Re: Re. resumes and credentials

[Kent Drummond <Kent_Drummond -at- CCMAIL -dot- BMC -dot- COM>]

     Processing a large number of resumes can now be automated. There is
     software (I saw a human resources pc demo last year) that will scan
     resumes and place the information in a standard format for review by
     the appropriate managers. You may have to specify a resume format in
     the ad. Another test you can use is to only select the resumes that
     were sent with a cover letter. Evaluate the letter and the resume to assess
     the quality of the writing and the credentials. Admittedly, these ideas
only address the quickly part of the problem, not the reliability. The best test
     I've found is to talk with references and ask questions about themselves to
     determine if they are hedging the qualifications.
        Kent

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re. resumes and credentials
Author:  geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA at unixlink
Date:    9/18/95 5:54 PM


     The need for a proof of skills represents a timely
     discussion. _Canadian Business_ (Sept. 1995 issue)
     calls this "creeping credentialism", and they make
     the same point we've already made here: academic
     credentials are meaningless if they aren't
     accompanied by skill, and skill doesn't require
     credentials.

     The problem then becomes simple <sarcastic grin>:
     to evaluate people based on their skills. But as
     we've already noted in two related threads, there's
     a nasty catch-22 here: if you get 300 applicants,
     how do you weed them down to a manageable number
     without using some screening factor? You could test
     each applicant somehow, but that means an enormous
     task (300 tests) that most employers can't
     undertake or some form of certification (e.g.,
     something like a SAT test)... which brings us full
     circle. Moreover, testing may be grounds for a
     lawsuit if an applicant can prove that the test was
     discriminatory.

     Thus, I pose the following problem: How can we
     determine someone's competence quickly and
     reliably without resorting to "creeping
     credentialism?" To head off one likely response,
     let me qualify this: portfolios and personal
     references are probably not the solution because
     you still have to deal with dozens or hundreds of
     portfolios and references. The solution must be
     both fair (based on applicant's skill rather than
     credentials) and effective at separating the wheat
     from the chaff! Reward for solving this problem?
     The gratitude of employers and applicants
     everywhere! <grin>

     FYI, one interesting (but impractical) approach
     that I've seen was a job ad that took the form of
     riddle or problem to be solved. I don't remember
     the details, but the bottom line was that you
     would have had a tough time figuring out how to
     apply for the job if you weren't qualified for the
     position. I'm calling this approach impractical
     because I've no idea how to write such an
     advertisement for most situations. Perhaps write
     the ad in engineer-speak so that only skilled
     techwhirlers accomplished in engineer-to-english
     translation need apply? <grin>

     --Geoff Hart    @8^{)}
     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

     Disclaimer: If I didn't commit it in print in one
     of our reports, it don't represent FERIC's
     opinion.