The e-resume, short for electronic resume, is a vital tool for today's job seeker. But what exactly is an electronic resume? Even among career experts, opinions vary about what is or is not an electronic resume. It's a broadly used term that covers several types of resumes. What ties these resume types together is mode of delivery. Rather than traditional modes of resume delivery - snailmail, faxing, and hand-delivery - e-resumes are delivered electronically - via e-mail, submitted to Internet job boards, or residing on their own Web page. Then there are sort of middle-tech cousins of e-resumes, scannable resumes - used less and less frequently these days - that are in print format but are ready to become electronic resumes through optical scanning.

You absolutely MUST have one

Your e-resume must be loaded with keywords

Your e-resume must be accomplishments-driven

Technically speaking, an e-resume is not too difficult to create

Text-based e-resumes are the ugly ducklings of the resume world, but you can dress them up a bit

E-resumes are highly versatile

You must tailor the use of your e-resume to each employer's or job board's instructions

Take advantage of job-board features to protect yourself and get the most out of posting your e-resume on the boards

A few finishing touches can increase your e-résumé's effectiveness

Katharine Hansen