ARE RESUMES AND PROFILES GETTING SHORTER?
OR IS IT OUR IMAGINATION?
THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES. WHY?
Due to the shortage of labor, candidates take short cuts and can be very brief. It’s our job as Hiring Managers, HR Managers, Recruiters to take time to dig a little deeper, so we don't miss out on a potentially great candidate.
Read BETWEEN AND INTO the lines of the resume or profile. See below for a recent situation:
JOB OPENING: Landscape Supply Sales Representative for a Wholesale Nursery (will be working with Landscaping companies that are coming to the yard to pick up supplies for installations, must be able to work up quotes, make suggestions, help with selection, develop customer relationships.)
CANDIDATE PROFILE: Job title is LANDSCAPER, with a one-line description of: “worked in the field for 10 years.”
HIRING SLEUTH: Shoot an email asking for more details. Don't give up too easily.
Dear Bob,
We thank you for your interest in our recent position. We’d appreciate you taking a few moments to clarify your work at ABC Landscaping by responding to the following questions:
1. Did you work directly with the customer, or did you solely perform work that was directed by your Foreman/Supervisor?
2. If and when you dealt directly with the customer, what type of interaction would you have?
3. Were you responsible for any planning regarding installations? Did you determine the amount and type of supplies to bring to the job; tell us a bit more about that.
4. Do you like customer interaction, or would you prefer to perform a task and move onto the next project?
5. This position performs no field work, but does work directly with other Landscapers; would you enjoy sharing your knowledge with fellow industry members? If so, why?
RESULT: The candidate responded with great answers and has been able to transfer their knowledge into a sales role where he/she can relate to other Landscapers with ease. In reality, there aren’t 100’s of resumes for each job posting, so the recruiting time is the same. Need additional help? Reach out to us and we’ll keep the conversation going!
Cheers,
Suzanne