Employer Review of Resumes, Cover Letters, Job Applications

The work of resume review starts well before applicant resumes fill your inbox. Reviewing a resume starts with a job description or role profile so you know broadly what the job entails. Part of the job description, in an effective job description, details the qualifications and experience of the candidate you seek to fill the job. Find out how to effectively review resumes to select superior candidates.

Job searching specialists and career counselors recommend that job applicants write a customized resume cover letter to accompany each resume sent to an employer. They’re right. As an employer, a customized resume cover letter matters. A resume cover letter saves you time, connects the candidate’s relevant experience to your advertised job, and...

Smart employers use an employment application that is filled out by every candidate for a particular job. Employers world wide use the employment application to gather consistent data about prospective employees. While the format for resumes and cover letters changes from person-to-person, the employment application collects consistent...

Do you know who you are hiring? Always, but especially during tough job searching times, you need to review each resume, cover letter and application that you receive with care. You want to ensure that the candidates you consider hiring are who they say they are and that their credentials are valid and match your needs. Watch for these red flags.

Red flags are the mistakes, errors, and indicators that give you a great deal of information about the individual who is applying for your open job. Employers ignore these red flags at their own risk. They are early indicators that your potential employee may not be whom you expect. Here are five more red flags for employer resume review.

Want to know the cover letter red flags that should capture your attention when you review an applicant's cover letter? The cover letter is an integral component of a job searcher’s job application materials. Noticing cover letter red flags can quickly eliminate unqualified applicants. Find out more about cover letter red flags.

People forget that the purpose of a job interview is not just to get the job. Sound strange to you? It’s not. You go to a job interview to discover whether your talents, abilities, interests and direction are a good fit for the job, the company, and the company’s mission. Learn more about the match that needs to occur during a job interview for a subsequently successful employment relationship.

When employers receive 100 resumes in response to a job posting, the resume that catches your eye has to stand out from the crowd. This sample resume was accompanied by an exemplary cover letter. Here, I'll show you the resume that accompanied the cover letter that did capture my attention and tell you why. This sample resume sets a standard...

Do resume cover letters matter to you as an employer? You bet. Here's how to evaluate a cover letter and my favorite sample letter.

A resume is a document that provides a potential employer with a detailed statement of your prior work experience, education, and accomplishments. The resume often supplies an employment objective; a summary of skills, knowledge, and potential contributions; a summary of civic, professional, and philanthropic volunteer work; a list of...

The cover letter is the customized, business letter that accompanies the resume when a candidate applies for a position with your company. Job search experts tell applicants to target the cover letter contents to the position you have advertised. Applicants are also advised to match their skills and experience clearly to the stated requirements...

The job or employment application is the official form that employers ask all applicants for a position to fill out. The job application provides a consistent format with the same questions that must be answered by each person who applies for your open position. The job application is a legally defensible listing of your job applicant’s...

An online job application is an application for a job that is filled out online. The online job application is replacing the paper / pen / pencil job application format that was traditionally filled out while a job applicant visited a company or waited for an interview. Online job applications are increasingly the job application of choice for employers. There are reasons why employers prefer onl…

Employers need to pay attention to certain resume red flags on the resumes they receive from job applicants. These resume red flags tell you a lot about the habits, work ethic, enthusiasm, and accomplishments of your job candidates. Resume red flags should affect your employment decisions. Readers share examples of red flags that they've experienced when reviewing resumes and other application materials such as cover letters and job applications.

Short List - Applicants on Your Short List Are Scheduled for Interviews

If you haven't received your first video resumes from candidates yet, you will shortly. The buzz is growing and video resumes are the next "cool" thing to do. In fact, the conversation has already moved from whether to make a video resume to how to make a professional video resume to enhance job applications. So, employers will be seeing video...