The unwritten details – How to read beyond a candidate’s CV

HR specialists and recruiters are used to read standard resumes, in which the candidate’s professional experience is summed up, in which they can find the technical skills, language skills or information about their studies. Statistics shows that around 75% of the resumes that come into the hands of HR people include this kind of information, which is normal, given the fact that these are the criterias that influence the selection process.

How many things about a person could reveal a few pages filled with information? What opinion can we develop about a candidate through his resume? Well, it is almost impossible to shape a true and complex image of a person about whom we read some things on a piece of paper, a document that is drawn after a series of standard rules at the hand of anyone who wants to leave a good impression in front of an employer.

Making a detailed analysis of the candidates recruited for certain jobs is a prudent measure that protects employers from inconvenience and legal problems, theft of confidential information, from competitors infiltration, fraud or hiring unqualified people for certain positions. The existence of these risks can’t be denied, especially in the context of a highly competitive business environment.

What the body language is saying

Nowadays, HR departments or companies specialized in recruitment have not only modern tools to scan the candidates, such as databases or professional networks but also people prepared to see beyond the impression that the candidate wants to leave to the potential employer. Thus, since the first meeting, the person who interviews a candidate should also be prepared to read the body language, and observe his reactions to certain questions.

An analysis of the candidates’ presence in the online environment won’t be worthless, especially if the job has a high degree of responsibility, or is one that involves promoting the image of the organization or whether it is a job that belongs to the communication sphere. It would be good to ask candidates to provide a link to their website or, if they have a public profile on professional networks like LinkedIn, their public activity on these networks could be a good source for shaping a more thorough picture about them.

Simulating situations closer to reality

Accordingly, during in the recruitment process, the candidates could be required to create a short movie in which they would have to introduce themselves. This way their communication skills and creativity would be tested, and, why not, you could notice if they have an interesting speech with leadership potential. Another great way to learn more than what is written in a candidate’s CV is to apply him a specific test, a project-based one, assigning him tasks in order to simulate things that he could have to deal with at his potential new job.

In the end, it should also be noted that the analysis of the "professional personality" of a person if we can call it that way should not end when signing the employment contract. On the contrary, certain aspects need to be analyzed throughout all the integration period within the organization.

BIA HR TEAM 

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