Resumes are ridiculous

We all know resumes are a joke. They're exaggerations. They're filled with

"action verbs" that don't mean anything. They list job titles and responsibilities

that are vaguely accurate at best. And there's no way to verify most of what's on

there. The whole thing is a farce.

Worst of all, they're too easy. Anyone can create a decent-enough resume.

That's why half-assed applicants love them so much. They can shotgun out

hundreds at a time to potential employers. It's another form of spam. They don't

care about landing your job; they just care about landing any job.

If someone sends out a resume to three hundred companies, that's a huge red

flag right there. There's no way that applicant has researched you. There's no

way he knows what's different about your company.

If you hire based on this garbage, you're missing the point of what hiring is

about. You want a specific candidate who cares specifically about your company,

your products, your customers, and your job.

So how do you find these candidates? First step: Check the cover letter. In a

cover letter, you get actual communication instead of a list of skills, verbs, and

years of irrelevance. There's no way an applicant can churn out hundreds of

personalized letters. That's why the cover letter is a much better test than a

resume. You hear someone's actual voice and are able recognize if it's in tune

with you and your company.

Trust your gut reaction. If the first paragraph sucks, the second has to work

that much harder. If there's no hook in the first three, it's unlikely there's a match

there. On the other hand, if your gut is telling you there's a chance at a real

match, then move on to the interview stage.