I’m sure most of you have read articles and blogs with tips on the right questions to ask when making a hire; or maybe you have been hiring for years and hand crafted a personal hiring technique. Whether you are experienced or brand new to hiring, here are a few things to keep in mind when looking for your next hire!
Applicants are NOT professional resume writers
Going through resumes can sometimes be brutal. You may recall thinking to yourself that the novel of a resume you just read is a perfect cure for your insomnia. Maybe you read a resume that had no content just some company names and titles.
Discarding these resumes because they are too long or don’t have enough content can be a big mistake. You may have just missed out on the PERFECT candidate because they weren’t trained in resume writing…
Resumes are NOT handcrafted for YOU
A first time resume writer has no idea yet what is important to highlight or what their key skills are. They have also most likely have applied to a few dozen positions
A seasoned employee with a few experiences under their belt may be different, although they will also apply to multiple positions at once. In an attempt to include everything they have done, they will include multiple positions, skills and areas of expertise as to not leave anything out.
Don’t exclude anyone if they don’t have precisely everything on your checklist written on their resume. Read between the lines and ask questions.
Candidates may not be professional interviewers
This may be someone’s first interview after 4 years of being employed. And others are just filled with nerves and thoughts like “please let me do well…I really need this job.”
Obviously there are no excuses for not being prepared or exhibiting a lack of respect or interest; but keep this in mind, they are most likely better at their job then they are at interviewing.
Understanding where they come from
No, I do not mean their nationality or their home town.
It benefits everyone to do your own homework on their past places of employment and industry to see if and how it aligns with your industry and company needs.
Example: Are they coming from a company with 500+ employees to a company with 35 employees? Are they going from Plastics manufacturing to the Aerospace industry? All of these factors should influence how you approach them as a candidate.
What other advice would you have for hiring managers? Comment below or Tweet us @TheDavisCos.
