Recruiting

6 Things to Look for in Résumés When Considering Job Candidates

In 2019 and beyond, you’ll want to look for the six things listed below when you’re considering job candidates.

resume

Source: Oliver Le Moal / iStock / Getty

1. Highlighted Soft Skills

According to information published by the World Economic Forum, the following soft skills will be extremely important in 2019 and beyond: communications skills and people management skills, emotional intelligence skills, negotiation skills, innovative thinking and cognitive flexibility, and customer service skills, among others.

Therefore, make sure that your job candidates have one or more of the relevant soft skills needed in the future automated workforce or that they can easily acquire such skills.

2. An Easy-to-Read Format

Each job candidate should have a résumé that is easy to read and understand. And this hasn’t and probably won’t ever change. Make sure your job candidates can include all the relevant information you need and require in a well-organized and cohesive formation that is easy to follow.

3. Links to a Personal Website and Social Media Profiles

You will most likely research a job candidate’s online presence and history. So, if a candidate includes links to his or her LinkedIn profile or other social media profiles, that will only make your job easier and boost his or her work history transparency and ability to be trusted.

Furthermore, job candidates who include links to their personal websites and online portfolios will also stand out from the crowd and provide you with more information and work samples to consider.

4. Video Content

You’ll want to look for introductory videos or links to such videos in a job candidate’s résumé. When job candidates introduce themselves via video content, you’ll be able to get a real sense of their business acumen, personality, and professionalism. And videos will also help you learn a lot more about a candidate and his or her abilities than a written résumé alone will.

5. Well-Organized and Relevant Storytelling

Job candidates should do more than simply list their work experiences and history on their résumés. They should tell you a chronological story about their experiences and how they have molded them into your ideal candidate. And they should also highlight and demonstrate why they want to work for your organization and why they would be a good fit for your organization.

6. Real-World Achievements, Not Just Responsibilities

Be sure that your job candidates are highlighting things that they’ve actually achieved in the previous roles that they’ve listed on their résumés.

For instance, instead of stating, “Managed budgets superseding $5 million,” you would want them to say something like, “Reduced operational expenses for L&D budget by 22% over the course of 2 years.”

You won’t gather much information from résumés that list out everyday duties and tasks, but you will glean a lot of insight from those résumés that highlight real achievements and what a job candidate is able to accomplish in the real world.

While every qualified job candidate may not have the six things mentioned above on his or her résumé, the ones who go the extra mile and who will be a great fit for your organization most likely will.

Learn how your company’s current recruiting practices are helping or hurting your goal of attracting talent when you attend the session, “The Rules of Engagement for Candidate Attraction: How What You’re Doing—Or Not Doing—Could Be Sabotaging Your Recruitment Efforts,” at TalentCon 2019 on March 12—13, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas. Click here to learn more or to register today!

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