Stop Ignoring Potential! Your Best Hire Might Be in the Reject Stack—Get Your Eyes on Every Resume!

Introduction

Listen up, team! It’s time for some tough love, and I’m not sugarcoating anything! You think you’re too busy to read resumes? That’s just a flimsy excuse for negligence! Those resumes represent real people with real potential, and if you don’t have the guts to treat them with the respect they deserve, you’re failing in your duty as a recruiter/hiring team member! I’m talking to you, hiring teams and recruiters: stop hiding behind your ATS and AI like scared recruits! If you want to find the best talent out there, you need to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and read those resumes! I’m about to show you how to tackle this challenge head-on—so buckle up!

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard recruiters and hiring teams whine about not having time to read every resume because they’re flooded with them. Let me make this crystal clear: that’s complete and utter BULLSHIT! You better start treating those resumes with the respect they deserve! You hear me?

Since I know you’re going to ask, let me answer your questions right now! You might think candidates don’t get how many resumes you read or the workload you carry. Let me make this crystal clear: I KNOW your workload, and I KNOW how many resumes flood your desk! I’m a SHRM-CP with a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management, so don’t underestimate my understanding of the challenge you’re facing!

You recruiters and hiring teams are leaning way too heavily on AI and ATS to do your job for you! You’re hiding behind the excuse that you don’t have time to read every resume. Well, I’m here to tell you that you DO have the time! In this article, I’m going to lay it all out for you and show you exactly how you can make it happen!

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I’m not against using ATS and AI to sift through resumes! But those tools should ONLY be used to filter out candidates who don’t meet the absolute minimum requirements in the job description. Got it? Use them wisely, not as a crutch!

I know what you’re thinking: “BUT BUT BUT, HR Drill Sergeant, that still doesn’t get me down to a manageable number!” Well, once again, I say BULLSHIT! Keep reading to learn how you can tackle this elephant of a task like the pro you are!

Let me ask you all a question: when was the last time you looked for a job? Picture this: if you were in the applicant's shoes, would you prefer your resume to be read by a person or a computer? It’s a safe bet you’d want a human looking it over, not some algorithm!

Now think about how you’d feel if your resume didn’t get a fair shot—even though you meet all the necessary qualifications—just because of some minor detail that slipped through the cracks. I’m guessing you’d feel pretty terrible and utterly disappointed.

Now, imagine you’re part of a disadvantaged group that doesn’t have the insider knowledge to navigate the ATS system effectively. This can lead to a Disparate Impact on protective classes, and that’s a serious issue! Computers and software lack the human touch when evaluating candidates. That’s where YOU, the recruiters, hiring team members, and decision-makers come in!

Your job is to find the best candidate for the position. When you lean too heavily on ATS and AI to filter your candidate lists, you risk missing out on the very best talent out there. Sure, reading through all those resumes might take more time in the short term, but overlooking the right candidates could cost you more time and money in the long run.

Remember, fast is fine, but accuracy is final. Learn to take your time in a hurry, and you’ll see more success with your talent acquisition strategy!

Before I go any further, let’s set the record straight for those of you non-HR leaders who might not fully grasp the capabilities of your certified HR professionals. If you have an HR pro on your team with a professional certification, they have the ability to sit and read for 4 straight hours without a break. The SHRM-CP exam is a grueling 4 hours long, packed with 134 questions—80 knowledge items and 54 situational-judgment items, including 24 field-test items—across 14 function areas.

That breaks down to reading questions that can be a couple of paragraphs long and selecting the correct answer every 1 minute and 47 seconds, on average. Let that sink in for a moment. We’re talking about 134 questions across 14 different areas of HR, including 54 situational judgment questions.

Trust me when I say this: don’t let any HR professionals blow smoke up your rear. Those who have EARNED their respective professional HR certifications absolutely have the capability to read and make informed decisions on 60 to 80 resumes over the course of 4 straight hours. So, don’t let them fool you into thinking otherwise!

Time to dive into how I recommend you tackle this crucial task:

1)??? Conduct a Survey: Start by surveying to determine the appropriate number of resumes you can realistically expect per job opening and the timeframe for processing them.

2)??? Analyze Your Capacity: Take a hard look at your ability to read and process resumes. Understand your workload and figure out how much time you can dedicate to this important task.

3)??? Know the Numbers: It takes the average person about 1 minute to read a single page of text. With most resumes being 2 pages long, plus an additional minute to decide whether to give it a second look or reject it, you’re looking at approximately 3 minutes per resume in that first round. That means you can handle around 20 resumes per hour.

4)??? Manage High-Volume Openings: If you know you have a job opening likely to attract a large number of applicants—like in IT—it can get overwhelming if you leave that posting open for more than a day or two.

a)???? ?Implement a Cyclic Approach: For these high-volume postings, I recommend a cyclic approach to manage the flood of resumes effectively:

i)????? Determine the maximum number of resumes you can read and process at one time. Once you hit that limit, pause the job posting. Process the resumes you’ve received. If you don’t have enough candidates to move forward, unpause the job posting and repeat the process. This keeps your posting fresh at the top—or at least near the top—of job boards and searches. Remember, the key is QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY!

I truly believe the major reasons people and companies rely too heavily on ATS and AI boil down to a few key factors:

1.???? Poor Time Management Skills: If time management is an issue, it’s essential to provide training on how to manage their time effectively—without belittling anyone! Consider encouraging them to take a time management course.

2.???? Inability to Plan Properly: A lack of proper planning can lead to overwhelming workloads and poor decision-making.

3.???? Indecisiveness: The inability to make timely decisions can slow down the hiring process and lead to missed opportunities.

4.???? Desire for the “Perfect” Candidate: Striving for perfection can prevent you from recognizing great candidates who may not fit an ideal mold but are still capable of excelling in the role.

5.???? Unwillingness or Inability to Train: Some teams may lack the willingness or ability to train new hires, regardless of their experience level, which can stifle growth and adaptability.

Addressing these issues head-on is crucial for improving your hiring process and reducing reliance on technology as a crutch!

Conclusion

Now, listen closely! You’ve got the tools and the knowledge to do this job right, so stop making excuses and start taking action! The power lies in your hands! By embracing a hands-on approach to reading resumes, you’re not just doing your job; you’re championing a fair and effective hiring process that opens doors for top talent! Don’t let technology do the heavy lifting for you—be the recruiter who gets it done! Remember, you’re not just filling positions; you’re building a team that will drive your organization forward! So, get out there and read those resumes like your success depends on it—because it does! Dismiss the excuses, take charge, and show the world what real talent acquisition looks like! Dismissed!

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