Top ten red flags when looking at resumes

Spending too much time on the hiring process is not just frustrating, but economically unsound. If you are looking to fill a position in your organization, getting to know what a proper resume should look like is crucial. The following is a list of red flags when reviewing resumes:

1. Not proofread. When a resume is not carefully proofread, it should indicate to you that the applicant is not detail oriented. This can come in the form of either typos or grammatical errors. If an applicant is unable/unwilling to check their resume for mistakes, it might indicate that they are careless and lack professionalism. These qualities might reappear on the job, so when mistakes are seen on a resume, feel free to place it straight in the rejection pile.
2. Cookie-cutter resume. When a resume looks like it is not specific to the position, it can be considered a red flag. This could mean that the person is not necessarily interested in working for your company, but rather just wants a job. If you are looking to hire people who are passionate about what they do, having a resume that has not been adapted for the specific position might be the wrong way to go.
3. Gaps in employment. When you see a large gap in time that is unaccounted for, the candidate might have spent some time unemployed. Though this is not always necessarily a bad thing, you want candidates to mention either within their resume or cover letter why this gap exists. An example of this would be if the resume has years but not months stated in their work history. The problem with this is that the candidate might have only worked at a certain position for a few months, meaning either something went wrong or their commitment to the job was lacking. Either way, it may indicate that the applicant is not very serious when it comes to work, which is something you would want to avoid when hiring a new employee.
4. Job hopping. Some resumes can look like a grocery list of local companies, where the candidate has had a lot of jobs, but none of these jobs lasted for a long time. This is an issue as it raises questions over whether they are able to stay at a job for a long time and may indicate personality issues. The issue is exacerbated if the resume indicates stagnation or regression when describing the roles the candidate has had. You are looking for someone who can stay with your company and rise in the ranks, so if a resume shows you that the applicant has never been able to progress in their career, they may not be the best candidate for the job.
5. Discrepancies. You want to make sure that the information on the candidate’s resume matches what is in their cover letter and LinkedIn profile. If there are too many differences between these documents, either the applicant is lying about something or they have no attention to detail. Either way, they would probably not be the best candidate for the job.
6. Vague descriptions. Some resumes contain job descriptions full of common phrases such as “participated in” or “familiar with.” The problem with these descriptions is that they do not actually tell you how “familiar” the candidate is with said qualification or skill. You do not want to have to question someone’s skill set when deciding on who to interview for the position but rather how successful they were at their last job.
7. Failure to quantify accomplishments. Sometimes candidates will give you a huge list of skills, but then not describe how they used them in their previous positions. This is an issue as it might mean they have never actually demonstrated this skill in a professional setting, which does not answer the question of why they would be a good fit for this job. Generally, the more descriptive someone is in their resume, the more likely it is that they are telling the truth about their accomplishments.
8. Excessive length or overly personal. The above being said, you also do not want a resume that is too long. In general, a resume should be no longer than one or two pages and should be a concise way to demonstrate their qualifications for the position. Mentioning too much about oneself is also considered a no-no. The resume should be a professional document that reflects the demeanour of the candidate. You do not need to know every detail of a person’s life to assess whether they would be right for a position, so too much personal information should not be seen in a resume.
9. Lack of professionalism online. In today’s world of social media, it should be assumed that your online persona can be seen by anybody, including your bosses. If someone has a social media account containing a lot of vulgarity, they may not be the type of person you would want to be working with. It is not unreasonable to Google search candidates when looking for a new employee, so if you see anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, throw that resume into the “no” pile.
10. Inability to follow directions. If within the job posting you had specific questions that were to be addressed, any resume that does not comply with the directions should be set aside. This can be common when asking candidates to indicate their salary expectations. If this has been ignored, either the applicant was not thorough enough when reading the job posting, or they decided to ignore your request. Either way, this is an indication of possible disrespect or lack of attention to detail. Both of which are qualities that you would not want in an employee.

If you keep in mind all of these red flags for resumes, it should be relatively easy for you to weed out unwanted candidates. By doing so, you can narrow down the viable candidates pretty quickly with a quick review of each resume. Related article: How to Read a Resume