As a hiring manager or company owner, the resume is the first impression you get of your potential candidates. Most people realize this and will make sure that their resume is neat, organized, and properly demonstrates their strengths and previous work experience. However, there are several “red-flags” that you should look out for when screening for candidates:
Typos or Grammatical Errors: The only thing that this shows about a candidate is carelessness. Almost all word processing software and e-mail servers offer a spell-check that can easily check for typos and grammatical errors before the resume is sent out.
Layout: A good resume makes the most important information the most “eye-catching.” As a hiring manager, you do not have the time to read every word of the fifty resumes sitting on your desk. You are going to sort through and look for the words that are of most importance to the open position. The strongest resumes will include all of the necessary information but not be so jammed full that you will be too overwhelmed to look at it.
E-Mail Addresses: By the time a person reaches the age when they are searching for a career, the e-mail address that they used in middle school should be long gone. Professional people do not have e-mail addresses with the words “baby” or “cutie” in them. Also, be weary of people who are using the e-mail address from their current position (this shows poor judgment). A simple hotmail or yahoo address with their name and/or initials is the most appropriate.
Listing Job Responsibilities and Not Accomplishments: As a hiring manager, you should look for resumes that tell you what they have accomplished in their past positions not what their responsibilities were. Accomplishments will tell you what the individual did that made an impact on their previous company as a whole rather than what they did while sitting at their desk everyday.
Job Instability: A person who has had seven jobs in the last five years probably isn’t looking to settle down within your company. This “job-hopper” will not be worth your time and effort to train. The best resume lists a candidate’s most recent 2-3 jobs with at least an average of two years spent at each one. (Note: This is not relevant for someone who has contractor experience).
Resume Gaps: This is less of a red flag and more something that can be asked about in further detail. Most people have a reasonable explanation (starting a family, caring for a sick relative, etc.) for why the timing on their resume doesn’t add up. It is not a reason for a candidate to immediately be rejected but is definitely something that should be asked about in the initial phone interview.
None of these “red-flags” are grounds for a candidate to not be considered, but they can tell you things about them before meeting face to face.
