Start Looking at the Bigger Picture of a Resume

One of the most essential steps to creating a strong company is hiring the right talent for your organization.  It’s also one of the most difficult aspects of a hiring manager’s job.  When you’re receiving dozens of resumes for each position you post, it’s hard to know which candidate is the best.  After all, you’ve been told that dissecting and scrutinizing resumes is the best way to decide who to call for an interview.

However, resumes are generally full of fluff and useless information.  Do you really care where the applicant wen
t to school or how long they spent interning in a position that’s not relevant to the one you’re offering?  It’s time to stop spending time dwelling in the details of a candidate’s resume and look at the resume as just a slice of the pie.

Here are a few ways you can use the information on that one sheet of paper to give you a bigger picture of who the candidate really is.

Does the candidate want to work for you?

Can you tell how much thought was put into the application? Does it seem personalized for your organization, or was it molded out of the all semi-relevant job listings on CareerBuilder.com? Not only does personalization show attention to detail, it also signifies that the candidate is serious about getting hired by your organization—not just anyone that will take them.

The cover letter tells all.

Anyone can write a cover letter using a template they found in Word.  However, a strong candidate dumps the form letter and shows you that they understand the problem you have.  They then use past experiences and successes to show how they can duplicate those achievements to solve your problem.  A candidate that takes the initiative to research and analyze your strengths and weaknesses, is an employee you want working for you.  A great cover letter (especially when you didn’t even require one), is a key indicator of a strong candidate.

Online presence is important.

The beauty of the resume is that it contains key information about the candidate that makes them easier to find online.  Google the applicant’s name and pull up their social media profiles.  Do they have a strong online presence?  Do they actively blog and post about their field or area of expertise?  These are people that are making an effort to stand out in your industry.  While work doesn’t have to be your life, it is great to have employees that are passionate and knowledgeable enough about what they’re doing to want to join in on the online conversation.

Are they smart job seekers?

At the end of the day, a resume is just a brochure about the candidate.  It’s a marketing tool that shows you exactly what the candidate wants you to see.  However, if you take a step back and analyze the methods the candidate is using to conduct their job search, you’ll get a bigger picture of how they’re wired.  A job search tells you a lot about how a person acts and thinks.  Did they take a scattered approach, blasting their resume out to multiple companies and hoping to get noticed?  Or did they carefully choose you as a target and reach out to you by introduction from a mutual connection?  A candidate that’s a skilled networker is typically a skilled employee.

Use these tips to make sure your resume review process shows you the bigger picture of each applicant, allowing you to be more selective when hiring top talent.

Don’t have the time or resources necessary to conduct this thorough of a hiring process?   The recruiters at BOS Staffing are here to help.  For more than 35 years we have helped clients throughout Northeast Georgia and nationwide complete work cost-effectively, hire smarter, and manage their workforces more efficiently.  Contact us today to talk about customized staffing solutions for your organization.

Contact BOS Staffing Today | Athens Georgia Leading Employment Firm

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