November 30, 2021

Should Resumes Be Replaced with Questions and Assessments?

“Hisayuki Idekoba, the CEO of Recruit Holdings Co, the Japanese owner of Glassdoor and Indeed, told Bloomberg that despite struggling to find staff, many small and medium (sized) businesses were still trying to recruit workers the way they did a decade ago — by asking them to submit resumes.  He said the labor shortage was a chance to move away from a "resume-profile culture." Resumes could be replaced with questions and assessments to see how a job seeker would handle specific tasks required by the role, he said.”

At Plotkin Group we agree with this strategy for some industries and positions.  We also believe resumes provide value for the other positions but, they should carry less weight than many hiring managers place on them in most instances.  “The hiring process consists of many different types of pieces to the puzzle that help you form a prediction on how well a candidate fits the open position at hand and whether or not they will be able to meet your expectations.” says Jim Plotkin President and CEO of Plotkin Group.

Back at the beginning of the pandemic in our May 2020 Newsletter we suggested expanding your applicant pool by looking for candidates from other industries or positions that are capable of doing similar positions in your industry.  In agreement with Mr. Idekoba, you can easily determine part of this puzzle by using Assessments to assess the candidate’s aptitude for job fit.   

Candidates are capable of performing a variety of positions that fit their personality and aptitude for a number of different jobs.  Ironically, “The Hardest Job to Recruit for: Other Recruiters”, written recently in the Wall Street Journal, discusses the topic of training and hiring candidates without any recruiter experience.   “Recruiters are busier than ever in today’s market, and there aren’t enough of them to go around.” “The average number of monthly U.S. job postings for recruiters fell at the start of the pandemic but has more than doubled since February 2020 to nearly 148,000 in September 2021, according to job-search platform ZipRecruiter.”

Many of the basic skills needed for the role can be found across industries, and they are similar to what makes a good salesperson, according to Mr. Wolf: strong communication and organizational skills, persistence and just being talkative. Keith Wolf is managing director of Houston-based recruiting firm Murray Resources.  “Most people have not even come across a recruiter until they are getting poached,” he said. “One thing that any recruiter will tell you is no one went to school to be a recruiter.”

Until hiring managers are back in the driver’s seat, being proactive and creative will keep you ahead of your competition with filling open positions.  Please contact us if you would like to discuss any of these important topics to help improve your odds of getting a good night’s sleep as well.