same core and elective classes. As part-time programs can stretch for several years, each class may greet you with new faces of students at different points in their business school careers.

Another thing to consider is the perception of the part-time program. Just because a school's full-time program is well regarded, it doesn't mean its part-time program is. Many schools create part-time MBA programs that have little or no reputation for producing talented graduates. If you decide to pursue an MBA part time, make sure that your degree will be well respected. The best way to research the reputation of a degree program is to find out where recent alumni are working. Another approach is to look around your current employer or a company you want to work for; if there are no alumni of your prospective program working there, you may want to look for a different program.

Executive MBA programs

After the evolution of the part-time program, business schools searched for the next group of potential students. With the knowledge that part-time programs still do not work for people whose jobs leave them little time during the week to pursue an MBA, the executive MBA program was born. In its simplest form, the executive MBA program is like a part-time program with classes held on Fridays and weekends once or twice a month. To have professors and staff available on weekends, schools generally charge premium prices. With the cost of executive programs being so high, they only really cater to students who are sponsored by their current employers.

The advantages for the executive MBA program begin with the same flexibility provided by the part-time program. While pursuing an executive MBA, you are able to continue your current career, though you will have to take off some Fridays to go to school. An additional benefit of the executive program is that most schools have included room and board—and sometimes even meals—in the price of tuition, just in case you live outside of the immediate area. So the typical traveling executive will travel to school on Thursday evening, taking classes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning before returning to his home city. This feature allows you to choose an academic institution that caters to your specific needs, rather than just selecting the school that is near your home.

The primary drawback of the executive program is the expense associated with the degree. In addition to tuition, you can be faced with the cost of traveling to and from the school frequently. These high costs make it necessary to be sponsored by your employer. This sponsorship is likely to be much more selective than for a part-time program because of the expense involved in the executive program, and often includes a period of commitment of three to five years after graduation.

Accelerated MBA programs

Another type of nontraditional MBA program that has become increasingly popular is the accelerated MBA program. These are in demand because students can avoid taking two years off from work, thereby reducing the opportunity cost. Accelerated programs condense an MBA curriculum into a period of 12 to 18 months. Most U.S. students thinking about accelerated programs also consider schools overseas because European master's programs only last one year, so we will lump European programs into this category.

You Got the Look: Crafting the Right Resume Appearance

The properly prepared resume of a less-experienced candidate can trump a poor resume from a more-experienced candidate. The difference between a good resume and a bad one is the difference between a new job and continued unemployment. But armed with the proper instruction on how to negotiate the art, writing a powerful, clear resume can be as easy as filling out a form. Here are a few simple rules about a resume's basic look.

^ Font

Don't get creative. Really. What you want in a font is not a decorative design choice, but a simple, easily read font that shows you mean business. In other words, when looking for a font, think gray suit.

Unacceptable Fonts:

Courier font: If you didn't have to write your cover letter on a 1930s travel typewriter, why make it look like you did? This font looks like the default font of a malfunctioning computer and is also notorious as the typeface that mediocre high school students use because of its massive, page-filling size. Do you really want such a dishonest font representing your words?

Say no to anything that looks remotely like handwriting or hints at it, like italicized versions of regular fonts. This is a business document, not a thank you note to a neighbor. And these fonts are difficult to read.

Avoid any font that looks like it would be more appropriate on a mediaeval manuscript or the label of a malt-liquor bottle. No Ye Olde Fonts. No historical-period fonts at all, for that matter. No art-deco twenties, no early-80s computer geekdom.

Whatever you choose, remember this: what impresses readers the most should not be the letters on the page but the words they spell.

Paper

A stroll through most business supply stores will reveal a sea of paper choices, from traditional plain white to hot pink and purple. Outlandishly colored resumes are to be used by people whose jobs demand more dramatic visual statements: hairdressers, fashion designers and clowns. The rest of us need to focus on the understated dignity of whites, light grays, and ecru. Use the same paper for your cover letter.

Envelope

While many employers say they do not focus their attentions on the envelope a document is sent in, others do. To some, a resume's wrapper can be a factor in their evaluation. Shannon Heidkamp, the recruiting manager for a division of Allstate Insurance says, "If a resume is being sent snail mail, the envelope should be typed." Typing the envelope is especially important if you have messy handwriting.

Scanning

Since so many business now scan resumes into computers, so they can be better accessed for future reference, a job applicant has to consider a few additional factors about his resume's appearance.

Scanners often have a difficult time reading underlined, italicized and bolded text or any unusual font (which you shouldn't be using anyway). Scanning also can create problems for those who write their resumes on anything but plain white paper. Even gray and white-flecked paper has been known to cause problems on picky scanners. A good way to test your paper's scanability is to photocopy your resume printed on the paper you plan on using. If the copy comes out blurred, dark, specked, or anything but white, think again about sending it out to a big company: their scanners might not be able to distinguish the information on the page from the page itself.