How are your applicants resumes?

So, instead of a "review my resume" post, how are your applicants on average?

For example, my company posts for a 24x7 operations position routinely, but the applications we see are mediocre at best for that position. This is partly because it's shift work, and we know that because it's not what everyone wants to jump into. However, it can be a launchpad for those who exhibit talent and is a testing ground to see how candidates work out.

1. What has your experience been with the applicant pool?

2. Do you see a trend in your field (i.e. healthcare vs. gov)?

3. Do you think HR has warped job postings to where you scare away those you would train that have enough skills for your jobs?

Once you've been around the block you know that job posts can be inflated for the "hey, if this one guy exists hire him" postings that include company specific software or niche software knowledge. I personally look at jobs to see where the market is going, but I see these posts from companies and think "good luck, no way that guy exists".

I saw a post that started off as "Software Engineer, all api's under the sun AND OpenStack, VMware, SAN, multi-site AD design, Cicso networking, and 5 years experience". How many hardcore software guys do you know that also fully understands one of those additional technologies?

P.S. putting "Proficient in Microsoft Office" means nothing.

P.P.S. Upcoming grads looking for work should look at government contractors "requiring" clearances. Companies may have programs to onboard college graduates and sponsor clearances. By upcoming, I mean next 6 months, but if you're working now and looking to get into the government sector you can apply now.

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Comments

Phileeeeeeep651

I'm not a hiring manager or even in a supervisory role but as a job seeker number 3 stood out the most for me.

From my perspective there seems to be a disconnect between some IT departments and HR. Along the lines of your example of the "Software Engineer", there is a job posting in my area for "Cisco Network Engineer" that is looking for candidates with experience with nexus, and 3-5 years as a senior systems software programer....? This is also a government position for a county in my area. Now this can totally go both was too. The position I'm in was sold to me as a stepping stone/noc type role, when in reality, tier 2 support teams hire from the outside not within and this job is so far away from anything remotely close to what they sold me on.

I look at some of the job postings in my area and honestly, I get discouraged. I keep trying to gain more knowledge and further my studies so I can get that "next level" job but it seems like the requirements for some are becoming more and more absurd and its hard to tell if this is what HR wants or if its the actual requirements for the position.

Sorry for the little rant.

AwesomeGarrett

Phileeeeeeep651, don't get discouraged. If you see a job posting for a position that you know have the skills to be successful in, apply. My last role required 5-7 years and every networking technology under the sun, got it with only R&S and less than 1.5 years of experience. My current role required 7-10, I think you know where I'm heading. If you know what you say you know on your resume, sell yourself during the interview, and have those soft skills polished, you won't even have a problem.

Back to the OP, the resume's I get are disorganized, hard to read, and overselling their skills. Last guy had "deployed 500+ VoIP phone infrastructure". After interviewing, turns out he'd only placed the phones on the desk between the drop and the PC. He was not familiar on how to send the voice VLAN via CDP of LLDP to the phone. However, if he would have just came in and was honest about it, I never would have went down that road. This is partly due to HR and upper management collaboration wanting everything under the sun in order stay under budget, but at the end of the day they still need the green light from the engineers that the candidate has the skills to handle the work.

paul78

Xavor wrote: »

What has your experience been with the applicant pool?

Depends on the position

Xavor wrote: »

Do you see a trend in your field (i.e. healthcare vs. gov)?

Absolutely, there is always interest in candidates that have prior business experience in a particular industry. In my case, financial services. I would always preference a candidate with financial services versus another industry.

Xavor wrote: »

Do you think HR has warped job postings to where you scare away those you would train that have enough skills for your jobs?

No. In the last 25 years, I've never worked at a company where HR writes the job postings other than the intro that describes the company. Job postings are written by the hiring manager. The plethora of skill requirements or desires are usually to attract a wide range of candidates.

Verities

When I've reviewed resumes of applicants for my team they usually make my eyes hurt from so much text. When I see lots of text, I assume your long winded and I've been through enough of those interviews to drag and drop your resume into deleted items. Keep is short and simple, don't overload me with things that are not relevant to the position.

hellolin

Since you guys are here...how much is your company paying for an entry level junior system administrator type role for a fresh college grad with help desk experiences? Here in LA the pay is so low I have been planning to relocating forever...just waiting to graduate and gone...

dave330i

From my experience, if the resume is well written, then the candidate is pretty good as well.

Danielm7

We hired a new security architect a few months ago, the resumes were so-so, but some of the interviews... very bad. One guy was so bad they asked him to leave after 20 minutes, another guy was so obnoxious and demanding I stopped asking him tech questions because it was pointless, he ended the interview by telling us he has a nice home office and expects 5 days a week remote, for a position that doesn't allow that.

So much of it is soft skills and somehow people don't realize that. You may have the best tech skills ever but if no one can get along with you in the interview stage you're never going to get hired.

In the crazy requirements dept, I recently saw a Jr level security analyst position that listed CCNA/CCNP/CCIE, CISSP and MCSE as preferred requirements. I know someone who works at that company, they told me the manager of that dept doesn't have a degree, certs or a strong technical background.

Verities

hellolin wrote: »

Since you guys are here...how much is your company paying for an entry level junior system administrator type role for a fresh college grad with help desk experiences? Here in LA the pay is so low I have been planning to relocating forever...just waiting to graduate and gone...

We don't employ entry level admins, but everyone starts off as a sub contractor before they get hired on as a full time employee. Sub ks usually make $25/hr with no benefits and no paid time off.

networker050184

I've been interviewing and looking over resumes for a few years now and I have to say the resumes suck for the most part. Crazy fonts, italics, irrelevant info like hobbies. Even when I get a nice resume and am excited about the candidate I'm usually disappointed by their actual skill set compared to what they have on paper. I interviewed a guy with CCIE R&S and DC written the other day that could not answer simple CCNA level questions let alone anything remotely complex. People always complain about companies hiring from over seas, but it is extremely difficult to find people with a high level skill set for most companies. Having a degree or certification does not automatically make you qualified like many people seem to think. You have to actually know stuff to you know!

As far as warped HR job postings, every company I have been involved in their process of hiring candidates the hiring manager and engineers write the job description not HR. How is an HR person supposed to be able to write something like that for a technical position? Maybe it's different in other industries though as I've mostly been on the provider side.

devils_haircut

I'm currently working in what would be considered a fairly entry-level role, but I wouldn't say that many of my duties are really Tier 1 stuff. I've been looking to move into a more Tier 2-ish, Jr. Admin/Engineer role, and those jobs are tough to find (making more than $30k per year would be nice).

With that said, I've had the opportunity to sit in on some interviews recently (to fill my current position as I move up), and I was amazed at the poor quality of candidates. It's make me wonder why I have such a hard time finding a better job when we have candidates showing up late (or not at all), or having the title of "Engineer" at their current role when they can't even explain how to map a drive or know what a GPO is. Seriously?

Maybe I just need to work on my resume.

kohr-ah

networker050184 wrote: »

I interviewed a guy with CCIE R&S and DC written the other day that could not answer simple CCNA level questions let alone anything remotely complex.

Haha, I've met a lot of people like that.
Good for them for passing but did they pass and go back to their job and never use any of the skills or something?

Also I've seen some crazy postings and I swear it is just a manager writing the job (you dont have to be technical to be a manager) and copy and pasting based on other postings he has seen.

3 - 5 Years Experience - Relevant Cisco Certifications (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE)
MCSE is required
RHCE a plus
Must know the following languages - Python, Ruby, C++, C, QBasic, Pascal, Cobol
Must be able to time travel at least 3 - 4 years forwards AND backwards

joehalford01

I'm a hiring manager now and I've been through a couple rounds of hiring and interviewing candidates. Some of the resumes I receive are extremely frustrating. They list a Bachelors and some certifications, but the resume is formatted terribly, there are mis-spellings, and it generally looks like it was put together in about five minutes. I just don't get it, your resume is a first impression, if that's the amount of work you're willing to put into your first impression, I don't want you on my team. Come on people!

Verities

kohr-ah wrote: »

Also I've seen some crazy postings and I swear it is just a manager writing the job (you dont have to be technical to be a manager) and copy and pasting based on other postings he has seen.

3 - 5 Years Experience - Relevant Cisco Certifications (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE)
MCSE is required
RHCE a plus
Must know the following languages - Python, Ruby, C++, C, QBasic, Pascal, Cobol
Must be able to time travel at least 3 - 4 years forwards AND backwards

A lot of the system administrator job postings for San Diego look like this. They want you to be proficient in everything.

dou2ble

kohr-ah wrote: »

Must be able to time travel at least 3 - 4 years forwards AND backwards

I'm still working on this. lol! Sometimes I only looked at the first page and 2nd page if you include the cover letter. Right off the bat you'll know if they can communicate effectively, and if they have the desired skillset. Poor grammar, too wordy, and bad spelling got them to the end of the pile. Bad formatting immediately got them to the end...maybe I got back to it and maybe I didn't depending on the cover letter. Where I worked at communicating orally and in email with the client was half the job. I also looked at their current job and what they brought to the table there. Many applicants have the certs, education, etc...but don't do a good job articulating additional benefits they bring with them.

daristotle

When I was doing hiring for basic help desk positions I added a simple instruction to the job postings. Please reply with your resume as a PDF attachment. Applications without a PDF will be disqualified. It was supposed to be a simple test to see if applicants were paying attention and could complete a very simple task. Sadly, most applicants responded with their resumes either in the email body, or as a Word attachment. So my experience with the applicant pool was disappointing. $:\$

edwilliamsky

We just put out a posting a month or so ago through various channels for a mid-level support tech. Without fail, 90%+ of the resume's received were horrible and not worthy of even a phone call. If you can't get the basic formatting of a resume to look professional and consistent, frankly I won't typically even read it, other than a quick skim before it goes into the "hell no" pile. If you send me a Word document and the first thing I notice is 20 red lines under all your mis-spelled words, it goes directly past the "hell no" pile to the trashcan.

I think my favorite one said something along the lines of "I realize I meet none of the requirements you listed, but please give me a chance to learn on the job.".

Also - a tad bit off topic, but do people NOT realize your social media is accessible and easily viewed by prospective employers? Based on the last 50 or so resumes I've reviewed, apparently people do not know this fact.

beads

Usually HR only gives the hiring manager a company template to start from. Its up to that hiring manager to develop the overall job description or "JD". What I suspect is that many hiring managers have been looking down out of there custom built ivory towers so long that they really don't know: What it is they are trying to accomplish or they just copied the last person's qualifications over to the description. Of course the person your replacing started 20 years ago and had been adding certificates and training every year ad nauseum forever or read some marketing garbage from a certification body and through all that into the same salad hoping for miracle results given the budget at hand - usually 30 percent below market.

Yeah, I get as well. What sounds like should be the perfect position, tech toys galore, real need, great budget. Boss sounds like a dream to work for... etc. Then you find out they are demanding a CISSP/CCIE a dozen other certs and a Masters for 90k and a weeks vacation. Woohoo!

Its the pointy haired boss' problem again.

-b/eads

NetworkNewb

edwilliamsky wrote: »

I think my favorite one said something along the lines of "I realize I meet none of the requirements you listed, but please give me a chance to learn on the job.".

Dammit... now I gotta edit my resume again.

d4nz1g

edwilliamsky wrote: »

If you send me a Word document and the first thing I notice is 20 red lines under all your mis-spelled words, it goes directly past the "hell no" pile to the trashcan.

That's why I always send on PDF format

Xavor

Great replies!

So, I'm not even in the hiring chair, but I get passed resumes for other projects on occasion and can't help but wonder how the hell I had such a hard time finding employment in the past (who you know, not what you know obviously).

Bullet points on your resume? Love/Hate? If you look at C-level you'll see generics like:

"Deployed xyz platform saving the company millions"

But for our roles, would you prefer bullet points stating what tech they used? Do you care what the product was, or the how? It's easy for the technical to fill the resume with bullet items because you deal with so much daily and you want to stress your exposure to technology.

Also, for those applying I learned this the hard way. Keep a nicely formatted resume for the interviews and face-to-face meetings, but also maintain a pure text-based resume. Use the latter to apply to those Oracle, and other, web HR systems that you submit to. This is because their system may mangle or misunderstand your submission. A horizontal line in your resume may be read as a page break causing only your header to submit to the reviewer.

networker050184

What I use and prefer to see on a resume is for each job a couple sentences covering the job description. Then use your bullet points for big projects, achievements, technologies you want to highlight etc. I really hate when someone has a bunch of bullet points that are basically a job description. Give me what you've actually done not your job duties according to some HR document.

hellolin

Since there are so many hiring managers on here complaint about resumes, can you guys take a look at mine and tell me will you take me seriously or throw my resume to the bottom of the pile? It is hard to see that so many people actually end up having horrible resumes but I don't think my resumes are being picked up at a steady pace, please comment here, thanks!

Resume_Harvey_Lin.pdf

gespenstern

Resumes that I've seen were okay I guess compared to what ppl are describing here.

There were some issues like writing VMWare instead of VMware, but I guess, I'm too picky here.

zcarenow

Verities wrote: »

When I've reviewed resumes of applicants for my team they usually make my eyes hurt from so much text. When I see lots of text, I assume your long winded and I've been through enough of those interviews to drag and drop your resume into deleted items. Keep is short and simple, don't overload me with things that are not relevant to the position.

Well, some interviewers might disagree and believe less text is not enough and too general.

twodogs62

I've been in hiring manager position and it seems 75% of resumes could be immediately tossed.
Poor formatting and just poor resumes.
Then the other 25% may have additional problems to toss them too.
Some resumes just don't sell the person.

zcarenow

it's true when they say the best way to get a job is knowing someone who is already working in a company to get you in. sending resumes are a like a crapshoot these days in IT

aderon

hellolin wrote: »

Since there are so many hiring managers on here complaint about resumes, can you guys take a look at mine and tell me will you take me seriously or throw my resume to the bottom of the pile? It is hard to see that so many people actually end up having horrible resumes but I don't think my resumes are being picked up at a steady pace, please comment here, thanks!

You might want to wipe that of personal information and repost.

Verities

zcarenow wrote: »

Well, some interviewers might disagree and believe less text is not enough and too general.

I may be a bit biased since I've had to do a lot of presentations (PowerPoint as main tool) in my time, so my experience leads me to using talking points rather than using a wall of text. I feel that the point of a resume is to peak interest. Once you have the interview you can talk about how awesome you are at XYZ and how you've done so well in this and that situation. When people are looking at resumes all day, they don't want to see a wall of text.

W Stewart

edwilliamsky wrote: »

If you send me a Word document and the first thing I notice is 20 red lines under all your mis-spelled words, it goes directly past the "hell no" pile to the trashcan.

IT acronyms can put a lot of red lines on your resume.

dou2ble

aderon wrote: »

You might want to wipe that of personal information and repost.

Maybe even start a new post too.