Nothing personal: Resume scanning dumbs down job searching and hiring

Q: Every article and book about resumes preaches the importance of creating a scannable resume. You must have the right key words and the right font to be "found" by the scanning machine. It sounds like a massive distraction. If you have to rely on being picked out by a scanner from a pile of thousands of resumes, you aren't doing your job as a job hunter. What do you think about scannable resumes?

NICK'S REPLY: I agree with you completely. The best reason not to submit a scannable resume is to force the employer to actually read it. (What a great way to stand out, eh?) If your resume is going to be put through the e-grinder, you might as well buy a lottery ticket and trust to luck.

Human resources departments are distracted from their recruiting tasks when they rely on scanned resumes to identify good candidates. "Give us your resume. We'll process it. Meanwhile, stay away from our hiring managers." Job hunters are distracted, too, by the tricks of key-word resume writing. The best thing to do when looking for a job is to talk with managers, not interface with machines.

While your resume is flying through that 91 percent accurate optical character recognition software (oops ... your B.A. was "read" as a D.A., and we're looking only for B.A.s), a headhunter's candidate is in the manager's office having an interview. And the good folks down in HR are too busy filling that sheet-feeder with e-accomplishments to know the job's been filled.

I'll tell you the trick. Sprinkle every key word and key phrase that's in the job description throughout your resume. That's what they're looking for. Poof! You can apply for any job you want and increase your odds of a phone call. But how much respect would you have for the person who swallowed your resume hook, line and sinker?

I'm not a fan of resume scanning. It dumbs down job searching and hiring. Your goal should be to make personal contact with the hiring manager prior to providing a resume.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Does the interviewer like you?

We like to talk about ourselves and to share our opinions and experiences with others. We like people when they listen. So help an interviewer like you.

In your next interview, turn the discussion around to the interviewer. Don't ask personal questions, but show an interest in his work. Give him an opportunity to tell you about himself.

Ask the interviewer:

-- What led you to work in this industry?

-- What other kinds of work have you done?

-- What do you find most exciting about your current project?

-- What concerns do you have about it?

Shape these questions to suit your interview. Ask them conversationally. There's no need to press for answers. When you help the interviewer talk about himself, he perceives you as likable. This can make the interview go more smoothly, and it makes you desirable to work with. It's another step toward a job offer.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.