Reading Between The Lines Of A Resume

While a cursory review of the experience and education sections can certainly go a long way to making a "thumbs-up or thumbs-down" decision, here are some more subtle review techniques that may help you in your resume review.

The receipt of a resume should herald the beginning of a careful review process that will present the most cogent information required for you to make an educated decision as to the value of pursuing the candidate further. And while a cursory review of the experience and education sections can certainly go a long way to making a "thumbs-up or thumbs-down" decision, here are some more subtle review techniques that may help you in your resume review.

First Impression- What is the topography of the resume?

Is the resume readable? Is it too compressed with detail, lacking effective spacing/bullets/paragraphs? A well prepared resume should evidence care in the formatting process as a way to lead the reader through the document. It should not challenge you to find information. Even resumes that are not classically "chronological" in their layout should be organized in "quanta" of details as a way to understand skills and experience. Intelligent use of space is an indication of care taken in preparation. Resumes that are difficult to read may be trying to obfuscate important details.

Contact Information- Is it complete and professional?

Does the address/phone/email seem correct? Be wary of PO boxes for home contacts. PO Boxes instead of street addresses for home are sometimes used when the applicant is out of the immediate area or a case of being overly cautious. Neither one of these situations might be deal-breakers but they should raise some level of concern. Is the email contact appropriate? Is it in keeping with your corporate image or does it seem frivolous and unprofessional? Is the phone contact local? Again, talent comes from many places, but proximity to a job location does help in some cases.

Unnecessary Filler-

Does the submission evidence superfluous content? Lists of references, membership organizations, irrelevant personal data, objectives, etc. are usually put in to fluff-up an otherwise weak resume.

Academia-

Is there a date/degree line? Is there a major clearly stated and applicable to your opening? Honors and awards should be weighed carefully by the type of institution that gives it. Some schools graduate over half of the class "with honors" so be wary. GPAs are easily manipulated by including only certain courses so if academic achievement is especially important, ask for the GPA in the candidate's major as a way to focus on a specific knowledge base. By all means, verify all stated degrees if you are interested in pursuing the candidate.

Job Experience-

Is there reasonable stability? Even in the most volatile of industries, there should be some evidence of commitment to a company. If the resume is constructed in the "Functional" format (no clear dates of employment), ask for the dates and make certain that there is a valid reason for making employment changes. Don't unfairly discount a candidate for circumstances that made a transition unavoidable (industry slow downs, consolidations, legitimate personal reasons or just "bad chemistry" with an employer). However, red flags should rise when there is a pattern of unfortunate circumstances. Be alert to words like "assisted" or "part of a team" which are sometimes used to mask a lack of real hands-on experience. Accomplishments are still the gold standard when reviewing job sections. Look for specifics such as "reduced costs by 26%" or "company increased sales by 15% in one year under my direction" as evidence of a candidate's potential value to your firm.

Focus-

Does the structure and content of the resume clearly target your opportunity? With the ability to quickly edit and create documents, the resume should evidence some level of targeted construction as opposed to a "boiler-plate" submission. The resume should demonstrate compatible skills or industry synergy. A candidate for a position will be able to highlight specifics in their background that should make an impression on the reader with its relevance to their unique needs. In some cases, the cover letter may be used for this purpose, but it is a demonstration of sincere desire from a candidate to have submitted a resume that seems "custom made" for your position.

With the proliferation of resume-reading and scanning software, it has become easier to quickly pick out which candidate has mentioned the right key words for a position. But as mentioned above, it is also far easier to custom tailor a resume for just this purpose. That is why, in addition to making certain that there is an appropriate relevance for a position, a resume review should also entail some of the other techniques suggested in this article. You will find that combining the hot-button terms in the resume with the more "soft" review of things like where a GPA and honors come from and the physical structure of the document will give you greater insight into the candidate's suitability for the job.

Good luck.

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