I’ve been on this resume topic all week but it is important enough to continue. First let me give you the setup and then an analogy. We run a detailed, repeatable process to identify the strongest candidates for a specific position. Our process includes profiling the typical sale and then sourcing candidates based on the information revealed in the profile.
We run candidates through a phone screen where we actually mirror the pressure they will encounter when calling on your prospects. We score them and have the top candidates complete a battery of objective, online assessments. We will even ask for candidates to complete written, essay-like questions so we can see their writing style.
At this point we present the candidates to our customers. New customers usually formulate questions around one topic – the candidate’s work experience based on their resume. 60+ pages of assessment information, phone screen summaries, writing examples . . . and through all that, the hiring manager wants to solely discuss something on the resume.
Now for the analogy: Say a restaurant owners wants to hire a head chef. He has many chefs send him their menu that describes their signature entrees. The descriptions give the owner some idea of what is contained in the dish, but he doesn’t know all the ingredients, proportions or the preparation to make that dish. The owner may even sit down with the chefs that interest him the most and have them describe, in detail, their dishes. At the end, he hires the chef he likes the best but the critical truth here is that he has never seen the chef cook nor has he tried one of the entrees. The hire is a leap of faith.
Now another restaurant owner wants to hire a head chef also. But this owner actually observes the chefs preparing meals. The owner even gets a chance to sample an appetizer or two and have a panel of judges rank the food based on specific criteria like taste, texture, preparation, difficulty, etc. At this point, the owner sits down with the chefs and discusses in more detail the dishes that he has sampled. At the end, the owner selects the chef that is the best fit to the restaurant’s market space and culture. Granted, the owner has not seen the chef prepare an entire meal, but he has sampled the chef’s work, seen his abilities in action and knows how to build upon those strengths.
As you can see, the second approach is far less risky since it incorporates techniques to actually observe the candidates’ abilities. Our process is similar to the latter analogy.