When your resume or vita content is final, use a laser printer to get the highest print quality and professional appearance. If your own printer won't do the job, use a computer lab on campus or a professional copy service. Even if you're submitting resumes to employers electronically, when you have interviews it's always smart to show up with hard copies.

• Choose resume bond paper available at various local copy centers.
• The paper can have a textured or smooth finish; however, avoid flecks or heavy texture that will not produce a clear second generation photocopy.
• Choose a conservative paper color such as white, ivory, beige or ecru. White paper is best for scannable resumes — that is a resume that an employer will scan into the organization's own database.
• Don't use papers that are extremely dark, bright or pastel. Aside from not photocopying well, they don't convey a professional appearance.
• You may also wish to buy a matching paper stock for your cover letters, and matching envelopes.

It is permissible to fold your resume and mail it in a standard sized business envelope; however, there are a number of good arguments for mailing your resume in a 9 x 12 inch envelope, unfolded:

• If you have used heavy resume paper to reproduce your resume, folding sometimes causes the print to crack on the fold line.
• An unfolded document is easier to photocopy, scan, or otherwise reproduce. Make it easy for the employer to reproduce your resume — that just means that more people will see it, and that should be your goal.
• If you are mailing a lengthy vita, and/or have other enclosures when you mail your resume or vita, it simply makes sense to use a large envelope and mail the materials unfolded.

Never mail your resume or vita without a cover letter.  Even if you just spoke to an employer on the phone, at a career fair, or otherwise, and put your resume in the mail that same day, a cover letter is essential for several reasons:

• Don't assume you are the only person to whom the employer has spoken. Busy people need a reminder of why your resume is arriving in the mail.
• Don't assume the person you spoke to is the one who will open your envelope. A cover letter explains why your resume is showing up in the mail.