Reply #5: the hard part is weeding out 5 good resumes from 100 of them. [View All]

[kodi]

i have interviewed dozens for positions under me. usually i have spoken to them over the phone and already have some sense about them.

normally i go over their cover letter and highlights of their resume, then ask what special skills they believe they have and use in the course of their work.

i review the job opening and its duties, and tell them what a typical day, and week would be for them. so they will have some idea of what is expected.

If they went to a particular college, i ask them about it.

typical questions are what are your strengths and weaknesses, what major successes have you been involved with, where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years.

everyone interviewing should have answers to those questions at their fingertips.

i was taught to examine resumes by my grad adviser. he showed me how he reviewed resumes several times when he was selecting candidates for new faculty members.

we sat at his desk and showed me how he read them. it was about the best thing he taught me that was non-technical.

it was a combination of style, substance, and the story the resume told.

i have sat at my desk with a pile of 50-60 resumes for jobs on several occasions. it is not easy to read them all, but i feel it is important to at least do so. i would hope that if the situation was reversed, i would be shown that courtesy

however, once i was a chemical plant manager and had to hire a factory worker for heavy labor immediately. we lost two of our best guys the day before and the plant was busy as hell. so after interviewing several men during the day, and believing none could do the hard work required, one big fellow walked in, and shook my hand. they were strong and callused, and i thought he was the guy we needed. but, while reviewing his employment application i became curious, and asked him: "in the box where it asked you to give a phone number to call in case of an emergency, why did you write in 911?"

he responded, "i thought it was a trick question."

i hired him, but we always kept an eye on him, and our nickname for him henceforth was "911."