Big Blue Disk 34/bbd34.zip/RESUMAKE.TXT

Text File | 1989-06-21 | 23KB | 518 lines

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|A║ |6Special Program |A║════════════════ ^1ResuMaker |A═══════════════║ |6Special Program |A║
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^Cby Carolyn Drain, David Leithauser,
^CBob Napp, Jim Row


    ^1ResuMaker^0 is both a resume maker and a job-history database.  Its purpose
 is to function as a database of personal, educational, employment, objective,
 and skills/interest data and to turn this information into a well-designed,
 finished resume.  If you do not need to construct a resume now or in the near
 future you can still use the database to keep your job and education history
 at your fingertips.  The program is menu driven from start to finish with on-
 screen and pop-up help available throughout.
    To get help anywhere in the program, simply:

^C***** Press the F1 key *****

 ^1*** GETTING STARTED:

^CFile selection screen
 This screen allows you to select the drive, path, and name of the resume file
 to load.
 Press F1 for assistance in selecting these.
 Press Enter to accept the path and filename displayed.

^CMAIN MENU

    The following list describes the selections available from the main menu:

 Update the current resume      Browse, add, update, and delete resume
                                information.

 Save the current resume        Save the currently-loaded resume data file
                                including any changes.

 Output the current resume      Using the resume data currently loaded, output
                                a finished resume to the screen, text file
                                on disk, or printer.

 Output list of references      Using the resume data currently loaded, output
                                a list of references to the screen, text file
                                on disk, or printer.

 Printer configuration          Test and/or set printer settings.

 Load another resume file       Load a resume data file.

 Exit                           Quit the program.

    Using the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard, move the highlight bar
 to the desired menu item.  You may also type in the first letter of the
 selection.  Press enter to accept the highlighted choice.

 ^1*** UPDATE THE CURRENT RESUME:

    This allows you to browse through the information in your resume data file.
 While browsing you can add new information, update existing data, and even
 delete unwanted information.  After selecting this option a sub menu of
 categories (types of resume data) is displayed with the following selections:

 Personal          This category contains a single entry (record) containing
                   personal information such as your name, address, and
                   phone number.

 Objectives        Multiple entries (records), each containing a career or
                   job objective statement.

 Education         Multiple entries, each containing information about a
                   school you attended (name, address, major, etc.).

 Work History      Multiple entries, each containing information about a job or
                   position you held (company name, address, job title, etc.).

 Skills &          Multiple entries, each containing statements of skills,
 Interests         interests, civic and professional organizations, etc.

 Exit to           Returns you to the main menu.
 Main Menu

    Selecting one of the categories allows you to browse and maintain the data
 associated with that category.

 ^1*** BROWSING THE CATEGORIES:

    Upon selecting a category, a "browsing" screen is presented.

    The right-hand side of the screen lists the functions which can be
 performed on the data and the keys for moving through the entries.  (If this
 is Personal data, there is only one entry and thus no "movement" keys).  The
 colors used for displaying the information and their meaning is also listed in
 this area.

   The LAST line displays brief HELP MESSAGES.

   The rest of the screen consists of a template associated with the chosen
 category.  If you have entered data (created a record), the first entry is
 displayed in the template; otherwise, the template is empty.

 ^1*** BROWSING FUNCTION KEYS:

 F1 - Pops up a help screen with additional information on browsing.

 F4 - Allows you to UPDATE (edit) the data on the screen (i.e. the current
      record being displayed).  If the template is blank, there are no entries
      and a message will be displayed to that effect.  Press any key to clear
      the message.

 F5 - Allows you to CREATE a new entry or record.  An empty template is
      displayed and you are able to type in information (edit).  If you are in
      the Personal category and a personal record already exists (i.e. there is
      data in the template), you are not permitted to create another one, and a
      message to that effect is displayed.

 F6 - Allows you to DELETE the entry currently displayed (if there is one).
      This will permanently erase all of the information displayed in the
      template!  A message is displayed prompting you to confirm that you want
      the record deleted.  Answering "Y" will delete the record; any other
      response cancels the request to delete.

 Esc - Quit browsing this category and return to the category menu.


 ^1*** BROWSING MOVEMENT KEYS:  (Not applicable to the Personal category)

 PgUp - Displays the previous (one before the current) entry.
 PgDn - Displays the next (one after the current) entry.
 Home - Displays the first entry.
 End  - Displays the last entry.

    For categories containing date information (i.e. education and work
 history), the records are in reverse chronological order.  The record with the
 most recent ending or "to" date is the first; the oldest is the last.  All
 other categories are ordered by the sequence in which you enter the records.
 The first record you create is first; the last one created is last.

 ^1*** DISPLAY COLORS:

    See the section on "Information Hiding" for a discussion
 of enabled and disabled data.

 ^1*** EDITING

    Whether you have created a new record or are updating an existing one, you
 will be placed in "editing" mode and a new screen is displayed.  The screen is
 similar to the browsing screen with two major exceptions: the right-hand side
 of the screen now lists editing functions, movement, and colors and one field
 (block of data) in the template is highlighted and ready for you to type
 something.

 ^1*** EDITING FUNCTION KEYS

 F1  - Pops up a "context-sensitive" help screen.  In other words, depending on
       the field you are editing at the time you press the F1 key, a help
       screen is displayed with instructions on the type and format of
       information you are to enter in the field.

 F2  - "Toggles" the field you are editing between enabled and disabled.  If
       the field cannot be disabled, a message is displayed. (See the section
       on "Information Hiding" for a complete discussion on enabling data).

 F3  - "Toggles" the entire record you are currently editing between enabled
       and disabled.

 F10 - Quit editing this record, SAVING what you have done.

 Esc - Quit editing this record, DISCARDING your input.  If you have entered
       new data or made changes, you will be asked to verify that you wish to
       abandon your changes. Answering "Y" will discard any changes; any other
       response will cancel the request to delete.

    What happens after you press Esc or F10 depends on whether you were
 creating a new record or updating an existing one:

 Updating - You will return to browsing with the just-updated record being
            displayed.

 Creating - You will be given another empty template with the first field
            highlighted.  If you do NOT wish to create any more records, press
            Esc before typing anything else.  You will return to browsing at
            the record you were looking at when you called CREATE; if there
            were none before, the record you just created will be displayed (if
            you created more than one, the first will be displayed).

 ^1*** EDITING MOVEMENT KEYS:

 Up arrow,   - Move back to the previous (in editing
 Backtab       order) field.
 Down arrow, - Move to the next (in editing order )
 Tab,          field.
 Enter
 Left arrow  - Move to the left WITHIN a field.
 Right arrow - Move to the right WITHIN a field.

 ^1*** EDITING KEYS (within a field):

 Insert    - Toggle between insert and overwrite mode.
 Backspace - Move back one character, deleting anything in the way.
 Delete    - Erase the character under the cursor.
 Enter     - Finished editing this field and move on to the next one.
 Home      - Move the cursor to the beginning of the field being edited.
 End       - Move the cursor to the end of the field being edited.

 ^1*** EDITING DISPLAY COLORS:

    See the section on "Information Hiding" for a discussion on enabled and
 disabled data.

 ^1*** SAVE THE CURRENT RESUME:

    This selection brings up the file selection screen you see when you start up
 the program and, once again, you can:

^C***** Press F1 for help with file selection *****

    The current drive and path is displayed.  If you wish to change this, use
 the up arrow to move up to the field and type in the drive and path you wish
 to save the file to.

    The file name currently assigned to the resume you are working with is
 displayed.  Below this is a list of resume files in the current directory.  To
 enter a new name, move the highlight bar (with arrow keys) to the file name
 field and type in a new name.  To use a name from the list, move the bar to
 it.  When the bar is on the name you wish to use (either in the list or in the
 filename field) press Enter.

   If a file already exists with the chosen name, you will be asked if you wish
 to make a backup.  Answer "Y" and a backup will be made, "N" and the file will
 be overwritten; Esc will return you to the file selection screen.  Esc once
 more will take you back to the main menu, aborting the save.

    Once the file is successfully saved, you will be returned to the menu.  If
 there are any problems in saving the file (i.e. not enough room on the chosen
 disk) a message to that effect will be displayed.

 ^1*** OUTPUT THE CURRENT RESUME:

    This selection permits you to construct a resume using the information from
 the resume file currently loaded.  The finished resume can then be displayed
 on the screen, saved to disk as a text file for later use in (most) word
 processors, and/or printed out on your printer.

    The first screen is a short menu from which you choose the format you wish
 your resume to be constructed in: functional or chronological.

 ^1*** CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT:

    This is the most widely used and accepted format for a resume and is most
 effective if your job history or education pertain to the position you are
 seeking.  The resume is structured by dates of employment and education in
 reverse chronological order (i.e. the most recent jobs and degrees appear
 first.)

 ^1*** FUNCTIONAL FORMAT:

    This is a useful format if your SKILLS are your strongest selling point;
 i.e. they are the best qualifications you have for a given position.  The key
 to a good functional resume is having a large number of skills, interests, and
 accomplishments.

    After selecting the desired format, the resume is constructed and you are
 presented with a menu from which you may choose the destination for the
 resume:

 Display resume on screen      Display the constructed resume on the screen,
                               allowing you to scroll through it.

 Save formatted resume         Save the constructed resume to disk as a text
                               (readable) file.

 Print formatted resume        Print the constructed resume on your printer.

 Exit to Main Menu             Return to the main menu.

 ^1*** DISPLAY RESUME ON SCREEN:

    The constructed resume is displayed on the screen.  Press F1 for help in
 scrolling through the document.

 ^1*** VIEWING A DOCUMENT ON SCREEN:

    Initially, the first 24 (or so) lines of the document are displayed on the
 screen.  The following keys (on your keyboard) may be used to move through the
 document:

^FUp arrow   - up one line
^FDown arrow - down one line
^FPage Up    - up one page (approx. 24 lines)
^FPage Down  - down one page (approx. 24 lines)
^FHome       - beginning of document
^FEnd        - end of document

^FPress F10 to quit viewing the document.

^FPress F2 to print the document.  (See "PRINT
^F    FORMATTED RESUME" section below)

 ^1*** SAVE FORMATTED RESUME:

    A box appears on the screen prompting you for the path and file name to use
 for saving your formatted resume.  Don't forget to:

^C********* Press F1 for help ***********

    If you wish to change the path currently displayed, use the up arrow key to
 move up to the path field and type in the desired path name, pressing return
 when finished.  When you are once again, if you ever left, in the file name
 field (you are "in" it if it is highlighted), type in the name you wish to use
 for this document (formatted resume or reference list).  You may use up to 8
 characters followed by an optional extension. (An extension consists of a
 period followed by up to 3 characters; eg. john.ref or john.res). DO NOT USE
 THE EXTENSION "*.rsm" as this is used for the resume data files).

 ^1*** PRINT FORMATTED RESUME:

    A box appears on the screen asking if you wish to print the document
 (resume or reference list).  Answer "Y" to continue with your print request;
 "N" cancels your request and returns you to the point from which you
 originated the request.

    Next, a message is displayed telling you to prepare your printer.

    A box is displayed asking if you have continuous feed paper in your
 printer (i.e. not single sheets).  Answer appropriately.

    Finally, a box appears asking you if you want page breaks. Answering "Y"
 will cause the printer to skip over the perforations, "N" will result in
 continuous printing, right over the perforations.

     Now, your formatted resume should be printing on the printer and you will
 be returned to where you were when you requested the print.

 ^1*** OUTPUT A LIST OF REFERENCES:

    This selection allows you to construct a list of references which can then
 be displayed on the screen, saved to disk as a text file, and/or printed out
 on your printer.  You select the desired destination from a menu similar to
 the one for the formatted resume; each selection is also analogous. (These
 selections are discussed and described above in the "OUTPUT A FORMATTED
 RESUME" section)

 NOTE:  All of the references in the currently loaded resume file will be
 printed in this list, even those which you have disabled.  The disabling/
 enabling is used to decide whether a reference is to be printed on the resume
 itself.  If all the references are disabled, "Available upon request" is
 printed in the reference section of the resume.

 ^1*** PRINTER CONFIGURATION:

^C*********** Don't forget to press F1 for help ***********

    This feature allows you set up printer codes for underlining, near-letter-
 quality mode, and boldface printing. The codes are printer specific and must
 be obtained from your printer manual or distributor/manufacturer.

 ^1*** MENU:

 Test Printer Settings - Test the printer codes currently set.

 View/Alter Printer Settings - View the printer codes currently set and
                               optionally alter them.

 Exit to Main Menu - Return to the main menu.

 ^1*** TEST PRINTER SETTINGS:

    A box pops up on the screen with a "Testing printer" message.  If your
 printer is on line, it will begin to print a brief testing of the settings.
 When printing has stopped you can examine the results (on the paper in the
 printer). A "Printer not detected..." message will appear if the testing
 cannot be performed (i.e. your printer is off).  Press any key and the
 message will clear, returning you to the printer configuration menu.  Check
 your printer and try again.

 ^1*** VIEW/ALTER PRINTER SETTINGS:

    A printer setup screen appears.  (Press F1 for help with using this
 screen.)  On the screen is a template for the printer codes with the current
 settings displayed.  The bottom of the screen lists the the available commands
 and on-screen movement.

    The first settings are for enabling and disabling the font you want your
 resume printed in (eg. near letter quality).

    The second group corresponds to double-strike or emphasized printing which,
 if set, is used for your name and major labels.

    The third group corresponds to underlining which, if set, is used for your
 job titles.

    The fourth and final group of codes are codes to send to your printer
 before or after printing.  Possible settings here could be for initializing
 your printer, etc.

    Each individual setting has 3 fields (places for entering data) to hold the
 the required codes.  If your manual lists less than three codes for the
 setting, enter 0 in the unused fields.

    The cursor will appear in the first field which will also be highlighted.
 This signifies that you may now enter data (numbers only) in the field.  Using
 the arrows on your keyboard and the Enter and Tab keys, move through the
 fields, entering the codes to enable and disable the desired settings.  Any
 print features that are not desired should be left alone (i.e. the fields
 should contain a 0).

 F10 key:  When you are finished entering codes, press this key to quit and
 save what you've entered.

 Esc key:  Press this key to quit without saving changes.

 NOTE: If you have difficulty setting the proper codes, set them all to zero
 (the default value).  For our bold and more adventurous users may we suggest
 that you experiment a little: set the codes as THINK your manual specifies
 them; test those settings; try again if they they are incorrect.  You cannot
 hurt anything with a wrong setting that cannot be healed by resetting your
 printer (i.e. turning it off and on again).  For further assistance, see your
 computer or printer dealer.

 ^1*** LOAD ANOTHER RESUME:

    This selection brings up the file selection screen you see when you start
 up the program and, once again, you can:

^C***** Press F1 for help with file selection *****

    See the "SAVE THE CURRENT RESUME" section (above) for instructions on
 selecting a file name.  The selected file will be loaded.  If there are any
 problems with loading it, a message will be displayed describing the problem
 and suggested causes and solutions; otherwise, the file was successfully
 loaded.

 ^1*** INFORMATION HIDING

    As previously mentioned, ResuMaker functions not only as a resume maker but
 also as a job-history database.  There may be information you want to keep in
 the database (resume data file) that you do not wish to appear on your
 finished resume.  For this reason, we have included a special feature which
 allows you, the user, to specify which information you do and do not want to
 be printed on your resume.  While updating data entries (records) you may
 specify which fields (units of data) you want "enabled" (to be printed) and
 "disabled" (not to be printed).  You may also enable and disable entire
 records of data.  Most of the data can be disabled, but there are a few
 instances where it is not appropriate.  In these cases, a message will be
 displayed telling you this.  (For example: names of people, companies, and
 schools.)

 ^1*** IMPLEMENTATION:

    You can only enable and disable data during EDITING.  This is accomplished
 by using the F2 and F3 keys to "toggle" between enabled and disabled.

 F2 - This key toggles the field that is currently being edited (i.e. the field
      which is highlighted).  As you toggle it, the color of the field changes
      to reflect its status. (See colors below)

 F3 - This key toggles the entire record currently being edited (i.e. the one
      on the screen).  As you toggle it, the color of all of the fields change
      to reflect the record's status.  (See colors below)  When a record is
      disabled, the status of the individual fields is memorized.  If you once
      again enable the record, the fields will return to the state they
      previously set to.

    Example:  You have your GPA (a field) for Harvard (an education record)
 disabled.  You then disable the entire Harvard record.  Next you enable the
 Harvard record.  The GPA is still disabled.

 ^1*** ENABLED AND DISABLED REPRESENTATION (COLORS):

 Color Monitors -      "Enabled" data: white on black.
                           When editing: bright white on red.
                       "Disabled" data: black on green.
                           When editing: bright white on magenta (pink).

 Monochrome Monitors - "Enabled": bright white on black.
                           When editing: bright white on black underlined.
                       "Disabled": dull white on black.
                           When editing: dull white on black underlined.

 NOTE:  Information which is disabled will NOT be printed on your finished
 resume.  If an item is not printed that you expected to be, check its status
 to ensure that it is enabled, and vice versa.

 ^1*** OPTIONS FOR RUNNING RESUMAKER

    ResuMaker can be run from the DOS prompt with the following options:

 M            Starts the program in monochrome mode. Use this option if you are
              using a composite monitor.

 C            Starts the program in color mode.  Use this option if you have a
              color graphics adapter (CGA, VGA, EVGA, etc.).

 F            Try this option if you are using a CGA. This will allow ResuMaker
              to update the screen as FAST as possible.  If you see "snow" when
              the screen is updated, restart ResuMaker without the F option.

 /F filename  Type the name of a resume file to be loaded when you start
              ResuMaker.  This must be a data file (*.rsm), not a text file.

 Examples:

    >resumake M               - Run ResuMaker in monochrome mode.
    >resumake C F             - Run in color mode with FAST updating.
    >resumake /f resume       - Run and load the file "resume".
    >resumake C F /f resume   - The above 2 combined.

 ^1*** FINAL NOTE

    Remember, even if you do not have an immediate need for a resume, you will
 still find this to be a useful aid for keeping all of your work and
 educational records organized in one small, easy-to-access place.

    To run this program outside Big Blue Disk, type ^1RESUMAKE^0.

DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
^FRESUMAKE.EXE
^FRESUMAKE.HLP