Put yourself in the job seeker’s shoes
As recruiters and hiring managers, it’s important that we remember what candidates are thinking when we review resumes. Remember, you may have hundreds or thousands of resumes, but each represents someone’s hopes, dreams, and financial independence. Candidates deserve a review that looks for the possibilities and doesn’t eliminate them based on biases (gaps in employment, “job hopping,” or other assumptions about a candidate based only on their resume.)
To help you put yourself in the candidate’s shoes, here’s a story from their point of view:
Another day, another resume
I peel myself out of bed just before dawn, weary but resolute. I go through my usual routine — eat a quick breakfast, scan the headlines, and review my budget and bank account balances, even though I know them by heart. Then, I steel myself to tackle today’s task: refreshing my resume and sending out another flurry of applications.
Settling in with a hot cup of coffee, I carefully comb through the document that supposedly represents everything employable about me. Education, check. Experience, check. A few wins to showcase, check. But I can’t help wondering if that’s enough, if who I am and what I’m capable of can really be summed up in a few sheets of paper dotted with bullet points.
My mind drifts as I upload my resume yet again to apply for another job. I imagine the hiring manager reviewing it, skimming through the details of my work history. What will they see? Will they discern my dedication, my perseverance, my unrelenting belief that better days lie ahead? Will they recognize the potential in me?
The upload complete, I hit “submit” and let out the anxious breath I’ve been holding in. As difficult as this process is, I have to stay hopeful that the right opportunity is out there waiting. My chance to again do meaningful work and provide for my family. My next step toward the working life I want to resume.
After countless revisions and submissions, what keeps me resilient is imagining someone understanding that this resume is only a summary. My skills and spirit extend well beyond what can fit onto a page. I am still confident that the right hiring manager is out there scanning resumes, seeking to uncover promise and possibility in people like me. And when I finally get that long-awaited call, it will all have been worthwhile.