6 Quick Tips for Scanning Resumes
Weeding through a stack of resumes can be daunting, but if you focus on these six areas, you can improve your odds of identifying potential winners for your team:
- Define Your No’s. Have a defined list of 5-10 disqualifiers and run through an initial scan of resumes, looking for those items in order to sort that pile down to a manageable 10-15 candidates. Now you can spend more time and attention on your top candidates.
- Summary Statement and/or Objective. Review the description of what the candidate says they are looking for in their next position. Is the statement customized to your listing or does it describe any job in the world? Did the candidate include a summary statement of qualifications and experience? If they took the time to do this and customized their summary for your specific job, this person is worth adding to your priority list.
- Look for Stability and Growth. Gone are the days when candidates had job tenures ten or twenty years long. While you shouldn’t hold that against them, you do want to ensure they aren’t changing jobs every six to twelve months. An ideal candidate has stayed in positions at least two years and shows growth roles and responsibilities.
- Match Your Needs. Scan for achievement and learning in the specific area of your written needs. Ensure they have experience in key areas required for the position you are hiring for and with companies comparable to yours.
- Doer vs Achiever. Doers will list job responsivities on their resumes, Achievers will include metrics, awards, and results.
- Red Flags. Look for issues that are not explained in a cover letter and could be potential red flags including unexplained employment gaps, evidence of decreasing responsibility, short-term employment at several jobs, and multiple shifts in career path.
Having have a simple methodology to help you quickly do your initial applicant sort will give you more time to focus on identifying top candidates and vetting those more thoroughly.
For more on hiring smart, contact us for a consultation with a professional HR Recruiter.