Analyzing Resumes

You’ve made the decision to recruit and now you have now a mountain of resumes to get through. How do you sort through it? It looks like a pile of paperwork needing your attention. Reading and extracting the vital information you need can be like holding a virtual interview in your own head.

Key skills & achievements

•             How would their skills benefit you?

•             Have they showed that they can set goals and achieve them?

•             How involved have they been in other studies?

•             Do their key skills correlate with the job?

•             What makes them unique?

Qualifications & education

•             Do they have the educational background needed to complete the job?

•             Have they done other courses to develop their skills?

•             Are their grades consistent? Have they exemplified a professional standard in their studies?

Employment

•             How long have they been with each employer?

•             Have they worked for a variety of different employers? Consider size and structure/systems, team size, location and nature of the business

•             What was their position, who did they report to?

•             What clients have they worked for?

•             Have they put forward any initiatives?

•             Did they receive any promotions?

•             What were their responsibilities?

•             What successes have they achieved?

•             Have they been unemployed for a long duration?

•             Have they travelled or gained worldly experience?

•             Have they worked from the bottom up? Do they have any grounding or administrative skills that would help them in the position?

•             If a graduate, were they capable of working and studying at the same time? What work experience do they have? Did they win any work placements?

•             Have they given a reason for leaving their current position?

Hobbies and interests

•             What are their interests?

•             Are they team players or do they ‘play’ on their own?

•             What character traits do their hobbies and interests suggest?