Are you sabotaging your potential new team members by judging them solely based on their resumes? Are you “turned off” by a resume that doesn’t check every single one of your experience or educational boxes?
Did you know more than 62% of Americans over age 25 don’t have a bachelor’s degree? I love the recent quote by Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro, “I’m sick and tired, frankly, of this attitude that if you don’t go to college, you don’t have the requisite skills to succeed.” He goes on to say he wants folks to know the state of Pennsylvania is going to judge job seekers based on their skills and their grit and determination. His first official act as Governor was eliminating the college degree requirement for 92% of jobs in their state’s government. Other states have joined Pennsylvania in decreasing the education requirements in certain governmental positions, opening some 65,000 jobs to candidates who do not possess a college degree. This trend has been seen in today’s labor market as well: one in five employers has decreased their educational requirements to attract candidates who have otherwise been shut out.
Could you be limiting your candidate pool with outrageous requirements? Finding a resume that does check ALL your boxes is awesome (and rare), but attitude is everything. Sure, having the required skills and experience to do the job is important, but attitude is what will make or break the team. You need someone who can think outside the box, take initiative, and be self-driven—all qualities that come from within. A great way to sniff out this type of person is to focus your interview questions on problem-solving. Ask the candidate to tell you how they would solve a particular issue; this will give you an insight into the type of person you are hiring. And don’t forget to look for those “soft skills” such as communication, collaboration, and decision-making abilities. All these qualities are infectious and will rub off – different perspectives can bring fresh new ideas to the rest of the team in a positive way. I’m not suggesting you speak to every single applicant. I know your time is valuable. However, just limiting your applicant bank to only “rock star” resumes might prevent you from discovering an A+ player.
We often hire team members based on the set of skills we are looking for to do the job well. Most hiring managers believe a person’s resume can “clue them in” to those skills. It has been my experience that the best-fit team members are found when you are hiring based on their mindset and attitude and not their specific abilities or previous experiences.
