Cher once sang a song about knowing how much a man loves you by measuring the quality of his kiss. Don’t underestimate the powerful messages of a resume and how much they can reveal about a potential employee from the very beginning. What do resumes really say about candidates applying for a job in our companies?
The following information highlights some of the most important resume red flags that all employers should be aware of so that they can learn how to hire better and recruit the perfect candidate for each and every position within their company. KeenHire knows what the resume red flags are and we know what kinds of candidates you should avoid at all costs....
Typos
If a potential employee cannot even manage to send you a CV that is free from typing errors when applying for a job in your company, why would you even consider interviewing them, let alone hiring them?
If there are typos in a candidate’s CV, the advice that the recruitment experts at KeenHire would give you would be to ignore their application completely.
Job Hopping – less than 2 years per job
Another really bad sign to pick up on about a potential employee from their CV is the continual job-hopping factor.
If you are considering hiring someone who has not been able to hold down a job for more than two years, you are in for trouble and disappointment from the start. The best, safest and most effective employees are those who have devoted at least two years to other companies and other positions in the past.
Nothing predicts future behavior better than past behavior, particularly when it comes to employees. The key to hiring with success is to hire people who already have proved loyal to their previous employers.
Extended Unemployment – a sign that their skills are not in demand or are lackluster
If there are gaps on your potential employee’s CV you have to, without fail, find out why. What was this person doing for the six months here and six months there in-between jobs?
If they were out of work then you should be immediately wary of hiring them to work for your company. People who are out of work can be a real sign that their skills are not in demand or that their work is simply not up-to-scratch. If other employers do not want to hire this person for their business, do you want to hire them for yours?
Probably not!
Personal References – a high level job requires professional references
Finally, one of the biggest alarm bells that rings when it comes to an analysis of a potential employee’s CV is the reference section.
If this potential employee has no references, do not even consider hiring them and if they do have referees outlined for you to contact, you must contact them.
One of the worst mistakes that any employer can ever make, in the experience of the recruitment experts at KeenHire, is to avoid making the effort to contact the referees. The best question that you can ask a former employer of the person you are thinking about hiring is, “Would you hire this person all over again, given the chance?”
The only answer to this question is, “Yes.” Any other answer really does indicate that this person is not someone that you should hire. It is the perfect question to ask about any potential employee and one that must be asked.
For more recruitment advice and effective hiring tips, contact the human resources experts at KeenHire directly today. We are looking forward to being able to help you in the near future.
