Instructor: Robin Wood - rwood 'at' cccoe.k12.ca.us - 925-934-5653
Robin Wood has been a Computer Instructor with the Contra Costa Regional Occupational Program (ROP) for over 15 years. ROP provides tuition-free job training to adults. At the ROP Technology Center you can learn the computer skills needed to get a great job or to advance in your current career. If you would like to learn more about the Microsoft Office or Web Design and Development classes that are offered through the Contra Costa ROP visit http://www.jobskillsnow.com or call 925-942-3436.
Visit my Amazon Store @ http://astore.amazon.com/robinswebdesignr/ for additional recommended Microsoft Office and job search related books.
Click View > Toolbars > Customize
Uncheck Standard and Formatting toolbars share one row
Click View > Toolbars
From this menu you can turn on and off all of the Word toolbars. The Standard and Formatting toolbars should always be turned on. The Standard and Formatting toolbars contain all of the frequently used Word functions. A check next to the toolbar name indicates that the toolbar is turned on.
You can also Customize your toolbars from this menu.
| Standard Toolbar | Formatting Toolbar |
 |
|
There are four viewing modes in Word; the viewing options can be changed from the View menu or at the bottom left corner of the Word screen just above the Status bar. These modes change the way the document looks on the screen. The two view modes most users use on a daily basis are Normal and Print Layout. Normal does not display the margin area, it essentially only shows the text on the page. Print Layout replicates what your document will look like when printed and is the preferred viewing mode. Web Layout is used when creating web documents. If your document ever looks skewed on the page, you may want to check to see if you are in Web Layout instead of Print Layout.
Expanding MenusWhen viewing a menu, the full menu may not display. If there are additional menu options there should be a chevron 
at the bottom of the menu. Click the chevron to display the rest of the menu options. If you do not like the sliding menus, you can turn this option off in View > Toolbars > Customize and uncheck Show full menus after short delay.
I recommend that you learn these shortcut keys because they can be used in most software applications. For example, CTRL+A will select your entire document and CTRL+C will copy the content in Word. You can then open Internet Explorer and use CTRL+V to paste your content into a new mail message or an online application form.
| CTRL+N |  |
Creates a new document |
| CTRL+O |  |
Opens an existing document |
| CTRL+S |  |
Saves the current document |
| CTRL+P |  |
Prints the current document |
| CTRL+Z |  |
Undo!! |
| CTRL+C |  |
Copies the current selection |
| CTRL+X |  |
Cuts or moves the current selection |
| CTRL+V |  |
Pastes either copied or cut text into a new location |
| F7 |  |
Spell check |
Word does include several résumé templates that you can use to create your résumé, but I am not a big fan of them. I've found that many people have a hard time editing the formatting so I tend to create résumés using a blank new document.
Click the New Document icon to quickly create a new blank document with 1" top and bottom margins and 1.25" left and right margins. Click File > New from the menu to access a variety of pre-built Templates (legal, letters and faxes, memos, calendars, agendas, résumés, brochures, reports and web pages).
Click the Open icon or click File > Open and Navigate to the file that you want to open. Select the file and click Open.
The default margins in MS Word are 1" top and bottom and 1.25" left and right. Typically you will want to have the same setting for the top, bottom, left, and right margins on a résumé. Depending upon the length of your résumé I would recommend anywhere between .75" and 1" margins.
Click File > Page Setup will allow you to access the Page Setup options. This includes margins, paper size, paper source, and layout.
The top of your résumé and cover letter should include your name, address, telephone number, and email address. Type this information on the page pressing the enter key after each item. After you type this information select the lines of text and click the center align icon or press CTRL+E.
Notice that centering contact information as show above takes five lines of text; maybe more if you include other contact information like your cell number or web address. Alternatively, you can set tabs to align content or use a table; both methods are described below. Using tabs or tables will help to save space on your résumé; you can reduce your contact information from five lines to just three.
Tabs are useful for aligning contact information and dates of employment. Typically I align all of my dates of employment along the right edge of the page. I set a right align tab to to do this. It's a good idea to set the tab before you begin typing the text, but you can add the tab after the text has been typed on the page, just be sure to select the text you want to effect before you set the tab. If you set the tab when you first create your document your dates will be perfectly aligned.
First select the type of tab that you want to set by clicking the tab type icon (highlighted with yellow in the image above - right tab is displayed). Click once on the ruler where you want to set a tab, this will set the tab and place a backwards L 
(right tab) on the ruler (highlighted with red in the image above). If you want to remove a tab drag the off the ruler.
Tabs can also be set in Format > Tabs.
The above example is one method of laying out your job title, employer, and dates of employment, it is not the only way. In fact, if you want to easily convert your résumé to electronic format avoid the use of tabs. Instead use a layout like this:
1991-present - ROP Instructor, Contra Costa County Office of Education, Pleasant Hill, CA
Job details here
You can also use tabs to align your contact information at the top of your résumé.
Inserting TablesTables can also be used to align information on a résumé. They are perfect for aligning contact details. Click Table > Insert > Table.
Set the Number of columns and rows to 3 and select Fixed column width and click OK.
To remove the black borders from the table click Format > Borders and Shading and select None and click OK.
A gray grid will still appear around the table, but this grid will not print. It can be used to align your header content. Click inside the top, center cell and type your name, click in the first cell of the second row and type your address, click in the first cell of the third row and type your City, State, and Zip. Type your contact numbers and email in the 3rd column of the table as shown in the image below.
Move your mouse pointer over the vertical grid line 
and hold down your left mouse button and drag the line to the left or right to adjust the column width.
Use the alignment tools to align the content in each cell. Center align your name, left align the address information, and right align the content in the 3rd column.
Once you're done adding content and aligning the content then you can turn off the grid lines. Click Table > Hide Gridlines. (Be sure to do this if you are going to email your résumé!). Here is a sample of what the finished contact information should look like.
Tables can also be used to align two or three-colum, bulleted lists of qualifications in your résumé.
Many people use the spacebar or press the tab key repeatedly to align text. You NEVER want to do this when your résumé will be sent electronically. Using the spacebar and tab key repeatedly demonstrates a lack of computer skills. Employers can view the formatting used on your résumé by clicking the Show/Hide formatting icon 
. Turning the formatting marks on displays exactly how the document was formatted. Take a look at the contact information formatted with spaces and tabs below.
While this content looks nicely centered on the page when it prints the formatting in the above example demonstrates that the applicant does not know how to use Microsoft Word. Pressing the spacebar is represented by dots and the arrows indicate that the tab key was used in the above example. Avoid using the spacebar and/or pressing the tab key numerous times to align content on the page.
I usually recommend that you type a majority of the text and then apply formatting. If text has already been typed into the document you must select it before you apply formatting.
| To select | Do this |
|---|---|
| Any amount of text | Drag over the text. |
| A word | Double-click the word. |
| A graphic | Click the graphic. |
| A line of text | Move the pointer to the left of the line until it changes to a right-pointing arrow  , and then click. |
| Multiple lines of text | Move the pointer to the left of the lines until it changes to a right-pointing arrow, and then drag up or down. |
| A sentence | Hold down CTRL, and then click anywhere in the sentence. |
| A paragraph | Move the pointer to the left of the paragraph until it changes to a right-pointing arrow , and then double-click. Or triple-click anywhere in the paragraph. |
| Multiple paragraphs | Move the pointer to the left of the paragraphs until it changes to a right-pointing arrow , and then double-click and drag up or down. |
| A large block of text | Click at the start of the selection, scroll to the end of the selection, and then hold down SHIFT and click. |
| An entire document | Move the pointer to the left of any document text until it changes to a right-pointing arrow , and then triple-click. |
Sometimes the mouse can be a little tricky to select text. You can also select text with your keyboard. Select text by holding down SHIFT and pressing the corresponding key below will select text blocks.
| Press | To Select |
|---|---|
| SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW | One character to the right |
| SHIFT+LEFT ARROW | One character to the left |
| CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW | To the end of a word |
| CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW | To the beginning of a word |
| SHIFT+END | To the end of a line |
| SHIFT+HOME | To the beginning of a line |
| SHIFT+DOWN ARROW | One line down |
| SHIFT+UP ARROW | One line up |
| CTRL+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW | To the end of a paragraph |
| CTRL+SHIFT+UP ARROW | To the beginning of a paragraph |
| SHIFT+PAGE DOWN | One screen down |
| SHIFT+PAGE UP | One screen up |
| CTRL+SHIFT+HOME | To the beginning of a document |
| CTRL+SHIFT+END | To the end of a document |
| ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+PAGE DOWN | To the end of a window |
| CTRL+A | To include the entire document |
| CTRL+SHIFT+F8, and then use the arrow keys; press ESC to cancel selection mode | To a vertical block of text |
| F8+arrow keys; press ESC to cancel selection mode | To a specific location in a document |
Select the text and click the Center icon 
or press CTRL+E.
You may want to make your name, headings, or certain accomplishments stand out. You can do this by bolding the text. Select the text and click the Bold icon 
or press CTRL+E.
Bullets call attention to text. They are good for highlighting key accomplishments and other significant information. When you want to use bullets type the text pressing the Enter key once between paragraphs. Select all of the paragraphs that you want to apply the bullets to and click the Bullets icon 
. Alternatively you can use the Numbering icon 
if you would like a numbered list (not typically used on résumés). Here is an example of using bullets to highlight experience:
Relevant Experience
Office
You can customize the bullets by selecting the bulleted text and clicking Format > Bullets and Numbering.
You can select on of the predefined styles or click Customize > Character to select from thousands of bullet styles. From the Symbol Font List select one of the characters from the Symbol, Webdings, or Wingdings sets.
Avoid using fancy bullets or too many different bullet styles on your résumé. I would stick with one or two different bullet styles on the page. If you use more than one bullet style be sure that they look attractive together. Don't use bullets on everything; bullets should be used to highlight key accomplishments.
Indenting helps to offset accomplishments. Select the paragraph that you want to indent (triple click a paragraph to select). Click the increase indent icon 
to indent the left side of the paragraph by 1/2" (each click increases the indent by 1/2").
The indent markers on the ruler can also be used to indent paragraph text. Select the paragraph and drag the left or right indent marker to the desired location.
Finally, the easiest method of indenting text is to click Format > Paragraph and typing the values that you want to indent by in the Left and Right boxes.
A hanging indent (the first line of text is at the margin and the second and succeeding lines are indented by 1/2") can also be set in Format Paragraph. Select the paragraph of text, click Format > Paragraph and set Special to Hanging. Set By to .5" or the desired amount.
Click the Save icon or click File > Save. Select the folder that you want to save the file in, give the file a name in the File name box and click Save. If you want to rename an existing document, select File > Save As; give the document a new name and click Save. You may want to have multiple versions of your résumé, use File > Save As to create a copy of your résumé.
Character formatting allows you to make your document more attractive. The most common formatting tools are located on the formatting toolbar.
Select the text that you want to format and use the Formatting toolbar to apply the formatting. You can also format text via Format > Font.
When you're formatting text avoid using more than two fonts on your résumé. Arial is a good choice for headings and Times New Roman is great for the remainder of the document. It is important that your job search related documents are easy to read, which means that they have enough white space and not a lot of fancy formatting. The only time you would want to embellish your résumé with a lot of formatting is if you are in a creative field and are using your résumé to also showcase your skills.
The Format Painter 
is one of my favorite tools. It is used to copy formatting from one block of text to another. Highlight the text that contains the formatting that you want to copy and click the Format Painter icon . The mouse pointer will change to a small paint brush 
. Select the text that you want to apply the formatting to and the format is copied to the text. If you want to apply the formatting to several instances of text double click the Format Painter and the formatting will be applied to whatever text you select until you turn the tool off by clicking once on it when you're done.
Reveal FormattingYou may need to figure out the formatting used on a word or paragraph. Select the text that you want to reveal the formatting for and press Shift+F1. The Reveal Formatting task pane will appear with information about the selected text including: Font, font size, alignment, indentation, etc.
Non-printing characters 
can be very helpful when you are trying to troubleshoot a layout problem in your document. Non-printing characters include: spaces, tabs, and paragraph marks. Remember that employers can also look at your non-printing characters to see how you formatted your document; non-printing characters display your proficiency with Microsoft Word.
Right ClickUsually when you are working in an application you click the left mouse button to click and object to select or activate it. The right mouse button is used to display "context sensitive menus". Right click text and a menu will appear with text editing options. Right click the toolbars and a menu will appear with options for turning on and off the toolbars. The right click is very handy when you can remember where a menu option or feature is; try to right click on the option and usually the needed feature will be available.
Undo and RedoCTRL+Z is a lifesaving shortcut. Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but if you make a mistake you can press CTRL+Z or click the Undo icon to undo your last action. Many people press undo repeatedly to undo their last several actions. Instead, click the small down arrow next to the undo icon and select all the actions you want to undo at the same time. This can also be used to redo actions.
Your résumé will always be a work in progress. You will need to update it frequently depending upon the job that you are applying for. You may need to move or copy words or entire paragraphs of text. You will also want to copy your résumé into email messages and online job applications. The shortcut keys (CTRL + a specific letter can be used in all applications, so take the time to learn them).
Select the text you want to copy. Copying text makes a duplicate of the original, if you want to move text use Cut. Do one of the following:
Click the Copy icon
Press CTRL+C
Click Edit > Copy
Right click the text and select Copy from the menu
Using one of the above actions copies text, graphics, or other objects to the clipboard. After copying, move your cursor to the location where you want to copy the text to and do one of the following:
Press the Paste icon
Press CTRL+V
Click Edit > Paste
Right click the place where you want to copy the text to and select Paste from the menu
Copy and paste can be used between applications. Text can be copied from Word and then pasted into an email message or an online job application. For copying and pasting between applications I always use the shortcut keys CTRL+C to copy and CTRL+V to paste (or place) the content into the desired location.
Select the text you want to move. Do one of the following:
Click the Cut icon
Press CTRL+X
Click Edit > Cut
Right click the text and select Cut from the menu
Using one of the above actions moves text, graphics, or other objects to the clipboard. After cutting, move your cursor to the location where you want to copy the text to and do one of the following:
Press the Paste icon
Press CTRL+V
Click Edit > Paste
Right click the place where you want to move the text to and select Paste from the menu
The Clipboard can also be used to copy or move text. To access the Clipboard click View > Toolbars > Clipboard. When you copy or cut text or other objects they are stored in the Clipboard (the last 12 objects). Hover the mouse over the clipboard object to display the contents of the clipboard item (see image to the right). Move your cursor to the location where you want the text or object inserted and click the clipboard object you want to insert.
CTRL+C (copy), CTRL+X (cut/move), CTRL+V (paste) can be used in all applications. You can copy your entire résumé, by pressing CTRL+A to select the entire document and then press CTRL+C to copy. Once the résumé is copied it stays in the clipboard until you copy something else. You can compose a web based email, click in the message body and press CTRL+V to paste your résumé into the body of the message. You can also paste your résumé into an online form on a job board instead of retyping the document. You can also copy and paste the contact information at the top of your résumé to a new Word document to create a cover letter, reference page, or thank you note.
Line SpacingThe Format > Paragraph dialog box also contains line spacing commands; here you can change the spacing to 1.5, Single, Double, or a specific measurement.
The spacing before and after a paragraph can also be set. This controls the spacing between paragraphs, whereas line spacing controls the spacing within a paragraph. Set the Line Spacing to Exactly 11pt to compress each paragraph slightly. Make sure that when you adjust the line spacing that the characters don't touch each other or appear too crowded.
It's important to have enough white space between paragraphs so your document does not look too crowded; use Spacing Before and After to create space between paragraphs. Adding about 6pt After each paragraph will make your résumé more visually appealing and less crowded.
Spell check is not a replacement for proofreading! Always proofread your documents carefully, especially your résumé and cover letters. In fact ask someone else to proofread your résumé too. Reread your résumé 24-48 hours after you've written it to triple check for errors. You never want to send a résumé out with typographical errors!
As you type a paragraph of text the spelling and grammar checkers are working. When you make spelling or grammatical errors, you will see red squiggly lines under the misspelled words and green squiggly lines under the grammatically incorrect sentences. Right click the squiggly line and a menu of word/sentence suggestions will appear.
Click the desired replacement from the menu that appears.
You can run the spelling and grammar check at any time by clicking the Spell Check icon from the Standard toolbar.
The ThesaurusDo you find that you use the same word multiple times in your résumé? To look for a synonym for a word, right click the word and select synonym. A list of synonyms will appear. From this menu you can also access the Thesaurus. You can also access the Thesaurus from Tools > Language > Thesaurus.
Adding a border below your contact details A border or line below your contact details helps to separate your contact information from the body of your résumé and adds visual appeal to your résumé. To add a border, select the line of text that you want the border to appear below and click Format > Borders and Shading.
Select the style of border. I would recommend that you select the first style, a single line, only. Keep the color set to automatic (avoid fancy colors on your résumé). Adjust the width to the desired thickness. Click the Bottom border icon 
and click OK.
Borders can be used to separate other sections of your résumé.
When you apply a border to a table the apply to box will say "Cell". When you apply a border to a regular line of text the apply to box should say "Paragraph".
Depending on your profession (technical, professional, managerial) you may need to have a two page résumé. While it's typically better to have a one page résumé, if you have a two page résumé then you will probably need to insert a page break at some point in the document. If your résumé does spill over to two pages make sure that you use appropriate spacing before and after paragraphs to make the content fill both pages. You don't want a résumé that is a page and a half. You always want to have white space on the page; your résumé shouldn't looked squished on the page.
Press CTRL + Enter or click Insert > Break > Page Break > OK.
Deleting a Page Break
I think it's easiest to switch to Normal View (View > Normal) to delete a page break. The Page Breaks will appear on the page.
Click on the Page Break line and press the Delete key.
If your résumé runs onto two pages then you will probably want to include a header at the top of the page the includes your name and contact information. Don't forget to include the contact information, if page one of your résumé gets lost on the hiring manager's desk they will still have your contact info.
It is best to work in Print Layout when you're working with headers and footers; click View > Print Layout. Select the page that you want the Header or Footer to start on (page 2 if you do not want the header/footer to appear on page 1). Select View > Header/Footer.
The Header and Footer boxes will also appear. Here you can input the text that you want to appear at the top of every page (header) or at the bottom of every page (footer).
The Header and Footer toolbar will also appear. You can add predefined (auto) text blocks, page numbering, date, time, and access the page setup functions from this toolbar.
Clicking the Page Setup icon 
will allow you to turn off the header and footer on the first page (select Different First Page). Do not add the header to the first page of a résumé.
Click the Close icon on the Header and Footer toolbar to exit the header/footer.
You can edit any header or footer by clicking View > Header Footer.
You can print envelopes for mailing your résumé and cover letter; this gives a more professional appearance.
Click Tools > Envelopes and Labels. Select Labels.
Complete the Address info and click Options. Select the desired label size from the list (5160 is the most popular. It creates 3 columns and 11 rows) and click OK. Click New Document to preview your labels. You can then print them on label paper.
Find and replace is used to search for and replace existing text in a document. Click Edit > Replace to display the find and replace dialog box.
Type the text you are searching for in the Find what box. Type the text that you want to replace with in the Replace with box. Click find next to find the first instance of the word. Click the Replace button if you want to replace the text or click Find Next to find the next occurrence of the word.
Alternatively, you can select Replace All to replace all occurrences of a word or phrase. Be careful with this, you don't want to inadvertently replace items.
You can also use the Find and Replace box for special characters and even formatting!
Click the Print icon to quickly print the entire document to the default printer. Alternatively, click File> Print to send the document to another printer, set the number of copies to print, or print specific pages in a document. When you're printing your final résumé print on high-quality white, off-white or ivory paper. Make sure that you get envelopes to match your résumé paper.
Quick Cover Letters I personally think that you should use the same style header on all of your job search documents, but in case you need to create a quick cover letter there are many Letter and Fax Templates built into Word. These can be very useful for creating cover and thank you letters. To access the templates click File > New. From the New Document Task Pane select On my computer. Click the Letters and Faxes tab and select the letter style that you would like to use (Contemporary, Elegant, Professional, or Letter Wizard). You can then personalize the cover letter by typing in your contact details where indicated.
I would recommend deleting the template contact information and pasting a copy of your résumé's header into the template. Doing this gives your cover letter and résumé a consistent look. Remember to use the same fonts that were used on your résumé.
You can also add some generic content to the body of your cover letter, but remember that it is important to personalize each cover letter for the job you are applying. Mass mailing cover letters and résumés is not an effective method of landing an interview.
Once you have personalized the template to suit your needs you can save it as a new template for future use. Click File > Save As.
In the Save As dialog box set the Save as type to Document Template and type the File Name. Click Save. It is important that you do not change the file location of the template. Templates should be saved to C:\Documents and Settings\Yourloginname\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates.
To access your new template click File > New. From the New Document Task pane select On my computer. Click the General tab and your cover letter template should be available for use.
You can also use this template for thank you letters. Remember to always send a thank you letter after an interview. Thank you letters give you an opportunity to reiterate your desire for the job, highlight your skills that may relate to the job, show excellent follow-up skills, as well as, thank the interviewer for their time. Send your thank you notes within 24 hours of the interview. Also send thank you notes to anyone who helps you with your job search. Thank you notes can be handwritten, as well as, typed.
The template can also be used to create a list of references. Highlight the date, inside address, body of the letter, and complementary close and press the delete key. Type the following information for each reference:
First and Last Name
Title
Company
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Create a double space between each entry by pressing the enter key twice. Make sure that you ask permission before you use someone as a reference; never list a person without obtaining permission first.
While it is nice to have a well formatted résumé for "human eyes" many times your résumé will be scanned into a database. For database use a simple, non-formatted, ASCII (text only) résumé is best.
Before creating your ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange, Text Only) résumé, create free e-mail account with Hotmail for classroom use. If you already have a Hotmail account click here to skip directly to the instructions for creating an ASCII résumé.
Creating an ASCII (Text Only) Document
(Note: Saving your résumé as text only will not have any effect on your original document.)
Robin Wood has been a Computer Instructor with the Contra Costa Regional Occupational Program (ROP) for over 15 years. ROP provides tuition-free job training to adults. At the ROP Technology Center you can learn the computer skills needed to get a great job or to advance in your current career. If you would like to learn more about the Microsoft Office or Web Design and Development classes that are offered through the Contra Costa ROP http://www.jobskillsnow.com or call 925-942-3436.
