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.