Tips for hiring managers: Six resume red flags to look out for

Putting up the job posting is the easiest part of hiring new employees. Once the advertisement is live, the job applications start flowing in. When you receive a hundred job applications for a job opening, how do you pick the best candidates?

Sorting through resumes ?in search of the best fit for your company is not an easy task. You need to be on the lookout for a dozen different things. Despite all the positive things that you should look for when scanning a resume, you need to be aware of?resume red flags ?as well.

1. Grammar mistakes and typos

You can ignore one or two spelling mistakes on a candidate’s resume. Unless the job involves excellent written communication skills, you don’t need to judge a candidate too harshly based on one spelling error. However, if the resume contains multiple?spelling and grammar mistakes , it is a sign that the applicant does not pay attention to detail.

2. Not following the directions

If you have given specific instructions about submitting the job application that the candidate has ignored, it is a red flag. Some candidates may fail to include all the requested items on their resumes. Others may have submitted their resume in the wrong file format. These actions indicate that either the candidate has not read the instructions or that they did not take the time to provide the necessary information.

3. Lack of experience

Some skills can be easily learned on the job. However, there are other abilities that the candidate must already have to perform well at the job. If the resume you are reading seems to be?missing a majority of the required skills ?for the position, it is a red flag. You don’t want to waste company resources hiring an incompetent candidate.

4. Unexplained career gaps

Employment gaps are not necessarily resume red flags. There are multiple valid reasons why a professional may have a gap in their work history such as due to travel, childbirth, sickness, etc. Career gaps that are not explained by the job seeker are one of?the biggest resume red flags . If the candidate has not provided a sufficient explanation or has tried to hide the career gap on the resume, there is something they are not telling you.

5. No career progression

When reading a resume, you generally expect to observe the journey of a candidate’s career progression. Ideally, job seekers should be progressing in their careers, increasing their responsibilities, and changing job titles with the years. An applicant who has not taken a forward step in their career might be an unmotivated person or be lacking the qualifications that are required for a promotion.

6. Job hopping

Job hopping is a?serious resume red flag . In most cases, it indicates a lack of commitment from the candidate. However, if a job seeker has moved up the career ladder within a short time, with better job titles and increased responsibility each time, it does not count as job hopping. If the candidate seems to be moving laterally within the industry, changing jobs within a few months, it is a sign of job hopping.