The Problem Isn’t the Resume, It’s Who’s Reading Them

Have you ever performed a search for a resume writer on Google? Do you recall how many results came back? Wow, talk about a saturated market! Now, out of the thousands of sites you found, did you come across one that wasn’t simply focused on extolling the wonderment and power of their resume? These companies have it all wrong. The problem isn’t with your resume, but with who, or possibly what, is reading it.

Who or what is reading the resumes?

1. Computer screening program
2. Human Resource Representative
3. Maaayybe the hiring manager

After all the effort you have put into creating your resume, isn’t it reassuring to know you have to first impress software? If you read an earlier post, “Monsters Ate My Cattle Brain“, you understand that due to the internet-driven explosion in candidate submissions that companies now rely on screening software to sort through this unmanageable task.

Next, if you are lucky enough to make it through initial screening, your resume then goes to a human resource representative, trained and schooled in the complex world of human resources. Also because of the resume tidal wave, companies were forced to pass much of the hiring responsibility from the actual hiring managers onto human resources because the managers couldn’t possibly review all of the resumes and manage to get their jobs done. What has resulted is that someone trained in human resources is reviewing candidates’ resumes for positions completely outside of their scope of knowledge. They just want to see the hot buttons. If an incredibly skilled person submits a resume for a position but uses different and possibly more advanced terms that mean the same thing, the representative will likely not realize it and thus rule the candidate out.

If your resume makes it past the human resource department to the hiring manager congrats, but you’re not there yet. The hiring manager is an expert in their area but when it comes to reviewing resumes, they quite frankly suck. Working as a recruiter, I talked with several hiring managers who expected to see exact detailed experience on the resume or else the candidate was out of contention. Here is an example of a conversation with an employer:

A candidate submits their resume for a position as a Toyota forklift driver. Their resume shows 10 years of experience operating a Crown forklift. Of course the employer would see the skills needed to operate the Crown are the same ones needed to operate the Toyota…right? NOPE!

Employer: “Well, it isn’t on their resume that they drove a Toyota forklift and I need someone with that experience.”

Recruiter: “I completely understand that Mr./Ms. Employer but did you see that they have experience driving Crown forklifts?”

Employer: “Did you not hear me? I said I need someone with Toyota forklift experience!”

This conversation would continue and as a recruiter I was able to usually convince the employer of their ability. But the fact is, you won’t always have a recruiter to help you and in a scenario like this, you will likely be ruled out without having the chance to explain.  Instead of stating that you have the Crown experience, find the similarities between Crown and Toyota and then list them in the resume.  Let’s pretend for this example the similarities are that they both run on propane, have six gears, and shoot lasers.  You would put on your resume that you have experience with “forklifts that run on propane, have six gears, and shoot lasers – Systems used in Crown, Toyota, and Mitsubishi forklift models”.  This way you are showing the related experience in a way that will avoid having you ruled out by a single-minded employer.

Understanding these audience demographics will provide you the perspective to create and tailor your resume in a way that appeals to all people in the hiring process. Here is a quick checklist to keep in mind:

• Learn as much as you can about the position from the company, not just from the job description. Why is it open? If they liked the person but they retired, ask what they liked so much about that person?
• After reviewing the job description, determine the “hot buttons” and make sure the terms appear at least once in your resume although the more, the better.
• If the job title is Program Engineer then, directly underneath your name and address, write a headline that says, “Program Engineer” with a subtitle stating your  experience related to the job description such as “SQL/C++/Dreamweaver – Proven leadership”.
• Show quantifiable statements of value throughout the resume, stating how much you earned or saved for the company.
• Create a clean, eye-catching, and easy-to-read layout that stands out from an aesthetic standpoint.

Jon Davidson is Co-founder of The Resume Bay a company created to provide ultimate resume writing and interview coaching for the Information Age while offering free access to interviews with the country’s leading experts on Resume Bay Radio.