News And Advice

Insights, tips and news for job seekers and employers.

Four Red Flags to Look for on a Resume

 

Hiring candidates to fill open positions is not always easy and there are important things to be mindful of. Many employers have checklists of things they are looking for in a candidate before they will bring them in for an interview, but does your company know what to look for? Our team at High Profile has designed this post to help you recognize four red flags to look for on a resume.

Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors:  A resume is the most important piece of paper to help job seekers land an interview, so there is no excuse for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. If you find any of these errors on resumes, you should really think twice before calling the person in for an interview. These types of errors are indicative of what an employer can expect from this candidate as an employee. They show carelessness, sloppiness, and little concern for how they are portrayed.

Lack of attention to detail:  Attention to detail is an important quality that many employers look for in potential candidates. Reading through the cover letter, did you find any words missing in sentences that a quick proofread could have caught? What about copy-and-paste errors? These are only minor errors, but could prove for major problems in the workplace.

Failure to follow directions:  Chances are, you’ve asked for candidates to submit cover letters and resumes and only ended up receiving resumes. The inability to follow simple directions when submitting an application may translate to the workplace. Plus, this just creates more work for the employer, having to sift through resumes for candidates who aren’t even qualified.

Gap in employment:  Make sure the hiring manager is on the lookout for gaps in the applicant’s work history. Job seekers are smart, so look for employment history with only years listed, masking specific dates of employment. If a resume has no dates at all, that is often a sign of a gap in employment. Of course there are circumstances beyond some job seekers’ control, so don’t rule out all candidates with gaps in employment. Just make sure you ask about them in a phone interview before you invest the time in an on-site interview.

For more tips on screening candidates (and hiring the best ones), contact one of our recruiters at High Profile Staffing today!

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