NEW YORK – The “jobless” recovery will not stay jobless forever. Job seekers know the value of a first good impression – both in the form of appropriate dress and a perfect cover letter and resume.

A good resume is judged not only for its proper grammar and clarity, but for the consistency of layout. Each entry should be properly tabbed and indented. An inconsistency reveals sloppiness and hurts a candidate’s chance to land a job.

Today, however, you are as likely to send your resume over the Internet as drop it in the mail.

This can be a problem. Opening and closing documents in e-mail can turn your beautifully laid-out resume into a garbled mess. Or, your resume can seem perfect when pasted into an e-mail window but then appear jumbled when the screen is expanded in size.

To avoid these potential blunders, keep it simple. Never use a format or style that is not typed on the computer keyboard, says Linda Matias, president of National Resume Writers Association. For example, instead of bulleting, use stars (shift 8). Avoid italics, boldface or underlines.

Also realize that security and time constraints mean most employers won’t open attachments. Send the attachment, but include the full resume in the e-mail window. To avoid distortions when the window is opened, type no more than 60 characters a line, says Matias.

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AP-NY-02-13-04 1741EST