Red Flags to Watch for On a Resume - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Red Flags to Watch for On a Resume - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As an employer, you probably receive hundreds of resumes every day, especially if you are the hiring manager of a well-known brand. However, do you know the red flags to watch out for in these resumes? Below are the most common signs to look for. Job Hopping: If a candidate changes jobs frequently, this should be a red flag for you. Hiring someone is an expensive process. After hiring, you need to invest into the new hire and train him/her in order to become productive. Usually, it takes around six months for a new hire to become effective in his/her job. As an employer, you can only get efficiency from a new hire after six months. However, if a person changes jobs every seven-eight months, then you should watch out this person. Also, try to avoid these types of candidates because changing jobs frequently means lack of commitment, lack of collaboration and being self-centered. Employment Gaps: An employer should watch out the gaps in a candidate’s resume. These gaps may raise a red flag but they also may not be a bad sign. Sometimes employees take career breaks in order to care for their children or elders, spend more time with their families, continue studying or even travel the world. These are all reasonable gaps. As an employer, when you ask a candidate about the gap in his/her resume and get a reasonable answer, then you don’t need to worry. However, if the candidate cannot explain the gap, then this raises questions and worries. Spelling and Grammar Mistakes: Spelling and grammar mistakes on a resume can be a huge warning because this shows that the candidate is not very detail oriented. Also, a resume is one of the places where the candidate presents himself/herself and having mistakes shows that this person doesn’t care much about his/her presentation. Every job requires detail, attention and a good presentation. Therefore, an employer should really watch out for this type of a candidate. Lack of Achievement: A good resume should show evidence of a successfully progressing career. Job responsibilities should increase over time and job descriptions should grow. Therefore, if a candidate cannot show any achievements on his/her resume or shows a decrease of job titles and responsibilities, then, this should raise a red flag. Sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances, a candidate may choose to take less responsibilities but a smart candidate knows that this raises questions and makes a reasonable explanation.