Stop Letting Resumes Fool You

True superstars, who are a well-rounded in their professional experience, behavioral soft skills, technical hard skills, integrity, and are searching for meaningful opportunities stand out from others. 

This is true even in the way they write their resumes.

Why?

Because top performers are committed to excellence in all that they do. 

Their resume may not totally match your standards for perfection, but you can recognize the ways they invest extra effort to present themselves accurately, honestly, and professionally.  Or not…

Every applicant has unlimited time to prepare their resume. 

Therefore, their grammar, format, and content should be correct, appealing, and 100% accurate. 

Here’s a quick list on what we look for in a resume:

1.   The format should be professional, and ideally, the design is nice. 

2.   No grammar or spelling errors. 

3.   A photo is nice, but is it current?  A photo that is 10 years old is a yellow warning flag. 

Either the person doesn’t maintain their information correctly, or they’re trying to communicate an inaccurate image of themselves.

4.   The information should be accurate. 

There shouldn’t be any significant differences between their resume and LinkedIn profile, or as you confirm details during interviews. 

5.   Consider their "home address."  How long will it take to commute to the job (with and without traffic)? 

Be prepared. 

A surprisingly large number of candidates list an address that is temporary.

6.   Does their statement of what they’re looking for match the position? 

You might be surprised how often this occurs. 

It is a clear yellow warning flag when you want to hire a salesperson and the primary objective on their resume is marketing or another non-sales role.

7.   Do their skills and experiences match the position?

8.   What is the length of time they stayed at each company on the resume? 

Ideally a candidate should be with a company 2-3 years, and preferably 5 years. 

We don’t agree with the generality assigned to Generations Y and Z that they don’t stay anywhere longer than a year. 

Find ones that do, and have a plan to self-motivate them to stay with you.

9.   Each career opening on the resume should explain results achieved and leadership behaviors, not general info. 

Look for certain words.  We are going to consider some examples in a moment, when we focus more on culture match.

Also, as they describe what they did in each role, per company, look for specifics about what they accomplished individually and as an active member of a team. 

Do they give appropriate credit to the team, or just claim all the credit for the results themselves?

10.   Look for employment gaps to discuss, all the way back to starting after they graduated from school. 

For instance, they graduated from college in 1995.  Why does their job history start in 2005?  Or, if they have more than a three-month gap between any jobs.  There may be a good reason.  Also, there may not be a good reason!

11.   Are they growing in their career, or stagnant? 

There can be a good explanation for career stagnation, or a leveling-off in their advancement. 

They may have had a child.  They may have found a position they love and didn’t want to change.  Or, they may have found a position that is comfortable and didn’t want to advance more at this time. 

The key is to notice the lack of advancement, and later discuss the situation so you know the facts rather than make assumptions. 

Knowing the truth helps you discern where they may fit best in your organization.

12.   Do you know anyone at their current or former jobs to call for a reference before the initial interview?

If so, then our preference is to contact them now if the person looks like a top performer. 

Don’t lose any time because the candidate is probably contacting other companies about their openings. 

If the person is a superstar, then we want to hire them before they get away.

13.  If listed, consider how their personal interests match your culture.

14.   If individual or team activities / athletics are listed, do they indicate the person is a good team player and/or a leader?

Focus the most on considering their current role and other positions they have held during the past five years. 

Take note of the jobs and experience over their entire career, but focus on where the player is today.

Try to assess how well the person is succeeding today because this is the momentum they are bringing to your organization.  

Contact us if you would like a copy of our free Hire the Best guide. 

Winning Words

There is another objective as you consider whether they are a fit with your organization. 

It is to scan their resume for words that indicate accomplishment and a culture match, or their synonyms. 

There are lots of articles on the Internet teaching candidates to use power words, winning words, strong words for resumes, or whatever you want to call them. 

We are looking for these terms to confirm a candidate is achieving results and is going to work well as a member of our team living out our values.

There are hundreds of possibilities, but here are 15 example Winning Words to watch for:

1.       Achieved, Accomplished, Won…

We want to hire people who achieve real results on their own and as a team. 

Look for specifics on what they did, what was accomplished as a team, and if a leader, how they led the effort. 

And… later during your interviews you must confirm if she/he achieved the results claimed, rather than it was someone else or they over-emphasized their contribution to the accomplishment.

2.      Improved, Increased, Expanded…          

Great team members and growing companies improve year after year systematically.  (Systematic Power is the first strand of 3strands LEADERSHIP.) 

Achieving regular results is important. 

Look for people who overcome problems, improve processes, and/or help people work together more effectively.

3.      Created, Initiated, Drove…

Has the person created anything from scratch or improved something? 

Was it so revolutionary that their contribution created new opportunities for the long-term success of their organization? 

Ideas are great, but not always profitable. 

Look for creative people who can apply their ideas for the greater good. 

4.     Team, Shared, Contributed…

Are you hiring the Lone Ranger or a team player? 

If the team player, then look for indications the person has worked effectively on teams, mentored others, and built lasting positive relationships. 

Do they credit others in their resume and interviews, or just themselves? 

Another consideration:  Ask about turnover on their teams. 

Discern if they contribute to high retention or turnover.

5.     Developed, Skills, Ability…

Everyone looks at "hard skills." 

These are the technical skills needed to fulfill the responsibilities of the role.  Be wiser than that. 

Do not stop there. 

Look for how the person is developing their soft skills. 

Soft skills or emotional intelligence ("EQ") are how you act rather than what you know. 

Examples of "soft skills" are attitude, manners, collaboration, problem solving, conflict resolution, documentation, time management, and communication.

Know the soft skills you want in each position. 

Look for the person to demonstrate these soft skills in your interviews.

You get the idea, right? 

Winning Words indicate a candidate is focused on results, or is simply good with grammar. 

We’ll find out later, but right now we want to confirm they appear to be a top performer. 

Winning Words or a piece of the puzzle.

What About Failures?

We think it’s good news when a candidate lists some failures on their resume. 

This is particularly true when they explain what they learned from it, and then list something that demonstrates they applied what they learned to do better the next time. 

It takes courage, candor, and integrity to list a failure on your resume.  Or foolishness, if the failure is not explained professionally and connected to success.

Some failures are more valuable than success. 

The reason is sometimes success just happened because someone was in the right place at the right time and they didn’t make any major mistakes.  Success just happened without them having to work through much difficulty. 

Other times, success happened because someone or something else in the organization was driving the success and the person was simply participating in it. 

After both these situations, the person may know how to ride success, but not how to achieve results amidst chaos, confusion, or adversity. 

Our experience is someone who has failed can be more valuable than an individual who is in the right place, at the right time, with the right team. 

However, this is only true when the candidate can explain what they learned from it, how they avoid similar mistakes as a result, and can provide evidence of succeeding amidst similar challenges.

We believe top performers have experienced some failures along with their successes.

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Save Time - Options to End the First Interview

Many hiring coaches are great at asking creative questions and facilitating an engaging conversation, then fail at closing the interview conversation productively.

By the end of the first in-person “core” interview workout, the player either seems like a good fit or they don’t. There’s not much middle ground.

If they don’t feel like a good fit, ending the first core hiring workout is simple.

You thank them for their time and wish them a good rest of their day.

Later you email them to explain we have other more qualified players.

However, when a player seems like a good fit, then you want to keep the momentum going.

Next Core Workout

Before you end the current core workout, schedule the next time to meet with the player.

Text and/or Chat

We do not recommend you text/chat a lot.  However, when appropriate, you can engage with players in-between your core workouts via text or chat.    

There are two benefits this approach:

1.  Done properly, the player feels valued as you reach out to them in-between meeting in-person. 

2. You get to test how professionally they communicate via text or chat, including their grammar/slang, punctuation, formatting, and how quickly they respond.

A third option is to…

Reserve Roles

After the first core interview workout, part of the homework can be for the player to reverse roles during their second core workout.

There are two ways to do this.

1. You give them references, schedule their calls with your references, and let them talk with them just as you are going to check their references. The results are discussed at the start of the second core workout, before or after you share the results of your reference conversations.

2. An alternative is to encourage the player to run you and/or members of your hiring team through their own version of a hiring workout during your second core workout time with them. This typically takes place after you discuss the homework each of you were to complete, but towards the start of the meeting.

Remember, a critical, must-do objective in every interaction with players trying out for your team is to get to know the real person rather than whom they're trying to portray in their “HIRE ME script.”

Reversing roles for part of an interview workout gives you insights into three key areas:

1. What the player thinks their priorities are.

2. It tests their ability to prepare for and have a conversation, particularly one where they should be asking a lot of questions but not have it seem like an interrogation.  Do they ask good questions?  Do they ask good follow-up questions? 

3. Demonstrates a variety of soft skills necessary to succeed on your team.

This reverse interview workout often helps confirm whether you and your team are a good match for her/him, your synergy with her/his career objectives, and how you/your team can help them grow.

During this portion of your hiring tryout, carefully observe how the player prepares, behaves, and communicates.

Be intentional, yet fun. Do not be too casual.

This exercise has value when you work it.

A fourth option is to do a…

Third-party Interview

As part of, or soon after your first or second in-person core workout, hire an experienced contract hiring coach to talk with your top player before their next core workout .

Why?  

The outsider has no emotion or career capital in the decision.  They are not rushing to “fill a seat,” and should not have any bias except to discern truth.

Three common types of people might be more objective than you and your team, depending on their background and commitment to you:

1. It is rare but this could be one of your Board members if it’s a senior role.

2. Another rare option might be a peer in a similar company that is not a competitor. Maybe you interview some of their people and she/he some of yours.

3. The most common option is a hiring consultant, who has been a leader.  We make time in our calendars weekly to interview players for Clients.  Our hiring workouts can include scouting a player’s:

   a)   Resume:  We complete a scorecard that thoroughly analyzes the players resume..  

   b)   Online profile:  We complete a scorecard that researches them online to confirm they appear to be someone a good character.

   c)   Talent Assessment:  After a player has completed their first or second core workout with your organization, then we recommend they complete a Manage 2 Win Talent Assessment.  This confirms conclusions gained from their interview workouts thus far, compares their behaviors, driving forces and competencies to the needs of the role, and assesses how well they fit with your company culture.

   d)   Core workout:  Often our Clients hire us to lead an interview workout with the player whom they feels a good fit for their team.  We assess their Talent Assessment and mindset in relation to the open position and our Client’s company culture. 

We then compile a report on our conclusions of the player's strengths and weaknesses, including our recommendation to hire, or not the person.

A fifth option is a…

Reference Check

There are benefits to initiating a reference check with strong players after their first core workout.

In particular, reference checks do not take a lot of time. If they’re positive, then it validates decisions to continue to consider the player.

If one or more references are negative, it saves a TON of time by cutting the player from your hiring tryout.

Remember, what is our #1 objective when interviewing?

It is to protect your time!

You do not want to waste time with players who are not going to succeed in your organization.

References give new information to consider.  

When you get good at them, reference checks can expand your talent community to recruit more people, and references can suggest additional players to consider.

Therefore, ask the player for references.

One option is to require them to schedule your conversations with their references so you can complete them before her/his next in-person tryout as part of their homework.

The sixth and final option we suggest you consider is to do a...

Background, Credit, and/or Drug Check

Some of our Clients prefer to do a background check, credit check, and/or drug test of top players before they have assigned offer.  Be careful.  This is illegal in some states.

It should not occur often, but when you do a background check earlier then it can expose a great actor. 

It costs about $125 for a thorough background check.  We recommend  is a wise investment if a person’s first in-person tryout convinces you they may join your team.

We have an excellent background check partner if you need one.  Contact us for more information. 

Always ask a player:  "By the way, as you may have noticed on our application, we do a background check on all players.  Is there anything that might turn up in your report that you want to explain now?"

It’s most common for players to confidently claim their background is clear, and it’s “no problem” for you to check them out.

Recently I talked with a Client who had this situation with a player.

He mentioned they do a background check after they have fully concluded their first in-person tryout process.

The player confidently said, “No problem,” there was nothing to worry about.

The guy’s background check had three B&Es.  

Do you know what a B&E is?

It means, Breaking and Entering, as in robbery.

Do you want that guy on your team?

We advise all our Clients never to hire anyone without a background check.

It should not be a question of whether you do a background check, but WHEN to do it in your qualification process:  After a core workout, or immediately after they signed your offer letter, so you have the results before their first day of employment with your company.

If you want to run a background check on someone before they’ve signed your offer letter, then first confirm you can legally do so in your state.

Next, have something written that gives you their permission to do the background check.  Maybe you ask them to complete a job application that states that no one can be hired without completing a background in a reference check.  Maybe you confirm via email.

Even if you have something written that confirms you have their permission to do a background check, verbally ask them if they want to discuss anything that might turn up in their background check report before you do so.

In conclusion

We just covered a lot.  Consider which of these options work best in your organization, but never allow someone to start on your team unless you have completed a thorough background check.

P.S.  Make certain to ask us what we require in our background checks.

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