With fall right around the corner, it may be the right time to start looking for new candidates to fill your seasonal staffing needs. Temporary and direct-to-hire employees can help keep your team running smoothly and efficiently. In today’s job market, you may be receiving dozens or even hundreds of resumes as you advertise positions. With such a big influx, it’s important to look out for warning signs on resumes that may be hiding potential problems as you search for the best fit. Below are red flags to keep in mind.
1. Discrepancies
Unfortunately lying on a resume, even regarding employment history, is not uncommon. Some lies are harder to spot, but paying attention to details can help you review each resume with a detective-like eye and weed out false information. Check the company’s website or the LinkedIn profiles of previous managers against the candidate’s references on their resumes to verify the information. Make sure dates and records are all congruent when reviewing work history. These simple steps can eliminate future frustration as you verify the accuracy to obtain a full picture of what you are getting with a new hire.
2. Typos
While communication matters more for some jobs than others, certain positions will require effective writing skills. Remember each employee represents the company. Even when hiring for manual labor jobs it is important to look for resumes that are grammatically correct and error-free. Potential hires who took the time to customize and proofread their resume before handing it in are often more invested in obtaining the position. Multiple errors and misaligned layouts can be a signal of sloppy work. Look for resumes that are clean, nicely laid out, and have minimal errors.
3. Exaggerated Skills
A resume is a chance for a potential employee to show off their skills but it can become problematic when the level of skill is exaggerated. Reading the experience section of the resume thoroughly and taking the time to ask good questions in an interview can help you uncover what level of skill the employee actually has. Keep in mind that some skills are transferable and other jobs require real experience. Quantifiable metrics on a resume are a green flag, but the vague and overly descriptive language of simple tasks could be a flag that is covering up a lack of applicable experience.
Contact PSU Today
Does the thought of looking through tons of resumes sound time-consuming and overwhelming? Our staffing agency is trained to go through stacks of resumes in record time to help you find the cream of crop employees with solid, verifiable backgrounds. To learn more about our vetting process check out our FAQs page or contact our office today for more information!
