There are hundreds of books on how to write resumes, but only few on how to actually review resumes. Here are some quick tips that will dramatically improve your resume evaluation skills.
1.) Be critical. An objective yet critical eye is imperative to evaluating resumes properly. A resume is a basic tool for making an initial assessment and for identifying some of the key points that require further investigation. If you accept everything as fact, you will never identify the points you need to probe in an interview nor will you really know which resumes stand out and which ones are filled with subtle red-flags.
When data is presented, ask how the 25% improvement in on-time performance was achieved? What specifically did the candidate have to do with achieving these results? How was the turn-over rate reduced from 33% to 17% and again, how specifically was the candidate involved in achieving these results?
2.) Dismiss subjective assertions. If you want to test a resume for substance, make a copy of the resume and use a red pen and strike out every unsubstantiated assertion. If the copy is filled with red ink, it’s a good indication that this individual is sharing little substance and is hoping to trick you with a load of self-serving comments. As a training exercise go through the following summary from a sample resume and simply strike every assertion that is based solely on the writer’s own perception.
Competitive, pragmatic and responsive Sales & Marketing management executive with a proven track record of success. Creative & persistent problem-solver who thrives on challenges, excels under pressure and gets the job done. Bright, bottom-line oriented team builder who possesses outstanding interpersonal and excellent communication skills. Hands-on leader and catalyst, organized & thorough planner, and capable negotiator especially effective dealing with senior management. Accustomed to a fast pace & multiple projects while consistently maximizing business opportunities, relationships and profits.
What do you have left? If you say “absolutely nothing except that this person is likely a sales & marketing executive” you are correct. The biggest mistake is to trust resumes like this. Such resumes provide far less information than meets the eye. Well meaning, but untrained resume reviewers will believe they’ve got a star on their hands, when in fact such information should lead to greater scrutiny instead.
The best resumes share one secret ingredient. They provide information and data that allows the reviewer to make the very assertions the writer wants to make - instead of them being spoon fed. It’s very powerful when a reviewer can make the very assertions the writer was hoping to make. Why? Because people rarely disagree with their own assertions. So having a reviewer make wonderful assertions about a candidate is far better than the candidate making them.
3.) List all questions and doubts. As you review a resume look for any points that create doubt, confusion, uncertainty, and misgivings. These feelings point you to the very issues that need to be probed. Do not sweep them aside. Too often hiring managers set aside lingering questions and/or doubts. The candidate has created these feelings and you deserve to have them cleared up. A poorly written resume will provide you with plenty to evaluate, if you still want to interview the candidate that is. Don’t be satisfied with anything less than satisfactory explanations.
When possible, get additional feedback and verification, potentially from third parties if it can be done discretely and without exposing the candidate. If nothing else, have the candidate provide references and contact these individuals to probe the issues you need clarity on. They will provide an additional data point.
4.) Look for hard data. A resume should be non-fiction. It should rest largely on data, details, and information that can be verified. For instance, “managed a division of 2,000 employees” is something that typically should be easy to verify. An “MBA and experience with a start-up” are also things that can be verified. As is “a 25% growth in revenue over 12 months.” Such concrete information should make up the bulk of a resume.
5.) Find one glaring falsehood and you’re likely to find several more. When a candidate claimed he had been conferred a Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and it proved to be false, we combed through the rest of the resume and found out he had never worked at one company he claimed to have worked, and in another instance held only a Director title while his resume claimed he had been a Vice President. It’s always good to verify a few easily verifiable points, such as the educational degrees. If anything comes back fishy - it’s good to dig deeper or pass on the candidate entirely.
6.) Read the story behind the story. Often resumes have an underlying theme. Typically it’s a theme that seeks to address concerns or insecurities the candidate has about them self. A resume that cites all kinds of education but where there is no discernible degree may be trying to hide a lack of education or an insecurity about their intellectual abilities.
A resume that fails to give the year of college graduation and starts with a Director position 15 years ago, is hiding something as well. Most people will think the candidate is trying to conceal their age, which is immaterial. However, the candidate may actually be hiding the fact they have plateaued. In one such instance, we learned that the candidate had 29 years of work experience but had never held a title beyond Director. This is a red-flag that has nothing to do with age. It goes to the question if they are capable of handling a Vice President position and if not, why not? The missing information obscures a potential weakness that needs to be evaluated. Without a full background this potential red-flag may have been missed.
Another example are dates of employment that are seamless by year only. This can potentially hide involuntary departures or significant gaps of time between employment. Of course such circumstances occur, but a confident professional is not afraid to explain the circumstances surrounding each departure.
The key is to determine that such employment gaps were not the norm. A candidate attempting to hide such gaps is potentially hiding the fact that such gaps were more frequent and possibly hiding something material, such as a drug dependency, illegal behavior, inability to get along with other co-workers, incompetence, etc. If you can identify an underlying theme it will typically point you to areas that deserve greater scrutiny.
7.) Grade the degree of clarity and focus, as well as the quality of the overall presentation. A resume communicates much more than a person’s background. It exposes how well a person presents themselves in writing. How well they know themselves. Is the resume easy to read, well organized, displayed in a comfortable and logical format? Is the information substantive or hollow fluff?
It’s so important to glean more than the information the writer is trying to sell you. This document is an example of how well this person organizes their thoughts, conveys their points, communicates with others, as well as, how well the candidate knows them self and how confident they are in sharing who they are.
8.) Play devil’s advocate. Just in case your assumptions about a person are wrong. Try and find evidence to the contrary. Also seek independent references where possible. A reference might be able to address some of your concerns. It’s amazing how a strong, objective reference can either solidify your initial feelings or get you to look at the candidate in a completely different light.
One key skill to reviewing resumes is to always be open to the possibility you’re assumptions are wrong. You set yourself up for disaster if you do nothing more than make a quick assessment and then only look for evidence that matches your incorrect assumption. Be objective as you gather additional information.
Allow the information to guide you to wherever it takes you. Ultimately it’s about getting it right, not you being right.
