I scan a resume in under a minute. Yes, I'm making quick, snap judgments. But it's a necessity with larger volume. Here's how I do it.
It starts with how well they align with the job requirements.
Must Have
- Skills in the same family, i.e. I'm looking for React, but I'll take Vue, Angular, Svelte, etc.
- Background in the same vein as the role, i.e. work in front-end, backend, or both.
- Level of experience that matches what's expected of the role.
Nice to Have
- Background in a similar business or field.
- Career progression demonstrated by increased responsibilities.
- Experience solving the technical challenges we are experiencing.
I'm looking to understand 3 key areas—their specific skills, their experience, and how those drove results.
Yes, formatting matters. Readability matters. Framing your experience matters.
But you need to hit me hard and fast with your RESULTS. I want to see what you'd bring to the team.
What impact did you have in your past roles? How did you learn and how did you apply those skills? What will you bring to the role that we don't have?
The technical chops are table stakes; to really stand you have to quantify what you've done. And you need to do it quick.