Resume Screening

Harjeet Singh
CEO – Conscript Hr Advisors Pvt Ltd
harjeet@conscript.net

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Resume Screening Process

• Screening resumes is an important part of the selection

process.
• There are many aspects to consider when screening
resumes, such as the appearance and organization of
the resume as well as the job responsibilities listed.

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

Types of Resumes

• There are two main types of resumes--chronological and

functional.
• Chronological resumes are those that list educational background
and positions held and experiences gained by date, usually
starting with the most recent or current job.
• Functional resumes group specific skills and abilities the candidate
possesses. A functional resume allows the reader to easily locate
the candidate’s skills on the resume; however, it may be difficult to
see how the applicant’s skills were gained or if the candidate has
demonstrated job stability

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

The Screening Process

• Prior to reviewing a resume, the evaluator should have

a list of standards and criteria in mind against which to
compare resumes.
• In addition, the job description and any other relevant
information should also be compared with the resumes.
• It is important that one always keep these standards in
mind and not bend as they were created to meet the job
expectations. “By evaluating all candidates against the
same screening standards, . . . [the] process will be
more objective, fair and accurate”.

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Reviewing Individual Resumes

There are six main factors the evaluator should keep in mind during the review process
• Consider job relevance. The evaluator should compare the job
description and qualifications desired for the vacant position
against the applicant’s resume, noting the similarities with the
person’s past positions and responsibilities.
• Picture the position and try to see how well each candidate might
fit in that position in terms of what that person would be doing, the
culture of the organization, and the general work setting.
• Do not jump to conclusions or assume anything because resumes
can be misleading. For example, just because someone states that
she or he attended an university does not mean that she or he
actually graduated, unless award of a degree is clearly stated . In
addition, be careful not to assume that one knows everything a
person did based on a perception of her or his previous job title.

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Reviewing Individual Resumes
• Watch for vagueness. For example, a candidate who does not list
dates of employment may be trying to conceal a period of
unemployment. Likewise, an applicant who focuses too much on
hobbies and not enough on job responsibilities may be trying to
compensate for an insufficient amount of work experience or lack
of professional preparation.
• Ignore any discriminatory information. Because resumes are
open-ended, candidates might put down information that indicates
their race, religion, ethnicity, or marital status.
• Finally, it is important that the reviewer be reasonable and
impartial. Though the reviewer may not be fond of the appearance
of the resume, hobbies of the candidate, or organizational
affiliations, these things should not be a factor in screening out an
otherwise qualified applicant

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Following Individual Screenings

• Once the resumes have been reviewed, it is

recommended reviewers sort them into three piles
based upon the initial criteria selected
• “exceeds criteria,” “meets criteria,” and “does not meet
criteria.”
• If there are not enough strong candidates to move on to
the interview process, it is important to not bend criteria
and pull people up from other stacks in order to have a
large enough candidate pool to interview
• . It is recommended to keep all resumes on file as
future vacancies may call for different skills

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Screening Practices

• When screening resumes it is important to review carefully the

appearance, organization, objective, education, experience, and
other related activities in which the candidate may have
participated.
• Appearance :- “It’s human nature to make judgments on the way
things look”. The reviewer should also question whether the
resume is complete, neatly written, legible, and if everything is in
the proper tense.
• Organization :- When screening a resume, reviewers also need to
consider if the organization of the resume is proper and logical

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Screening Practices
• Objective :- Many applicants will not include an objective on their
resume, which is acceptable. However, if it is included, one should
review it. The reviewer should see if there is a match between the
applicant’s objective statement and the position for which the
candidate has applied
• Education :- This category may be one of the most straightforward
to evaluate. The evaluator should make sure to check the
applicant’s course of study. This should help the reviewer discover
whether the individual took courses that provided the expertise
needed to perform the job tasks.

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Screening Practices
• Experience :- An applicant’s work history and experience is the
most critical information for most organizations. Generally, the
best predictor of future job performance is looking at the most
recent position held by the applicant.
• Related Activities :- Whilelisted activities such as hobbies
and personal interests may not be directly related to the
applicant’s ability to do the job, it may provide insight
into the candidate’s potential for future responsibilities.
Most leadership positions or committee assignments
require additional training or responsibilities.

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Conclusion

• Screening resumes is an important, but time

consuming, part of the selection process. It is
important that this phase of the staffing process
be carefully organized and guided by
application of the standards of professional
ethics and legal constraints concerning
discrimination. How well these tasks are
accomplished directly affect the ultimate quality
of staff employed in the Organization.

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Sample Resume Format
• Summary: Total 2 yrs of Competitive work experience in Software Development of Enterprise
Applications and Web Applications using cutting-edge technologies. Good exposure to Java,
JSP, Servlets, Struts, Hibernate and other Java technologies and Database.
• Objective: To continue to work in a challenging and fast paced environment, leveraging my
current knowledge and fostering creativity, with many learning opportunities. I have excellent
communication and interpersonal skills, good work ethic and the ability to work well in a team
or individual environment
• Certifications: Cleared Sun Certified Java Programmer 5.0 (SCJP5.0) with 83%.
• Skill Set: Java, JDBC, Servlet, JSP, Struts
• Company Name: XYZ Consulting India Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai.
• Designation: Consultant.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Software Development.
• Experience: 2 years.
• Project Name :- ABC
• Client Name :- PQR
• Team Size:7
• Duration:Nov 2007 - till date
• Technologies:J2EE 1.4, Struts, Hibernate, Oracle9i.Server:Jrun5.0

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Sample Resume Format
• Description:
• • The PQR Specifications and Standards Origination Tool provide efficient total system creation of
Specifications and Standards to the PQR Corporate Standards System (CSS) by our External Business
Partners (suppliers). The suppliers perform their own data entry, which offers the benefit of electronic
management of Component Specifications and Packing Standards, as well as use of master data wherever
possible, rather than re-keying data into CSS. EOT is a subset of CSS that is the core system of PQR & is for
internal users. External users are non PQR employees.
• My Role:
• Java Messaging Service(JMS):
– Integration of EOT with Supplier Portal Application using JMS.
• Front end coding in JSP and Struts.
• Back end coding in core Java, Hibernate.
• Junit testing for backend methods.
• Defect Fixing.
• Knowledge transfer to the team members.

Academic Qualification: . B.E. : Bachelor Of Engineering (Computer Science) (72%) in 2006 from Mumbai
University.
Personal Details:
Name AGP
Sex Female
Marital Status Single Nationality
Indian Languages known English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi
Birth Date 11 Oct 1984

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 Q&A

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process

 THANK YOU

Best Practices in the Resume Screening Process