Employers receive hundreds of applications for each position and have to spend only 30 seconds sifting through resumes. This means that our chances of getting accepted for the coveted position are probably not that high. So we looked at what criteria recruiters use to screen job candidates and how you can grab their attention in such a short time.
By: Dr. Liat Basis
Published:
On Ynet
Employers receive dozens to hundreds of resumes for each open position, and the screening process usually takes place under a great deal of strain on the recruiting employer. About 50% of employers spend up to 30 seconds screening resumes, and the question arises as to how recruiters screen resumes so quickly. Most employers claim that the decisive factors are work experience and education. However, studies show that recruiters are not always aware of the factors that influence their decision-making.
Resumes are the most widely used tool for screening job candidates. In fact, they constitute the initial connection between the candidate and their potential employer. Studies show that beyond the content, which includes the work experience and education we have accumulated, additional impression management factors influence recruiters and employers when screening resumes, sometimes unconsciously, similar to the influence of stereotypes or the first impression effect in a job interview.
A study conducted at Bar Ilan University as part of a doctoral thesis (Bass, 2011) found that the less familiar the position is to the recruiter, the more impact the elements of impression have and the less impact the content has. In addition, the less experienced the recruiter is in reading resumes, the more highly he values short resumes.
David or Ariel?
A 2008 study examined how the font type on a resume affects job candidates’ perceptions of professionalism, maturity, and credibility, as well as their chances of being called for an interview. The researchers found that resumes written in a resume-appropriate font were rated more positively on all of these aspects and resulted in more job interview calls, compared to resumes written in a neutral or inappropriate font (connected handwriting).
In a mapping of 753 resumes sent to one of the largest business organizations in Israel, it was found that the three most common fonts were Ariel, David, and Times New Roman (about a third each). No effect was found for font – the number of interview invitations for resumes in the different fonts was similar, presumably because all three are suitable fonts for resumes.
In a study by Kleider-Baraka (2011), which examined the effect of resume aesthetics (symmetry, consistency in font and size, and margins), a positive relationship was found between resume aesthetics and the organization’s decision to invite the candidate for an interview. The relationship was stronger among researchers than among salespeople (the latter have less expectation of accuracy and order in their role). In addition, the relationship was stronger among men.
The explanation for this is likely the other way around: male candidates are less expected to be neat and precise, so they may be given more credit when they do so. Another 2010 study found that recruiters value resumes that are designed in a formal way more than those that are designed in a creative way.
What’s in a name?
When a candidate applies for a job online, the first thing a recruiter learns about them is their email address. Email addresses have the potential to leave an impression, just like a candidate’s name. A 2011 study found that candidates who used inappropriate or antisocial email addresses were rated as less diligent (a trait that relates to responsibility, loyalty, organization, and persistence) and less professional.
It was also found that candidates with more work experience used more appropriate addresses than those without experience. Finally, candidates with inappropriate email addresses scored lower on the screening tests.
Another recent study conducted in the Netherlands (2012) found that the candidate’s name on the resume and hints of cultural affiliation with a minority group in society also have an impact on the screening of resumes. The researchers found familiar and unfortunate findings, indicating discrimination against minorities in the screening of resumes by recruiters.
Candidates with a name associated with minorities and/or belonging to a social group identified with them and a characteristic identified with the majority group were rejected more often than candidates with characteristics of the majority group only. When examining differences between women and men, it was found that discrimination exists more against men than against women from the minority group.
What else can we tell about ourselves?
Many candidates list additional skills and qualifications, such as hobbies and the like, in a separate section on their resume. A study conducted in 2000 in the US found that no matter how many sentences are written in this section on the resume, they increase the recruiters’ positive assessments. Also, the more such sentences there are, the higher the candidate’s assessment of suitability and the invitation to a job interview.
An Israeli study showed that adding skills per se did not affect recruiters’ impressions, but adding skills that were relevant to the role produced a more positive impression than adding skills that were inconsistent with the role. This finding was more evident in short resumes.
And what about social involvement, community contributions, or volunteering? Does anyone look at this part of a resume? A new study from 2012 sought to examine how volunteer work, relative to paid work, affects recruiters’ impressions of the sources of life.
Recruiters were given resumes to judge, some of which included volunteer experience, some paid experience, and some a combination of the types of experience. The findings showed that recruiters evaluated resumes from candidates with paid experience and those with volunteer experience similarly.
It was also found that experience that included both types (paid and volunteer) resulted in a higher evaluation of the resume compared to resumes that included only one type. Finally, the recruiter’s own volunteer experience had no effect on his evaluation of the resume with volunteering.
Studies on first impressions in interviews show that the resume is a key component in forming the first impression, even before the candidate steps in for the interview, and that interviewers were more positive and gave more opportunities to interviewees with impressive resumes.
So how do we reduce bias or use it to our advantage? When we send out resumes for a job, we must remember that recruiters work under pressure and are required to select from dozens of candidates (sometimes) those who are most relevant to the job – and invite them for an interview. Due to the pressure, you as a candidate have about 30 seconds to help recruiters choose you.
If you are a recruiter, you should know that reducing bias in assessment processes has one consistent rule: awareness of bias, combined with a desire to conduct an objective assessment, will help reduce (not eliminate) the influence. By raising awareness of less conscious influences, you can better control them rather than being controlled by them.
The writer is a social-occupational psychologist and CEO of Basis for Assessment. Tal Mishan, a doctoral student in psychology at Bar-Ilan University, assisted in preparing the article.
