Submitted by colinwpotts on
in
Forums
Hi Guys,
Just finished the writing a Job Ad & Job description casts. Dead easy & instant results!! (of course)
I spent some time digging around and found lots of other useful "tools" in relation to interviewing, scouting etc but came up short on the actual resume screening process.
I don't have the luxury of using an agency (or a HR department for that matter) so thought I'd reach out to the expertise of the MT community.
Obviously a MT formatted resume is going to have top marks but is there a MT recommended process on how to go through the screening. Is it as simple as ticking off each "must have" against each resume to produce a 1st round interview list and then getting to it?
Is there a cast or tool amongst the encyclopedia that is MT that someone can point me too?
thanks!
--Colin
First Filter - Find A Reason
Actually have the same question, but what I do (and applying Horstman's Christmas rule - not being good at it) is simply use the most rationale first filter - which is does the resume give me a reason to invite them at first glance.
Yes, having an MT resume helps as it gives you LOTS of reasons. But if the candidate's resume was like mine a couple of years ago, I'd have to spend a lot of time digging and trying to see if there, in fact, is a reason to invite them at all.
So from what I get from Mark's references of his career as a recruiter, he has several piles: trash, maybe, and invite. So i have one setup similarly:
Again if they showed me any reason at all, i put them in the invite pile. If it shows promise, i put them in the shortlist. If they don't indicate anything at all, i put them at the no.
What I mean by the reason is, like what Mike and Mark always say about resumes, what they did and how well they did. So that's the topmost priority. Someone who tells us what they did and how well they did their jobs. If they just said they worked at XYZ company (which is big here in our country) but didn't write their accomplishments, i place them in the shortlist. If they just listed down their "basic" details, then i have no reason at all to invite them.
Of course, there are some other filters there like if you're looking for fresh graduates, etc.
reviewing resumes of entry-level candidates
In my case, I'm looking for entry-level tech support people, so they don't have much of a career history. Because the job requires communicating with customers over email to resolve technical issues, I ask for a writing sample in addition to a resume when applying. Seeing if they can follow that direction is the first test. I specifically ask for a writing sample explaining how to do something on a computer or mobile device and it shows me if they:
If their writing sample is no good, then it doesn't matter what is on their resume. It also cuts way down on the number of resumes to review, because it's really easy to send in a resume that you've already written, but most people are too lazy to create the writing sample (or they don't want the job enough to do it).