So you have an opening in your EDI group to fill, and the resumes are beginning to arrive. What now? Here are a few tips to help make the initial phase of resume reviewing an easier process.
Initially you should really spend only enough time looking at each candidate to determine if enough evidence exists on the resume to warrant going forward. The easiest way to do this is to put that collection of resume’s thru a sorting process similar to the triage system used behind battle lines to treat the wounded.
Quickly sort your resume’s into categories A, B, and C.
Category C - Cannot meet the daily requirements of the position.
Category B – May be able to meet the daily requirements of the position.
Category A – Able to meet the daily requirements of the position.
Within these three triage areas, category B resume’s clearly require some time and effort to work through. However, asking a few questions about a resume can mean the difference between landing the best candidate, instead of only the most obvious on paper.
Here are some suggestions to help you objectively consider who should move from the “B” list to the ranks of the “A” list candidates.
Core Skills - In the initial round of resume reviews, limit your selection criteria for candidates to those who meet what you have determined to be your 3 most important job requirements. All those “nice to have” skills are just that. Nice to have. But don’t limit your options this early in the process by being too granular. Focus your sorting around your Top 3 “must have” skills.
Results – Does the candidate present you with accomplishments or merely a list of skills? If you are hiring candidates fairly early in their career and are willing to invest in training, a skill list could be enough information to warrant a conversation. However, mid-level and higher professionals should be developing their “business awareness” and able to easily quantify their accomplishments in a way that demonstrates how their previous employer became the benefactor of their labor.
Logic - As quickly as technology changes you may be better served by candidates with the ability to quickly apply logic to a problem or task, as opposed to a candidate who merely relies on a grasp of specific syntax and tools. While this topic is sometimes better explored during the interview, a resume that demonstrates successful patterns of stepping into new environments and using solid logical skills to accomplish a purpose is worth another look.
Ranking - As you review each resume, rank it on a scale of 1 (low) to 7 (high) based on how well the individual meets your top 3 job requirements, demonstrates evidence of good logical skills, and quantifies their accomplishments. Now, based on the number of resumes you have, you can decide how low on your ranking scale you’ll go in order to choose who moves on from a being B player to the “A” list.
