In a typical week I spend on average 10% of my time screening resumes,interviewing or reviewing interview notes and offers for candidates we want tojoin the team. Talent management is a core pillar of our company strategy andone of my most important responsibilities. I have reviewed thousands of resumesover my career and built a system to categorize them into yes, noand the dreaded maybe buckets. The resumes that go into either the yesor the no piles are usually very
easy to identify. But I often think about the maybes. These resumes getsaved as a backup but in reality, never get a chance to be in the field ofplay.
With over 200M resumes on LinkedIn, it will be harder and harder for a maybeto become a yes which is the first step in landing a new job. Greatcandidates with fantastic backgrounds can get condemned to the maybe pilebecause the resume didn’t represent them well and didn’t make an impression inthe 30 seconds an average hiring manager spends on filtering a resume.
I find there are three big mistakes that usually cause an otherwise greatresume to be filtered out in a screening process:
1) Focusing on the wrong thing: I often see candidates explain theirresponsibilities and list them in great detail, but forget to highlight theirresults. The unique things they did that their predecessors had not. What weretheir specific accomplishments and what sets them apart? The more quantitative,the easier for a screener or hiring manager to understand and select them forthe next discussion. Numbers and metrics speak louder than words. Vaguegeneralities are the kryptonite of a resume.
2) Writing a thesis when a synopsis is needed: Mark Twain once said,“if only I had more time, I would write thee a shorter letter”. When writing aresume, it is important to heed these words and take the time to really writesuccinctly and precisely. The longer and more dense a resume, the harder it isfor a recruiter to get to the heart of your achievements and contributions.Precise, clear, factual, numbers driven resumes will always get more traction.
3) Leaving unanswered red flags: Candidates will often wait for theinterview process to explain any red flags or gaps that may be on their resume,but by that time it may be too late. In most cases, they won’t make it that farif the issues are not explained on the resume, cover letter or LinkedIn profileitself. Candidates should put on the hiring manager’s hat and look at their ownresumes with this filter and then proactively address any of these issues in aclear and unambiguous way. A couple of examples of what I mean:
· Let’s say someone has moved around a lot in their career.A screener may see this as inability finish things they start or an indicationthat they aren’t a committed candidate. It behooves you to explain the reasonsfor the movement where possible. Was it a corporate change, like anacquisition, that caused the moves? Or is it an indication that you werelooking for more of a challenge?
· Let’s say someone is applying for an engineering role butdoesn’t have an engineering degree. This should be addressed in the objectivesand the resume should reflect any and all skills that do relate to the job youare looking for. Do you have any relevant certifications? Are you self-taught?Can you link to any code you have written?
It is worth the extra effort to make your online profile rock solid. That’sthe only way to convert the page views into clicks on your resume.
Oh and one other thing, in this day and age, there is no excuse for typosand grammar mistakes in a resume. Those types of errors demonstrate a lack ofdetail orientation and commitment, and may result in your resume going into theno bucket.
I’d love to hear if you agree with these, and which other resume mistakesyou’d add to the list.
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