{"id":2669,"date":"2010-11-24T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2010-11-24T14:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/hr-advice\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/"},"modified":"2019-11-18T14:46:47","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T22:46:47","slug":"how-to-effectively-screen-resumes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Effectively Screen Resumes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7111\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/How-to-Effectively-Screen-Resumes-300x194.jpg\" alt=\"How to Effectively Screen Resumes\" width=\"500\" height=\"323\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/How-to-Effectively-Screen-Resumes-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/How-to-Effectively-Screen-Resumes.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><br \/>\nEffectively screening and evaluating resumes can be time-consuming, since resumes can vary widely in formatting and content. There are certain steps you can take to make this process easier and help you choose an effective shortlist of candidates.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_50 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69ef92a2896e0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69ef92a2896e0\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/#Use_the_Job_Description_and_List_of_Qualifications\" title=\"Use the Job Description and List of Qualifications\">Use the Job Description and List of Qualifications<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/#Look_for_Overall_Neatness_and_Consistency\" title=\"Look for Overall Neatness and Consistency\">Look for Overall Neatness and Consistency<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/#Chronological_and_Functional_Resumes\" title=\"Chronological and Functional Resumes\">Chronological and Functional Resumes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/#Look_for_Accomplishments\" title=\"Look for Accomplishments\">Look for Accomplishments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-effectively-screen-resumes\/#Detect_a_Career_Path\" title=\"Detect a Career Path\">Detect a Career Path<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_the_Job_Description_and_List_of_Qualifications\"><\/span>Use the Job Description and List of Qualifications<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To effectively screen resumes, you\u2019ll want to have your job description and a list of the qualifications you\u2019re looking for in front of you. As you evaluate the resumes, this will help you to eliminate candidates whose resumes do not show these qualifications. The more resumes you\u2019ve received for a job, the more exacting your list of qualifications can be.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_for_Overall_Neatness_and_Consistency\"><\/span>Look for Overall Neatness and Consistency<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>For each resume, look for overall neatness, lack of typos and consistent formatting. This can show attention to detail and a certain level of professionalism, traits you want your employees to possess. Remember to take note of the trends and timing in work, educational and volunteer experiences of your applicants. There should be consistency in their resume. Any discrepancies or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/explaining-a-gap-in-your-employment-history\/\">gaps between experiences <\/a>should definitely be inquired into further.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chronological_and_Functional_Resumes\"><\/span>Chronological and Functional Resumes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Resumes generally fall into two categories: the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/chronological-resumes\/\">chronological<\/a>\u201d resume and the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/functional-resumes\/\">functional<\/a>\u201d resume. The chronological resume lists past jobs in order of dates, and the functional resume lists important functions and achievements that the candidate has accomplished but does not connect them to the jobs listed on their resume. It can be harder for you to identify gaps in employment and identify the true nature and scope of the candidate\u2019s experience with a functional resume. Be sure that any gaps in work history are identified and are not an issue.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_for_Accomplishments\"><\/span>Look for Accomplishments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Look for resumes that show accomplishments instead of responsibilities. Accomplishments show what was actually achieved by the candidate, such as \u201cincreased company <span class=\"pearl-hilighted-word\" style=\"color: black; background: #ffff66;\">sales<\/span> by 50%.\u201d Responsibilities show what was done on the job, such as \u201cprepared budgets and project plans.\u201d Resumes that emphasize accomplishments can show that the person is an achiever and understands how day-to-day tasks affect the bottom line.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Detect_a_Career_Path\"><\/span>Detect a Career Path<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When reviewing the resume, look for signs of the applicant\u2019s career path. Promotions and advancement show a good focus and a certain stability. For people starting out in their careers, look for extracurricular activities and the wording they use to explain their positions.<\/p>\n<p>Also, just because a resume has a few gaps may not mean that the person wouldn\u2019t be a good candidate. Remember the list of qualifications you are looking for and see how each resume demonstrates these skills as you narrow down a shortlist of candidates.<\/p>\n<p><em>Copyright \u00a9 2007 go2 Tourism HR Society. All Rights Reserved. Republished under license.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Articles Related to Effective Resume Screening<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/job-reference-checks-avoiding-pitfalls-in-the-job-reference-check-process\/\">Avoiding pitfalls in the job reference check process<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/pre-screening-job-applicants\/\">Pre-screening Job Applicants<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-spot-a-bad-hire\/\">How to Spot a Bad Hire<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Effectively screening and evaluating resumes can be time-consuming, since resumes can vary widely in formatting and content. There are certain steps you can take to make this process easier and help you choose an effective shortlist of candidates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[149,162],"tags":[43,113,121],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2669"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7112,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions\/7112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}