A pool of unfollowed resumes is already a lot of work, and sometimes candidates overdo it by sending “never seen before and never wanted to see” type resumes.
Yes, you can certainly continue to reject all applicants’ resumes, but can you really do that?
No!
Instead, he must learn to access them without trying to destroy the computers.
And that is exactly why we are here with this ultimate guide on identifying candidate skills based on resumes. I know stick around till the end!
Statistics show that 46% of applicant resumes contain at least one piece of misleading information; surprisingly, 29% are never discovered.
Considering that a bad hire hinders the growth of the company and disrupts its work culture, recruiters must rule out any possibility of missing a potential red flag when evaluating resumes, especially during high-volume recruiting phases.
The most feasible way is to teach yourself and your team members the right resume screening tactics.
But would it be the best investment if another pandemic hits and the recruiting team begins to shrink once again?
In any case, one thing that will obviously help is technology!
After all, Sherlock Holmes believed that ” A man should keep his little brain in the attic with all the furniture he is likely to use. “
So, having the right tools at hand won’t hurt. Leveraging technology will be a “lifesaver” only in times of economic crisis and will help you carry out the daily recruitment process, even with a small team.
In addition to technology, there are some key filtering metrics that recruiters need to be trained on, so they can sort through the right resumes like a pro.
Here is our mission: to turn recruiters into hawks! (So
Address these 7 elements of a candidate’s resume first!
Here are seven key elements (in order of priority) to look for in a candidate’s resume.
1. Work history
Work experience is the first section you should look at on candidates’ resumes. For candidates who do not have a relevant work history (or a stable job position), you can look for related volunteer experience.
Also, look for consistency. They may want to explain why there are significant job gaps. Finally, consider whether they have progressed in their previous role. Have they been promoted or moved to different positions?
2. Educational qualification
If the job description lists a bachelor’s degree as the minimum qualification for the role, you can expect candidates to have at least that. Otherwise, they don’t even bother to read the job carefully before applying.
You can skip this section if you are hiring for a role that is based solely on the candidate’s skills, such as photography, animation, etc. Otherwise, educational background is key.
3. Contact information
What if you like a candidate’s profile and want to get in touch with them, but they provided you with the wrong contact information or none at all?
This is an immediate exclusion.
Before proceeding with any resume, you should check if it contains updated personal information. For reference, you can ask candidates to provide their LinkedIn accounts or maybe an alternate email ID, so at least you are not living completely under a rock.
Otherwise, no matter how good the resume is, it is a waste. He does not want to contact candidates like that.
4. Skills and competences
Skills and competencies are crucial as they help to analyze whether the candidate is suitable for the job. For example, if you are hiring a web developer, you would expect the ideal candidate to have coding skills.
In addition to hard skills, you should also look for the candidate’s attributes and soft skills, such as communication, problem solving, teamwork, etc. These skills make candidates more attractive to employers.
5. References
If you come across a top-notch candidate with a great resume, check to see if he or she is really that good or if he or she is just kidding.
In these cases, references can be helpful. But if the candidate has not mentioned any references or even if they have, but it is irrelevant, it is a clear no-no.
6. Work sample
Work samples are especially important when hiring for specific skills. For example, content writers need to have a collection of writing samples to access their skills.
If the candidate has yet to attach a work sample, you can contact them and ask for one. Also, if they do not have a portfolio, consider giving them a pre-assessment test.
7. Social Profiles
It’s no secret that you need to look beyond your candidate’s work experience and qualifications. Social media is a great source to see what kind of person your candidate is, how active they are, and what influence they have online.
It would be helpful if you started by looking at their LinkedIn profile. But don’t stop there! Ask for their Twitter, personal blog, etc. to get a deeper insight into their beliefs and opinions.
What does a candidate’s resume reveal about his or her skills?
From writing skills to the ability to present information in an organized manner, a lot can be gleaned from a candidate’s resume. However, you need to take a closer look.
Here are some things you can deduce from the candidate’s resume:
1. Proper formatting = attention to detail?
When a resume is formatted correctly, it shows that the candidate has taken care to present himself professionally and has paid attention to the details of his qualifications.
This first step in presenting yourself professionally can indicate the level of care and attention the candidate would bring to any position.
2. Reliable references = loyal?
A candidate’s resume can reveal a lot about their skills, including their reliability.
A reliable reference is someone who can vouch for a candidate’s skills and abilities and is usually someone who has worked with the candidate in the past. A loyal reference is willing to go the extra mile to help candidates get the job they want.
When reviewing a candidate’s resume, pay attention to the references they list.
Are they likely to be loyal to the candidate? If not, it might be worth reconsidering your opinion of the candidate.
3. Spelling and punctuation errors = unreliable?
While a resume with spelling and punctuation errors may not be a problem for you, it says a lot about the candidate. These errors show that the candidate is not detail-oriented, which could show up during the job, if hired.
Most employers want candidates who can get things done right the first time and pay attention to detail. A resume with spelling and punctuation errors will likely turn potential employers off and make the candidate seem unreliable.
4. Page-long essays = incoherent?
It is commonly believed that longer resumes are better, as they contain more information about the candidates. However, this is not always the case.
Sometimes four-page resumes can be incoherent and hard to follow. It also shows that candidates have not planned and organized their thoughts before writing. As a result, their resume ends up being a bit messy and doesn’t flow well.
Please note that neither too short nor too long resumes are suitable.
An ideal resume is preferably 2 pages and contains no more than 600 words. . (Of course, there are exceptions.)
5. Without a cover letter = rejection at first sight?
In most cases, a recruiter will likely reject a candidate altogether if their resume is poorly written or does not include a cover letter.
A cover letter allows recruiters to learn more about candidates and their qualifications. It also gives them a sense of the candidate’s personality and whether they fit into the company culture. Without a cover letter, recruiters are much less likely to consider a candidate for a position.
6. Everything perfect = interview time?
Candidates with a flawless resume are not always the best ones. In fact, most of the qualified candidates may have a mediocre resume. So, there is always a chance that a candidate with a less than perfect resume could turn out to be the candidate they have always wanted!
Why? Because not all candidates have the communication skills to present their resume in the best possible way. Even though they may be proficient in their native skills, it might be a little unfair to create a perception of them based on a typo in their resume.
On the other hand, candidates with perfect resumes may be hiding something, or they may have hired a professional to fool the ATS.
So how do recruiters know what’s really behind the resume?
A resume is a great way to get a “feel” for a candidate’s skills and experience, but it’s important to remember that it’s just a starting point. It’s your responsibility to look beyond the surface and get to know the candidate as a person. That way, you can better assess whether they’re a good fit for the job.
How can technology help you evaluate resumes better and faster?
Still stuck with paper resumes. What about you? Especially when your competitors have leveraged AI to efficiently get through the resume screening process.
With the number of recruiting tools that have taken over the market in recent years, resume screening has become more data-driven than intuition-driven, and resume parsing software is largely responsible for that .
Resume parsing software can handle multiple resumes in one click. This software uses artificial intelligence to break down the job description and learn what the ideal candidate looks like.
With the “help” of artificial intelligence, it eliminates the possibility of wrong matches by applying an algorithm that sorts the candidates at each level and narrows them down to the most suitable one. Before selecting candidates for interviews, it analyzes resumes and CVs based on specific keywords, providing the best results in a short time and budget.
She also analyzes candidates from her existing talent pool; if they match the requirements, they are immediately added to her pipeline. So, she doesn’t have to find new candidates from scratch; a little mining can help her rediscover hidden gems within her database.
Recruiters, after each hiring cycle, can use the data stored during the recruiting process to gain a better picture of what worked and what needs to be further incorporated to improve hiring decisions.
Interesting, right? Maybe RecruitCRM’s resume parser is what you need most right now. Check out its features here.
Words of Caution
While much progress has been made in the recruiting industry, most people still don’t understand how online job searching works, which is why AI tools like resume parsers have been dubbed the “resume black hole” by candidates.
After all, we cannot ignore that, although resume parsers take a lot of burden off the recruiter’s shoulders, there is always the doubt that good candidates will slip through the cracks or that incompetent ones will be accepted by playing with specific “keywords”.
Undoubtedly, these tools are evolving rapidly, but we are still far from finding a definitive solution to these limitations:
- No control
Currently, there is no way for recruiters to test resume parsers to determine why a particular resume is ranked higher than others, which means they cannot control whether the outcome is good or bad.
- No feedback
A survey shows that 45% of candidates find the lack of feedback from the interviewer the most frustrating aspect of the application process.
Because resume parsers do not define the set of criteria by which to analyze results, candidates are often left in the dark.
- Smart candidates (or maybe not so smart ATS):
Nowadays, candidates customize their job applications for resume parsers, not job ads.
Most of them have already discovered numerous ways, such as keyword stuffing, etc., to trick the ATS into selecting their resumes.
Thus, more technologically inclined candidates easily pass the test, even if they are not suited to the job requirements.
While we wait for someone to come up with a new resume parser (or perhaps an update) that can mitigate these problems, here’s what you can do:
- Choosing better resume parsers. While not 100% accurate, top-notch resume parsing software that leverages features like AI, machine learning, text mining, etc. can provide up to 95% accuracy.
- Feed your parser with a series of relevant keywords. For example, digital marketing is also called online marketing. Make sure your ATS knows these abbreviations.
- Add drop-down menus to your application form. This will limit the data entry options, providing a very refined result.
- Another logical solution to avoid unstructured information on resumes is to not ask for resumes. It may seem strange, but it works almost 100% of the time.
The circle closes!
Hiring the ideal candidate is challenging, and unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
But over the years, after sifting through hundreds of resumes, we know one thing for sure: She needs to keep an open mind when she reviews applications. She needs to read between the lines before she accepts or rejects any resume.
Not all “good” resumes are good. In fact, we’ve hired some great candidates with “not so great” resumes.
We know that giving talent with poor resumes a chance is not a common practice, and it may seem like a waste of time, but why not try breaking this rule for once? Who knows what hidden gem is waiting to be discovered?
So, next time you access resumes, make sure you don’t make these mistakes:
- Judging a Resume by the Cover Letter
- Assume that all job gaps are negative.
- Quickly fire candidates with short tenure in their previous role.
- It does not consider transferable skills.
- Don’t read resumes that are too short or too long.
We hope this article was a pleasure for you. We will update you soon on another interesting topic.
Until then… keep reading, keep projecting!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the difference between proactive and reactive recruiting?
Proactive recruiting is a forward-looking talent acquisition strategy in which recruiters continuously seek out, engage, and nurture candidates before a job offer presents itself. It ensures a pipeline of pre-qualified candidates, reducing time-to-hire and improving hiring efficiency. Reactive recruiting
, on the other hand, begins only when a position becomes available. This approach often leads to hasty hiring decisions, increased competition, and limited access to top talent.
2. How can proactive recruiting improve hiring ROI?
By adopting a proactive approach, companies can significantly improve their return on investment (ROI) in hiring through better resource allocation and reduced hiring costs. Because proactive recruiting involves continuously seeking out and maintaining relationships with candidates, it helps minimize last-minute hiring expenses and prevents productivity gaps caused by prolonged vacancies. This strategy also allows recruiters to focus on quality hires, which leads to better long-term retention rates and overall business performance. Organizations that implement proactive recruiting strategies see greater efficiency in their hiring processes, allowing them to spend less time and money on sourcing and secure the best talent available.
3. What tools can help implement proactive recruitment strategies?
Successfully implementing proactive recruiting requires the right technology to streamline candidate sourcing, engagement, and tracking. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters organize potential hires, while candidate relationship management (CRM) tools enable ongoing engagement and relationship building with prospects. AI-driven sourcing tools help identify qualified passive candidates, while social recruiting platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and niche communities provide direct access to top talent. Additionally, recruiting marketing tools improve employer branding, making it easier to attract and nurture candidates before a role even opens up. By leveraging these technologies, recruiters can maintain a steady pipeline of qualified candidates and make the hiring process more efficient.
