Resumé Red Flags

Hiring is no easy task. When you a global pandemic and economic hardship on top of that, it doesn’t get any easier. If your company has availability and is looking to hire in the near future, you can certainly expect to receive dozens of resumes flood in for one opening.

It can be tough to decipher when someone’s resume is really good or really too good to be true. We have compiled a list of resume red flags that HR or hiring managers should look out for when filling a vacancy.

Job hopping
While we may not live in a day and age where one keeps a full-time position for decades on end, it’s never a good sign to receive a resume where the candidate has a series of jobs for a short period of time. If you have plans to invest time and resources into a candidate, you’ll want to ensure a certain extent of longevity with your company before bringing them aboard. Someone who has not held a job for over a year could be a sign of trouble.

Vague language
If you find that the cover letter or resume verbiage seems vague or unspecific? There may be a reason for that. Look for resumes that speak of specific involvement, results, and offer references regarding their work.

Unorganized/unprofessional
If you are catching multiple spelling errors, sloppy format, inappropriate email, or anything else that seems rather unprofessional, that is never a good sign. Resumes should reflect someone putting their best foot forward. Chances are if they do not exude professionalism on their resume, they are not likely to do so once they have secured a position.

Doesn’t follow directions
As a hiring manager, your job is not to track down the information you need from a potential candidate. If you have specific application instructions in your job posting, viable applicants will follow instructions to a T. If applicants cannot follow instructions to obtain employment, there’s a good chance that attention to detail is not one of their strong suits.

Omitting date
Someone may have all of the qualifications and experience you are looking for, but when you look at their job history, no dates can be found. If someone does not share how long they have worked for a company or on a project, something could be off.