Whether you run a multinational company or a startup, you need to invest in your employees. The right team can help you build and expand your business the fastest way possible.
From producing quality output to providing groundbreaking ideas, there’s no telling just how far the best employees can take your company.
However, it’s almost impossible to predict which candidates will be great at the onset. Many resumes look the same and frankly, there are many who sound good on paper, yet fall short in reality. As well as vice versa.
So, is it time to scrap resumes? And if so, how should we screen candidates instead? Let’s take a look.
Fact: Resumes Aren’t Always Reliable
For the longest time, companies have used resumes to shortlist candidates -and sometimes, to decide who to hire. It’s cost-effective, quick, and straightforward. In short, it’s a practical choice for those who can’t afford to invest in expensive hiring algorithms.
However, this approach has its own pitfalls. For instance, it’s vulnerable to resume fraud, where desperate candidates fake their educational backgrounds, fabricate chunks of their work experience, or lie about their qualifications in general.
Aside from this, screening resumes can also enable certain hiring biases. Some recruiters might (consciously or subconsciously) lean towards candidates who come from the same school, hometown, or share the same educational background. This can prove detrimental since it effectively shuts out good candidates who might not possess those qualities, but would be a better fit for the job.
Okay, What About Algorithms?
Let’s say you can afford to invest in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and algorithms to automate the hiring process.
The system will look for specific keywords in applicants’ resumes that are related to your job post and voila! It will instantly generate a list of “qualified” candidates based on the metrics you provided.
While efficient, it won’t always be effective. There’s a good chance that you’ll miss out on someone great just because his/her CV didn’t include a specific keyword.
For example, you might be looking for a project manager with a postgraduate degree. Then, along comes an applicant who doesn’t have one. However, s/he has successfully managed international events for global brands for the last 10 years.
Under normal circumstances, this person would be a shoo-in. But since the algorithms don’t match, his or her name won’t even make it to your shortlist. Wouldn’t that be such a shame?
What’s a Better Alternative?
So if resumes and algorithms fall short, what would work better?
Well, plenty of CEOs and hiring managers consider LinkedIn as a better alternative. Amy Spurling, the CEO of a Boston-based software company, hired 50 percent of her staff without ever looking at their resumes. Instead, she looked them up on LinkedIn.
Haven’t got a LinkedIn account? Other employers who don’t look at work portfolios rather than resumes. In some ways, this can be more effective since you have a better gauge for how well a candidate will perform on the job. Actual output will tell you a lot more about their abilities than, say, which school they went to or how long they stayed at their last job.
The point is, there’s more to candidates than what’s written on their resumes. Best keep that in mind, however you choose to go about things.
The hiring process involves sifting through loads of people with different sets of skills. And while there’s no perfect solution, screening resumes are no longer the best way to find the right candidates.
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Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
