Reading a résumé

The first encounter between a job prospect and an employer often takes place via a piece of paper called the résumé. Even though there are a few cases where job seekers come to the office premises of the company and make themselves available for a physical encounter with the employer, majority of the cases occur with the job seeker far away and the employer relying on a written summary of what the candidate claims are her competences and accomplishments.

Even where a resident HR is a tech savvy and so can pry the background of job prospects online and from other clandestine sources, the fact still remains that even in such cases, the CV is still the first means of contact to the jobseeker. Unfortunately, for nearly every single vacancy that is published, huge numbers of CVs arrive. Sorting out these documents becomes the next headache.

An HR department that has a software for sorting out résumés may reduce the stress associated with CV screening but even for such an innovation, a few hurdles still linger the way of swift recruitment. No matter how swift and intelligent the software may be, human intervention will be necessary.

But when the HR believes in the superiority and efficiency of the non-electric sorting, the exercise may be even more taxing and apparently more time-consuming. Either way, filtering résumés must be done against a checklist, some of which are discussed below.

Characteristics of résumé The résumé being the first means of contact between the job giver and the admission-seeking candidate, this document must exude some great characteristics. Practically, every single jobseeker has been taught to be diligent and invest every care in crafting their CVs.

So when CVs arrive after a publication of a vacancy, the first task when embarking on the sorting is to mind errors contained in the résumé document. For middle and senior positions, candidates are expected to be detail minded, perfection craving and thorough and the document they send to the employer must of necessity carry these qualities.

The first exercise, therefore, should focus on seeking these qualities manifestly incorporated in the résumé. Documents that contain errors, be these errors grammatical, obviously typographical or any in whichever kind often, are a testimonial of the jobseeker's lack of attention to details.

When the position that is up for contest is a middle level to senior position, attention to detail is a requirement that cannot be overlooked because it has a direct bearing on the performance of the person who fills the vacancy.

Grammatical errors may be symptoms of someone with reasonable deficiencies in written communication aptitudes, which may extend to verbal skills necessary for efficient functioning of the occupant of the position. But for positions that do not necessarily require verbal and written communication acumen, the HR may want to be a little more flexible.

Technicians generally have no abundant control over language, lying usually outside of their trade vocabulary and professional language registry, and so when screening their CVs, one must keep this in mind so that too much emphasis is not placed on a quality whose practical relevance is limited.

But for positions that interface with clients and other equally important segments of the enterprise such as suppliers, transporters, bulk breakers and a wide range of professionals in the chain of activities that generate value to the business, even the physical beauty of the document, the characters used, their font sizes, et cetera, all should matter and should be inputed into the candidate suitability sheet.

Value of correspondence As it turns out in today's professional world, middle-level positions and all the other positions that line the corporate leadership ladder, correspondence is key in delivering quality and sustaining the lead in the often brutal, ruthless competition that confronts businesses. CVs that are jumbled, lack coherence, and whose language leaves much to be desired are clear dustbin materials.

The second consideration is the relevance of the candidate's education and experience and their combined possible applicability to the key performance indicators as captured in the announcement. Scanning the area of the document that lists educational qualifications is important. Checking the most recently added qualification gives the HR easy clue as to whether the document is worth spending time on.

The candidate whose most recent certificate testifies to her proficiency in service marketing but who is applying for a position in heavy duty equipment sales may easily spare you some time since the prospect's interests are obviously in service marketing, which, though identical to product marketing to some extend, requires an approach largely different from the former.

Competences Education and experience are so key to the evaluation of a résumé that the employer who overlooks them may hire some of the talented kids but may soon lose them to rival enterprises. An over-qualified candidate who is desperate to secure an employment, when considered, may soon find the position unchallenging.

When opportunities that better match their qualification and experience show up elsewhere, they may be on their way to filling such positions and leaving your office empty.

Finally, check out the current residential address of the candidate. Some companies, by their nature and business activities, have the bulk of their clients in certain limited geographical areas.

The traditional practice is to include information in the announcement stating clearly that qualified jobseekers living in regions where the company operates will be considered. But where the human resource available in the area of operation is limited, such clauses may be reviewed.

Mining corporations that have the bulk of their stuff in the mining areas around Eastern, Western, Central and Ashanti regions often may specify that a certain category of their positions will demand relocation but applicants from such areas may have an added advantage. Some mining and extraction SMEs simply do not engage prospects from regions outside of their ares of operations.

Relocation costs for new staff may become a burden to the company as it has to find residence for staff. Those who also have to commute long distances to and from the office may arrive habitually late in the office and wish to leave on time so as to avoid the heavy traffic on their way home. — GB