Don\u2019t worry. I know exactly what you\u2019re thinking.<\/p>\n
Surely in this day and age resum\u00e9s are becoming obsolete! I mean who even has a CV or a resum\u00e9 these days anyway? <\/em><\/p>\n But for all those business owners, hiring managers and internal recruiters out there working in organisations or particular industry sectors where LinkedIn profiles<\/a> or social footprints<\/a> may not be as relevant or as common as a good old hard copy CV, this one\u2019s for you!<\/p>\n Now I can\u2019t even begin to think of how many thousands<\/em> of resum\u00e9s I\u2019ve scanned in my time. You do the math \u2026 25 years \u2026 often up to 90 applications per job ad \u2026<\/p>\n OK stop. That\u2019s a lot<\/em> of trees (yep – even today the majority of recruiters and hiring managers still like to print out a candidate\u2019s resum\u00e9. Go ahead and ask them!)<\/p>\n So how do the pros review the barrage of resum\u00e9s after the tsunami of applications hit their inboxes?<\/p>\n I interviewed a recruiter many years ago who placed people into call centre roles. She would be inundated with resum\u00e9s for every role she advertised. Apparently her theory was quite simple. Each day she would wait for all the applications to come in. She\u2019d make a pile of resum\u00e9s on her desk and then split the pile in two. She only screened the bottom half and she dumped top half straight in the shredder bin. [In case you\u2019re wondering \u2026 I didn\u2019t<\/em> hire the ‘pile splitter’].<\/p>\n Many hiring managers are obsessed with knowing where a candidate lives. This is why most external recruitment consultants will typically remove the candidate\u2019s address from a resum\u00e9\u00a0before sharing it with their client.<\/p>\n Oh \u2026 he lives there! There\u2019s no way he\u2019d travel in from that far!\u00a0<\/em>[I actually was sitting opposite a client who said exactly that a few weeks ago. What he didn’t realise was that the candidate was planning to move a lot closer if he was offered the job].<\/p>\n If somebody wants a job and they\u2019re prepared for a long commute, then please don\u2019t judge someone on where they live. Unfortunately because so many candidates put their address at the top of their resum\u00e9, residential bias (as I like to call it) is rife!<\/p>\n Right up there with \u2018residential bias<\/em>\u2019, are employers (and recruiters too!) looking at a candidate\u2019s photo (if they\u2019ve decided to include one) and letting a mug shot lead the decision making process.<\/p>\n Assuming the majority of people reading this blog post aren\u2019t recruiting for a modelling agency or a prime time television network, then a candidate\u2019s photo should be the least of your worries.<\/p>\n I have to admit I have been guilty of this one myself. There were times when I would be swamped with resum\u00e9s and cover letters. If I had made it clear in my job ad<\/a> that all resum\u00e9s should be addressed to Paul Slezak, then if I received a cover letter that said \u201cTo whom it may concern<\/em>\u201d, or “Dear Sir \/ Madam<\/em>” … well unfortunately I didn\u2019t even read the cover letter let alone the resum\u00e9\u00a0behind it.<\/p>\n That’s what I would call resum\u00e9 skimming at its fastest!<\/p>\n If it\u2019s included in the resum\u00e9, a candidate\u2019s date of birth is also something\u00a0a hiring manager\u2019s eyes will be drawn to\u00a0pretty early on.<\/p>\n I used to think this was related to age discrimination. But over the years I have learned that quite often it\u2019s not the year<\/em> of birth that\u2019s being scrutinised at all. It\u2019s actually more the day and month.<\/p>\n Believe it or not there are people out there who build their teams based entirely on ‘zodiacal compatibility’! There you go \u2013 no need to even read the resum\u00e9. Better yet forget engaging a recruiter! Just hire a consulting astrologer!<\/p>\n Virgo or Sagittarius? Who cares?!?<\/em><\/p>\n Whenever I present to\u00a0graduates and job seekers on how to create a compelling resum\u00e9, one of the first things I tell them is that a recruiter or hiring manager will make a decision in the first 10 \u2013 15 seconds of looking at a CV as to whether or not a candidate is suitable.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true.<\/p>\n So now looking at it from your perspective, if you\u2019re making a judgement call within 10 \u2013 15 seconds, what should you be looking out for in a candidate\u2019s resum\u00e9?<\/p>\n In many of our previous blog posts and e-books I have stressed the importance of distinguishing between a candidate\u2019s ability to get<\/em> a job and their ability to do<\/em> the job and ideally excel in it.<\/p>\n Typically during the resum\u00e9 reviewing process, your focus is on the getting<\/em> part. It\u2019s during the screening<\/a> and interviewing<\/a> stages where your focus should shift more to the doing<\/em> (and excelling) components \u2013 and we have stacks of information<\/a> about that.<\/p>\n Where has the candidate worked? Not just in what companies but specifically in what capacity? You can get a very quick idea as to how suitable their previous work experience has been.<\/p>\n Has the candidate just listed their responsibilities from their previous roles? Or have they also included a list of achievements associated with them? Whilst a list of duties will once again help with the job getting<\/em> assessment piece, seeing what they actually achieved (going beyond the job description) will help assess the doing<\/em> part.<\/p>\n Cast your eye quickly down the work experience or employment history section and ensure the dates flow logically. But if you detect a gap in the chronology please don\u2019t write the candidate off immediately. Instead make a note to flag it with them if you speak to them. They may well have a very valid reason for not having worked for a specific period of time.<\/p>\n Some roles require set qualifications. Without having to delve into what specific subjects they studied, you can quickly skim to see when and where they obtained their degree.<\/p>\n I have always placed a strong emphasis on this section of a candidate\u2019s resum\u00e9\u00a0(if they\u2019ve included it). Life experiences can give you a great snapshot as to what they\u2019re like outside work.<\/p>\n1.\u00a0At least glance over every application<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2.\u00a0Never\u00a0make assumptions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3.\u00a0Implement strict ‘culling’ criteria<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4.\u00a0Don’t discriminate based on date of birth<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Stay focused on competencies\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6. Look for relevant employment history <\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Flag\u00a0gaps in employment dates <\/strong><\/h2>\n
8. Identify required qualifications <\/strong><\/h2>\n
9 Focus on personal accomplishments<\/strong><\/h2>\n