Exhibit #10: How to Evaluate Résumés and CVs – Allot sufficient time to screen all or a sizable portion of the résumés at once. Compare the credentials of applicants with the context of other applicants in mind.
Create a rating standard that you will use throughout the resume review. Avoid ranking candidates from best to least, 1 to “n”. Review the position description before reviewing applicant materials. Review the advertisement for the vacant position. Review the charge. Use a predetermined screening instrument to evaluate candidates against objective criteria. Make comments, notes, or other observations on the screening instrument about each candidate. This will be a useful reminder when you start to discuss candidates with the committee as a whole. Use an agreed-upon rating scheme: Yes = consider further, Maybe = hold, No = do not consider further; 1= very qualified, 2 = qualified, 3 = not qualified; 1 = poor, 10 = best. Avoid the applicant’s name, address, gender or other personal information to limit subconscious biases. On your first evaluation of résumés, do not overemphasize the format or writing style of the resume; look instead for the quality of the content. Compare stated education and experience requirements with those listed on the resume. Ensure that colleges attended also indicate that a degree was awarded. Ensure that the candidates are still employed in the most recent position-check dates. Compare employment history and its applicability to the position for which the candidates are applying (e.g., positions in similar industry, similar responsibilities, etc.); length of time in each position; promotions or awards received; and reason for leaving each position; check dates. Note gaps in employment but do not assume they were due to negative reasons (i.e., note whether this is addressed in the cover letter). Look for an excessive number of jobs in a short time. Note whether changes in position appear to be promotional, progressive, lateral moves, or simply changes. Notice whether there is a career pattern, and industry pattern, or a random collection of past jobs. Note special skills or intangible characteristics or experiences not required for the position and add these to comments (e.g., familiarity with certain computer software, alumna of your school, different degree, etc.); however, do not use such preferential criteria to qualify candidates. Make a list of questions about applicants that arise from reviewing their résumés. If necessary, screen the top group again to narrow down the candidates further. Group résumés into piles of yes, no, and maybe candidates. (if you have too many “yes” candidates, you might review the “yes” pile to narrow it down to a more manageable number. In addition, if you do not have sufficient “yes” candidates, re-review the “maybe” pile to see if you can increase the size of the pool of those considered). Share your grouping with the committee chair.
One can use these considerations and others to guide a thorough evaluation of the competitiveness of applicants. _ Used with permission from www.SearchCommittees.com,
Why reviewing resumes is important?
A resume is an important tool for your job search as it offers a page or two where you can display your relevant skills and qualities for a job. Resumes help employers make hiring decisions and help you get your first interview.
Is a gap on your resume bad?
A big gap of several months to a year on your resume is a massive red flag to employers, even if you have a valid reason for taking that time off. More often than not, you’ll have a good reason to avoid employment for a while, whether it’s to look after your family or travel Europe.
- Still, it isn’t the reason why the gap occurred that worries candidates; it’s how to explain it on their resume,
- Once employers see a gap with no explanation, they’re likely to overlook you.
- All job seekers should declare why the gap occurred when it occurs,
- One or two short sentences should be enough to get your potential employer up to speed.
With that in mind, most employers won’t care that you took a gap year as long as you were productive during that time.
What do companies use to review resumes?
4 – Key features of an applicant tracking system – Applicant tracking systems make it easy for people to apply for a position on any device, without having to log in. This means that companies benefit from a larger pool of applicants. Because there are so many applicants, companies use ATS software to automatically surface and highlight top candidates. Some other key features of ATS software include:
- Resume parsing – This is the process of extracting data from resumes, such as contact information, work history, educational background, and skills,
- Advanced search – This enables you to filter applications by specific keywords, job titles, skills, experience, education, and more.
- Candidate sourcing – This allows you to actively search for, identify, and reach out to potential candidates for open positions.
- Multi-channel candidate sourcing – This lets you search for potential candidates using multiple channels, including job boards, social media, and employee referrals.
- In-built CRM software – Some ATS also feature CRM software to cover all your needs in one platform.
- Email templates – Most ATS offer email templates to ensure that all your correspondence with candidates is consistent and professional.
- Advanced analytics and reporting – This allows you to generate detailed reports on job seekers, hiring trends, and other data.
- Various integrations – This means the ATS can connect with different types of software, such as email marketing software, accounting software, and CRM systems.
- Ability to schedule interviews – By automating interviews, you won’t have to waste time rescheduling, sending out reminders, or coordinating multiple calendars.
- Real-time collaboration -This allows people from different parts of the organization to get involved in the sourcing, screening, and decision-making regarding new hires.
- Automation based on certain events and conditions – This means your ATS will only be triggered to do something if a specific scenario occurs.
Is A CV the same as a resume?
The CV presents a full history of your academic credentials, so the length of the document is variable. In contrast, a resume presents a concise picture of your skills and qualifications for a specific position, so length tends to be shorter and dictated by years of experience (generally 1-2 pages).
What is the most common CV mistakes?
#23. Not Proofreading – Proofreading is the last step in making sure that your CV is free of error and ready to send. The most common mistakes you should look out for are spelling mistakes, wrong sentence structure, typos, punctuation errors, and bad grammar.
Do hiring managers read resumes?
On average, employers look at resumes for six to seven seconds. However, the amount of time that an employer spends looking at a resume varies from company to company. Some employers may thoroughly scan a resume, while others may scan it for only a few seconds.
Should a CV be totally honest?
Your resume matters! It’s the first piece of information a potential employer has about you, so it’s best to be honest and accurate. Unfortunately, in their eagerness to get a dream job, many applicants sometimes embellish or exaggerate their resumes—usually either in their job history or level of education.
Is it OK to have errors on your resume?
If there’s a small error on your resume, it may be best to do nothing. A small typo may not sway the hiring manager’s opinion of you or your resume. Recruiters or hiring managers look over many resumes a day, so they might skim over each resume to get through their queue efficiently.
Should I PDF my resume?
Takeaways: Resume in Word or PDF? – Here’s what you need to take away from this article:
Sometimes an ATS scans your resume before it goes to the Recruiter, so you need to make it easily readable by the systems.The best format for your resume at the moment is a PDF. A PDF resume is readable by ATS and also keeps your formatting and illustrations in place. You can use an online resume builder like Enhancv which downloads your resume as a PDF.Word resumes also do the job, but sometimes they might be incompatible and messy on another computer. Use Word resumes only if specified in the job posting.
Now stop procrastinating on your resume and send it to the Hiring Manager! *** What are your thoughts? Did you send your resume in a Word or PDF format? Give us a shout out in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
How long do recruiters spend reviewing a resume?
Key resume statistics –
Research shows that recruiters spend 6-8 seconds reviewing a resume before they decide whether it is suitable for a vacancy or not. 80% of resumes do not get shortlisted by recruiters, meaning they do not make it past the first screen. Recruiters say that they spend anywhere between 8 seconds and 15 minutes reviewing a resume, On average only 11% of applicants are considered suitable for the roles they are applying to.