Group of CEOs share their tactics for evaluating a resume.
Tactics for evaluating a rÉsumÉ
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The changing nature of our economy and our work force, the increasing difficulty of finding and keeping employees with appropriate skills, and a world-class recession have all conspired to create a brutally competitive job market -- a mine field for employers and potential employees alike. The pressure to hire right the first time is greater than ever, but so is the pressure for employees to sell themselves to an employer.
At the center of the stormy process is the rÉsumÉ, a highly variable, enigmatic, and often fallacious document. Although CEOs of successful, growing companies aren't an easily fooled bunch, even the smartest can get into trouble when it comes to reading people. And nowhere are the stakes higher than in hiring for a key management position. "I don't look at the rÉsumÉ as anything more than a snapshot of what the seller wants me to know about the product," says one executive. "I think rÉsumÉs are dangerous when taken at face value."
Mastering the art of reading between the lines of a rÉsumÉ can take years of experience. To help you move more quickly along the learning curve, we picked the brains of a group of CEOs who have in the past shared with us their secrets to hiring right the first time:
Jim Koch, CEO of Boston Beer Co., a microbrewery in Boston with more than 50 employees. Koch has sometimes hired people for positions that don't necessarily jibe with their experience -- he hired an accountant who is now a successful sales representative, and a woman who began as his secretary is now vice-president of sales and a partner.
Mary Black, cofounder and vice-president of Super Wash Inc., in Morrison, Ill., which sells, builds, equips, and services car-wash stations. In its corporate headquarters the company employs 45 people, who oversee 325 stations. A former schoolteacher, Black rarely hires from the outside, preferring to train promising employees and promote from within. The company has a turnover rate close to zero.
Sidney Rubin, CEO of Mr. Bulky's Treats and Goods, in Troy, Mich., a chain of 175 candy stores that employs 70 in its headquarters and 600 in the field part-time. Rubin promotes from within as much as possible. That means giving employees of Mr. Bulky's outlets first crack at job openings in headquarters. For retail-store openings, he insists on retail experience and has an elaborate training program to minimize turnover.
Cindy Bender, CEO of Meridian Travel, a corporate travel agency based in Cleveland with more than 60 employees. When hiring travel agents, Bender makes it a point not to hire anyone with less than eight years' experience, and she prefers to cherry-pick the best agents from her competitors.
Harry Featherstone, CEO of Will-burt Co., in Orrville, Ohio, a machine-tool shop that employs more than 120 people. Featherstone, who has earned several graduate degrees and has more than 40 years of hiring experience, places a tremendous amount of importance on education, and the Will-burt employee-education program is legendary. Featherstone's primary concern is hiring managers and employees who are in step with employee-empowerment principles and can be good team players.
Howard Hansen, vice-president of human resources for Great Plains Software, in Fargo, N. Dak., a maker of accounting software for small and midsize businesses. The company has 427 full-time employees, and Hansen has interviewed more than 2,000 job applicants. "We think it's important to have multiple perspectives on a candidate, so we have three rounds of interviewing by a team of people who will work closely with the person. Then the group convenes and builds consensus, so the manager can make an informed decision."
To really challenge our panel members' abilities, we gave them a rÉsumÉ that represents a mosaic of banking, consulting, sales, and microcomputer experience -- an attractive candidate who could be useful to a company in many different ways. Still, each potential employer managed to find a few red flags to call into question the candidate's suitability to his or her company's needs.
On this and the following page, pick up some tips from this ad hoc hiring team on how to read a rÉsumÉ, and compare them with your own evaluation of the candidate.
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(rÉsumÉ excerpt)
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Financial Professional with over ten years experience in financial, credit and investment analysis, client account responsibility, and new business development in the communications and computer industries.
Professional Skills
Financial/Credit Analysis-Enabled rapid evaluation of loan requests and company data by creating a comprehensive computer model to project multiple financial scenarios; financial and credit analysis of lending institutions, communications companies and general corporate credit; prepared cash flow analysis using various software programs on different computers to monitor loan covenants and compliance requirements.
Loan Negotiation, Structuring, and Syndication-Successful negotiation of deals with customers and senior bank management; preparation of loan packages for syndication to other lending institutions; ability to structure and understand complex financial transactions; successful negotiation on pricing to generate higher profitability for loan portfolios.
Microcomputer Expertise-Extensive training on many microcomputers and PC-based local area networks; working knowledge of numerous word processing, spreadsheet, database, communications, and network operating systems.
New Business Development-Started own consulting business which was profitable within three months; increased now loan business and exceeded annual goals; maintained and expanded existing customer base.
Professional Experience
May 1990 to present Investment Systems Analyst-Merganser Capital Management, Cambridge, MA.
-Perform duties of portfolio accountant with complete responsibility for specific client securities portfolios; produces report package for distribution to clients.
-supports all computer hardware and software systems including a Novell network, portfolio accounting software and all traditional wordprocessing, spreadsheet and database software.
Oct. 1988 - April 1990 Senior Sales Representative-Syntrex, Boston, MA.
-Sold microcomputer-based local area networks which included both hardware and network operating software.
June 1987 - Oct. 1988 Senior Sales Representative-Businessland, Boston, MA.
-Sold over $750,000 of microcomputers in first year to small companies in Boston.
Nov. 1985 - June 1987 Communications Consultant-BT Ventures, Boston, MA
-Started own consulting company . . .
(etc.)
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1. What to Make of a Mixed Bag of Skills
Koch: " 'Microcomputer expertise' tells me nothing. I need to know what programs she knows."
