Quote: “Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do.” Molcom Forbes, Forbes Magazine
Problem: You are wasting too much time screening candidates
Solution: In my history I’ve gone through tens of thousands of resumes and most resumes did not make the cut. On thing to understand is recruiters generally spend 6 to 8 seconds per resume before they move on. Before we dive into how they do this let’s talk about the key elements of screening.
The strategy below will save you time and add protection from EEOC complaints.
Recognize quickly when someone is not qualified and reject them. Recently, I read an article recently on LinkedIn where a recruiter was discussing a candidate who applied to 10 different jobs in their organization and most of them that he was unqualified for. She saw this as a good effort and a strong desire to work for their company. She decided to reach out to him eventually sent his resume to the correct place.
I read through 50 of the comments and none of them found any problem with this and praised her on this action. I have several issues with this. The first is, treating this person different than the other candidates screams discrimination. You are not treating every applicant equally. Second, it is unethical if you are applying to jobs which you are not qualified for. Lying on certain job applications is a federal offense. It is unprofessional to try to game a system in order to get yourself an interview. There are much better ways for candidates to stand out. Finally, a candidate who applies for jobs which they are not qualified for exposes the company to risk of an EEOC complaint when a the candidate is rejected. This “me first” attitude is not one I would want in my company.
When you are a business owner and you have to maximize every minute of time and having unqualified people apply to many jobs is actually a huge cost to you as a business owner so my response to somebody doing this is a flat out rejection.
Let’s jump into the resume screening process.
Whenever I first see a resume I immediately look for key indicators which are the technical and education requirements of the position. If they need a four year degree from a university not an online degree then I immediately look for this information. If they need five years experience of IT work and 3 year working with Python then I immediately look for this next. Finally, if they need a certain certification I immediately look for this information. Typically you can find the majority of these items near the end or the beginning of the resume.
I will look at their experience based on the responsibilities which the position requires. The experience should add up to all the years of experience required. Many applicants will put years so from 2014 to 2015 on their resume. This is a red flag and something you need to dive into if you select this candidate to move forward. This range could represent two months covering those two years. I’ve seen it happen.
Another tip is check out the writing. If there are typos or they are unable to to articulate their experience on paper very well, do you want them in your company
A time saving tip is to use the Find function of the program and you can look for 5 to 10 keywords which are key to the position. These words may show this person as technically proficient.
Final thoughts
Immediately dismiss or ignore candidates who are clearly unqualified whether by education years of experience or certification. Do not interview candidates who are not qualified it exposes your company to risk of EEOC complaints for discrimination. You are not required to tell a candidate why they were rejected. Again this opens the company up to litigation
Conclusion:
Look at the top of the resume and the very bottom of the resume to find key information on education, experience, and technical certifications.
Next look at the experience based on the responsibilities of the position
Save time with relevant keywords through the control find feature
Finally, if you reject someone, there is no reason to tell them why. Whatever you tell them can be used against you. This is sadly the where the victim mindset has taken us.
