How to Review a Resume
No matter if you have one position or ten positions to fill, one major aspect of the hiring process is reviewing candidate resumes. This process can sometimes be time consuming and stressful. However, if you take the extra time to thoroughly review resumes, you can effectively identify the most qualified candidates. Here are some key areas to focus on when reviewing resumes:
- Errors. Carefully review the resume to make sure it does not contain any spelling or grammatical errors, is poorly organized, sloppy, or hard to read. These will be clear signs their attention to detail and may give you a clear sign on their quality of work.
- Content. Make sure that the objective of an applicant matches your current openings. Review their work experience, job progression, job titles, education or special training to make sure they meet the minimum job requirements. Their salary requirements should also be reviewed to see if it is compatible.
- Patterns. Check to see if the applicant has been on an upward track in their career, hit a plateau, or started a descent. Any employment gaps should be noted and asked to be explained if you decide to interview the person. Reviewing the employment dates of how long a candidate has been at a job can show if the applicant is a long-term employee or only stays at a company for a certain amount of time.
- Inconsistencies. Examine dates and facts to make sure that everything matches up. For example, if a candidate says that he/she was getting his degree in one state but working in another at the same time, this will be sure to set off some alarm bells. More information will need to be gained to clarify this type of information.
When it comes to education, it is possible for a person to get a degree from one while working in another. For example, I am currently working towards a second master's in human resources from Capella University. It is an online program from a regionally accredited university that allows individuals to complete their degree requirements without physically attending class.
This is the future of education, but you must make sure that the university is "regionally accredited."
Examples of universities offering online programs include:
The following two are strictly online:
Capella University
University of Phoenix
These universities offer both on-campus and online:
Liberty University
Regent University
Regis University