Ever wonder what a recruiter looks for when working to fill a job post? You know the basics of a good resume: bullet points, bolded titles, no spelling errors. But there’s a lot more to reading a resume and quickly assessing if the candidate should receive further consideration. Check out these 6 lines of questioning our recruiters use when they view resumes to find qualified candidates for our clients.
- Location. Are they local? If not, are you willing to relocate a qualified candidate?
- Education. If you require a specific degree, and it’s a deal-breaker, does the applicant have the necessary education?
- IT Skills and languages. What skills, languages, or technologies does the candidate highlight on their resume? How many skills and languages do they claim to be an expert in, and is it what you need? Or are so many listed that you wonder if they are an expert at any of them at all?
- Experience. Do they have relevant experience? Do they have a record of promotion on their resume? If not, why have they not been promoted?
- Past companies. Have they worked for good companies? Is the company culture at any of those companies similar to the culture at your company?
- Projects. What projects have they been a part of? Do they talk about their specific contributions to these projects, and are those contributions relevant?
This list is a good starting point for narrowing down qualified applicants, but keep in mind, the best applicant is someone who knows their limitations and what they still need to learn. Even if they don’t have everything you want, they might have what you need, and the potential to learn. If the candidate is able to pass this cursory glance, then dig deeper into their resume to find a candidate that is not only qualified but a great addition to your team.
