DIY Resume Review
Everyone can’t afford to work with hiring agencies or pay for applications. A manager of a credit union called me into her office and said, “What am I supposed to do? We’re overloaded with work. I need more help and posting a job got me more than a hundred resumes. How am I supposed to find time to review all of these?” I told her the idea is to not review all of them. I gave her a crash course in harsh resume reviewing. If you’re stuck reviewing resumes the old-fashioned way, this might help reduce the headaches.
FIRST PASS – A second or two per resume. What does it look like? One fellow scoffed at that. He said, “If I’m hiring someone to do a technical task, what do I care about fluff?” I suggested that a resume with a coffee stain or an instantly obvious error reflects on the quality of work that person would do for him. If you simply don’t see the presentation of the contents as something that fits your culture, it’s enough to send it to the reject pile. It’s the job of the applicant to sell you on their fit for your company. A resume on pink paper with a floral border might work if you’re a florist, probably not if you’re manufacturing heavy equipment. You’ll be surprised at how much this shrinks the size of the pile.
SECOND PASS – Maybe a minute. A quick scan of employers and job titles. Can you see any sign that they have had the kind of job you need them to do? In decades of reviewing resumes, many have been from people who believe they can do anything or are so desperate to find a job that they shotgun their resume to everyone with an opening. They apply for jobs they have no relevant skills for. Maybe they can do any job they try to do but do you have the luxury of hiring someone who can’t hit the deck running? You might get stuck if it’s a transitioning military resume. Terminology won’t match but you can recognize similarities. The applicant should have done that translation up front but you don’t want to miss out on a great employee.
THIRD PASS – Now, you have a manageable pile to dive into. You’re still eliminating as many as you can. You’re looking for “red flags”. Unaccounted gaps are red flags. With unaccounted gaps, you don’t know if the person was in prison for assaulting their last boss or just not really “into” working. Short term jobs are another red flag. Were they contracting or just not “keepable”? Inconsistencies are a red flag. People should be able to keep their facts straight in a resume. Vague statements are a red flag. There should be enough detail (without violating proprietary rules of their previous employers) for you to be able to tell if their efforts provided benefits. “Programmed 10,000 lines of code” doesn’t say anything about whether the code accomplished the intended purpose.
CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve reached a “short list” where an initial phone interview is worthwhile. You figured out that they can probably do the job you need to have done. Now, you have to figure out if you can stand them while they do it.
