REVIEWING A RESUME
Although depending on a highly trained and specialized recruiter is the best way to minimize your time spent looking over resumes, it is helpful if you understand some of the logic behind reviewing resumes.
One of the basic things to look for is length of time on the job. A candidate with consistently short- term assignments could mean either a lack of commitment or an inability to finish a task. Be careful here though, because it could also be circumstantial (layoffs or personal challenges). Where there are patterns, look for explanations and inconsistencies. Obviously when hiring a consultant, this is much less of an issue
Educational background has always been a requirement that is important in the Information Technology market. There may be some exceptions to this rule (a good recruiter will be able to identify these exceptions to the rule), but for the most part, the absence of a formal degree should be a red flag.
Pay particular attention to the dates of employment for each job/assignment and keep an eye out for overlapping dates. Many IT professionals are called back to do work for previous employers (especially the good ones!), but there are also many circumstances where people are just not forthright about their gaps in employment or dates of employment. This is another area where inconsistencies should be cause for further exploration of the facts.
In the same way a good set of questions and an agenda are helpful in the interviewing process, having a solid job description with you is helpful when reviewing resumes. We all have a tendency to believe that our experience is a good substitute for forms, templates and scripts. No matter how good you are at what you do, having a “cheat sheet” next to you will improve on your performance. There are too many distractions and other obligations in our professional lives to remain completely focused on the particularly mundane task of reviewing a resume. Let’s face it, reviewing resumes is the last thing you want to do as an IT professional. You might as well make is as easy on yourself as possible.
Once you have reviewed the resumes that you have been given initially, it is a good idea to identify two different groups of resumes. Separate them into two different piles based on the qualifications against the job requirements. Take the first pile and begin reaching out to these candidates over the telephone. This can be done either by delegating this task to a project manager or you can do it yourself. We highly recommend assessing the initial resumes yourself. This is particularly true if the resumes have come through a trusted pre-qualifying source such as a good recruiter. Then don’t wait to call these candidates! Time is your biggest enemy when sourcing critically skilled IT resources. Then take the second pile and…….THROW IT AWAY! We all spend too much time mulling over resumes of candidates that are “pretty close” or “seem to be a fit”. If this is all you have then start over or go to a different source. It’s a waste of time. . For more information contact us at management@lucidsolutionsllc.com
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