{"id":7692,"date":"2021-02-26T13:00:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T21:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/?p=7692"},"modified":"2024-04-29T20:32:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T03:32:50","slug":"10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things Every Manager Should Look for On Resumes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you become a manager in your office, you\u2019ll find yourself responsible for overseeing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/6-steps-to-build-an-effective-team\/\">recruitment process<\/a>. It\u2019s natural to be slightly overwhelmed once those resumes start hitting your inbox. It\u2019s normal for one position to receive dozens (if not sometimes hundreds!) of applications. You want to look through the resumes to determine which ones are worth considering and remove those that aren\u2019t suitable for the position. We\u2019ve rounded up ten things every manager should look out for on a candidate\u2019s resume.<\/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-69f1bf1b8679e\" 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-69f1bf1b8679e\"><\/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-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#1_A_Lack_of_Attention_to_Detail\" title=\"1. A Lack of Attention to Detail.\">1. A Lack of Attention to Detail.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#2_Employment_Gaps\" title=\"2. Employment Gaps.\">2. Employment Gaps.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#3_Longer_Than_Two_Pages\" title=\"3. Longer Than Two Pages.\">3. Longer Than Two Pages.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#4_Vague_Job_Summarizes\" title=\"4. Vague Job Summarizes.\">4. Vague Job Summarizes.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#5_They%E2%80%99ve_Jumped_Around_Between_Jobs\" title=\"5. They\u2019ve Jumped Around Between Jobs\">5. They\u2019ve Jumped Around Between Jobs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#6_A_Copy_and_Pasted_Resume\" title=\"6. A Copy and Pasted Resume.\">6. A Copy and Pasted Resume.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#7_Failed_to_Follow_Instructions\" title=\"7. Failed to Follow Instructions.\">7. Failed to Follow Instructions.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#8_Using_a_Work_E-Mail_Address\" title=\"8. Using a Work E-Mail Address.\">8. Using a Work E-Mail Address.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#9_A_Curious_Employment_History\" title=\"9. A Curious Employment History.\">9. A Curious Employment History.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#10_Discrepancies\" title=\"10. Discrepancies.\">10. Discrepancies.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/10-things-every-manager-should-look-for-on-resumes\/#About_the_Author\" title=\"About the Author\">About the Author<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_A_Lack_of_Attention_to_Detail\"><\/span>1. A Lack of Attention to Detail.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A resume should be something that a candidate triple checks, so any obvious typos or grammatical errors are a red flag. You can assume they made the application in a rush and without attention to the finer details.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Employment_Gaps\"><\/span>2. Employment Gaps.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This point is not always a red flag, but they should address it in the cover letter. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/explain-employment-gaps-job-interview\/\">Employments gaps<\/a> can be the result of health issues, education, or looking after children. If there\u2019s no reason given, you could treat it as an issue of concern.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Longer_Than_Two_Pages\"><\/span>3. Longer Than Two Pages.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Unless you\u2019re hiring in an area where a portfolio is necessary, a resume should only be two pages. If you come across an excessively long application, you can usually set it aside. These resumes tend to be too personal focused and show an inability to summarize or write professionally.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Vague_Job_Summarizes\"><\/span>4. Vague Job Summarizes.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A strong candidate will quantify their CV by giving practical examples of achievements from their previous jobs. If you can see obvious filler and vagueness in the job description, they\u2019re likely exaggerating.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_They%E2%80%99ve_Jumped_Around_Between_Jobs\"><\/span>5. They\u2019ve Jumped Around Between Jobs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While it\u2019s becoming more common for people to take short term contracts, if you spot a candidate who seems to stay in one job no longer than a few months, you should have double-think. Excess job-hopping raises questions about their level of commitment and dedication to their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/careers-canadians-dont-want-to-leave\/\">career progression<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_A_Copy_and_Pasted_Resume\"><\/span>6. A Copy and Pasted Resume.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When most people are applying for jobs, they\u2019re sending in multiple applications a day. Candidates should still include a specific reference to the job description or your company in their cover letter.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Failed_to_Follow_Instructions\"><\/span>7. Failed to Follow Instructions.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re hiring for a specialist job, you might have included essential criteria in your job listing. If the candidate hasn\u2019t included these or explained a suitable alternative, it\u2019s a sign that they didn\u2019t pay close attention to the description.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Using_a_Work_E-Mail_Address\"><\/span>8. Using a Work E-Mail Address.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This point is more about manners and business etiquette. Job applications should come from a personal email address, so if you notice one landing into your inbox from a company email, it should be a red flag.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_A_Curious_Employment_History\"><\/span>9. A Curious Employment History.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not everyone has the same career progression, and people experience setbacks and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/how-to-find-a-fulfilling-career-in-5-simple-steps\/\">change paths<\/a> for many reasons. Candidates will usually explain their career change in their cover letter. If this is absent, it raises questions.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Discrepancies\"><\/span>10. Discrepancies.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once you start narrowing down your resumes, you want to check if there are discrepancies between what they\u2019ve included and what you can find online. LinkedIn is the ideal place to look, as most people will list their entire work history and education. If you see something is missing between the two, it can make you wonder why.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_the_Author\"><\/span><strong><em>About the Author<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><b>Simon Chou<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BCjobs.ca<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development, marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to joining BCJobs.ca, Simon was an advisor for several global blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM, and Ripple. In the past, he also worked with Fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space through SM Digital\u2014a global marketing agency.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you become a manager in your office, you\u2019ll find yourself responsible for overseeing the recruitment process. It\u2019s natural to be slightly overwhelmed once those resumes start hitting your inbox. It\u2019s normal for one position to receive dozens (if not sometimes hundreds!) of applications. You want to look through the resumes to determine which ones [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":7829,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[162],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692"}],"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\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7692"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8108,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions\/8108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}