If you are a Job Seeker – you can have a look at the check list, and get a better understanding on how to build your resume, and what mistakes to avoid, so as the resume is seen in a positive manner by hiring managers.
If you are a Hiring Manager – you can identify various factors based on which you can shortlist from amongst the various resumes that you get every day for job positions in your company. You can also use the check list to plan your interview and probe.
Screening the Resume – what to look for
The following needs to be analyzed carefully as it helps you identify the suitability of the profile as well as helps you build a base for the interview.
- Base requirements for the position, educational qualifications, work experience etc.
- Significant achievements, recognition in previous roles.
- Information that supports or negates the Critical / Desirable Competencies identified for the given Job.
- Map the relevance of previous experience to the expectations from the vacant position.
Identifying gaps:
The following checklist may be used, to examine a candidate’s resume, and identify areas, wherein an interviewer needs to probe further during the interview for better understanding and mapping the suitability of the candidate for the available position.
- Are there any significant gaps in the resume, which the applicant has not accounted for?
- Has the person had frequent moves that indicate a lack of stability in settling into a role?
If so, did this happen,
- Early in the career – maybe at the start of the career showing immaturity or non seriousness.
- More recently – maybe struggling to handle complexity of more senior roles
- Throughout resume – maybe general orientation to seek variety, and struggles to stick to a job for a reasonable a period of time
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- Do the Titles, Duties handled, and Accomplishments etc. look realistic?
- What is the reputation of his / her Educational Institutions / Previous Organizations?
- How well organized is the information in the resume?
- Is information presented in a disorganized or coherent way?
- Is language used in the resume,
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- Grammatically correct?
- Well expressed?
- Appropriate to the seniority of the position?
- Spelled correctly?
- How realistic is the Salary indicated ?
Praveen is the Founder & Principal Consultant of KHEdge, a boutique HR & Business Process Advisory firm. Over last 15 years he has advised & worked with promoters, founders, business leaders, HR leaders in areas of - Business Strategy, HR Strategy, Organisation Design etc.