How to Screen Resumes

If you are hiring someone, especially in today's economy, there will be droves of people trying to get in to that position. As an employer you have to be able to rapidly weed out the qualified and unqualified. Here is how to screen resumes without little more than a glance.

1. Check the layout.

Most applicants for serious positions will have their resumes done professionally meaning that this won't be a problem but for those who don't you want to make sure that the layout is up to stuff. Though the layout might seem insignificant a good layout shows willingness to professionalism and you want a professional right? It can also so insurgency in the applicants when they say that they have computer skills but cannot accurately present resume, that tells you something.

2. Look for typos

Typos can give away a lot about what a candidate's attention to detail is like. It is important to have employees that can put adequate attention into detail. If the resume is filled with typos it is dud and I would throw that one out.

3. Scan the position titles

Position titles will tell you a lot about the person you might be paying. If the position titles on the resume does not match up to what your ideal candidate has done in the past then it is not worth your time. If you are not training the basics then you will have to require you candidates to have some level of familiarity with the subject.

4. Look for length

Consider a candidate that changes jobs a lot, keeping jobs for less than a year a piece. You need to look for a pattern of job tenure and not hopping around from job to job. However, look at if a person had a long job for 4-8 years and then later got a new job that was not quite a fit. It is crucial for you to look deep into resumes sometimes and with a case like this I would recommend a deeper look.

5. Look for Resume Gaps

Gaps that last longer than 3-9 months should be questioned. Especially if there is a trend of these gaps following different jobs. Having short jobs with long periods of unemployment is not a good mix.

Following these five tips for screening resumes will help you make a dent in that stake of resumes you have sitting out and hopefully help you find the right person.