The typical employment manager does not bother to read a resume in any degree of detail unless the preliminary scan indicates that the applicant has some of the essential skills and experience sought. In such cases, as key phrases and headings begin to match the candidate spec, the manager slows down and begins to read with a more critical eye. If several key criteria appear to be met, the employment professional will usually return to the beginning of the resume and begin a more thorough, detailed reading. To the contrary, if quick scanning of the resume indicates that few, if any, of the candidate's qualifications appear to match the current requirements, no time is lost in moving on to the next resume.
QUICK "KNOCKOUT" FACTORS
In scanning the employment resume, the employment manager is looking for key "knockout" factors-factors that clearly spell no interest and signal the employment manager to stop reading and move on to the next resume. Some of these quick knockout factors are:
- Job objective incompatible with current openings
- Inappropriate or insufficient educational credentials
- Incompatible salary requirements
- Geographic restrictions incompatible with current openings
- Lack of U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status
- Resume poorly organized, sloppy, or hard to read
- Too many employers in too short a period of time
- Too many pages-a book instead of a resume
CRITICAL READING
Having successfully passed the quick knockout factors test and avoided the no interest stamp, your resume must now undergo a more thorough and critical scanning. Concentration's now centered on the Work Experience section of the resume as the following questions are considered:
- Are there sufficient years and level of experience?
- Is experience in the appropriate areas?
- Is the candidate missing any critical experience?
- Does the candidate have sufficient breadth and depth of technical knowledge?
- Does the applicant have sufficient management or leadership skills?
- Are any technical or managerial skills missing?
- Is there a solid record of accomplishment?
- How does this candidate compare with others currently under consideration?
- Based on overall qualifications, what are the probabilities that an offer would be made-50%, 75%, 90% (as measured against past candidates with similar credentials)?
There is nothing mysterious or mystical about the resume-reading process. It is essentially logical and straightforward. It is a process whereby the employment manager or hiring manager simply compares the candidate's qualifications and interests with the candidate's hiring spec in an effort to determine the candidate's degree of qualifications and the desirability of moving to the interview (or phone screen) step. Neatness, clarity, organization, style, and format are the key ingredients; they are critical to the impact and effectiveness of the employment resume.
The cover letter that accompanies your employment resume is perhaps one of the most important letters you will ever write. Other than your resume, it is the single key document that will introduce you to a prospective employer and, if well-written, pave the way to that all- important job interview. It is an integral part of your overall job hunting campaign, and it can make or break you, depending upon how well it is written. Construction of this document should therefore be given very careful attention. The care that you give to writing this letter will certainly be a major factor in getting your job search off to an excellent start. Conversely, a poorly written letter will surely scuttle your campaign before it even begins.
