Give the Kid a Chance

The gig is up. It’s gotten out on to the Internet that most employers and recruiters spend ten seconds on the initial review of all résumés. If you’ve ever dealt with the barrage of applications one single job posting generates, you understand the reason why it’s done. The only way to manageably sort through the pile is do a cursory review of experience and education to see if they are right for the job.

I agree with that process to an extent, but what if we’re throwing away perfectly good candidates because of this?

A large chunk of the job force is looking to switch careers. A large chunk of those people cannot go back to college to get a new degree. And a large chunk of those people are rolling the dice on job boards by applying for jobs they could reasonably do, but are in industries for which they have no experience.

That’s not to say they don’t have skills that could apply to the job. A full résumé and cover letter often reveals that although a candidate hasn’t worked in the industry for the job you’re placing it doesn’t mean he or she is not capable of it.

Many jobs across many industries have similar skill sets that can easily translate to a new job outside of the candidate’s experience. Teaching is an excellent example.

It’s a sad statistic that most teachers exit the profession in less than five years. If you’ve ever stood in front of a large group of disinterested children you would be sympathetic. This means there are a large group of people every year looking to switch careers completely.

What these people leave with is a very diverse set of skills that makes them perfect candidates for a myriad of jobs. Their daily activities which include planning, public speaking, personal relations, performance review, and a host of others prepare them for many industries from public relations to management and even recruitment.

However, these people can be left behind during a brief examination of experience. That’s why it’s important to dig deeper into résumés. It may add additional hours to your day, but in the end you’ll better be able to find a very qualified candidate. Isn’t that what it’s all about?