All employers have had the experience of posting a new job and receiving unqualified resumes in response. So how can you possibly review these resumes and find just the cream of the crop to consider for the next steps? There are a few resume tips and tricks that can help you drill down to the most important information.

Here are the 5 ways you can spot a qualified candidate.

Experience

The first step is to look at the experience. Skim the resume to see if the candidate has the kind of experience you’re looking for in the job. For example, if you need someone with accounting experience, skim their job titles to see if they’ve held accounting-related jobs.

Once you see that, you can drill down to their other experience, skills, and more.

Education

While education isn’t the be-all and end-all of a person’s life experience, it does tell you a lot about a candidate. Do they have certifications or training that might be a good fit for the job? Did they go to college or graduate school? If they didn’t, it’s not a deal-breaker, but it gives you a bigger picture of who they are as a candidate.

Skills and Accomplishments

Resumes in the past were really just a laundry list of skills people brought to the table. But things have changed and job seekers need to set themselves apart from the crowd. They do this by including their skill sets in the form of accomplishments. This shows employers, rather than just telling them, how they’ve used their skills successfully in past jobs.

Personality Traits

People are coached not to include a lot of personal information on a resume, but that doesn’t mean you can tell a lot from the way a resume is written. Do they use overly formal language? Is it formatted in a fun or different way? These can give you an idea of the kind of person they are. They may also have a few related tidbits of information such as relevant hobbies or organizations they belong to.

Core Values

Again, a resume isn’t going to spell out core values for you but they can give you a hint. For example, look at the way they describe their accomplishments. Are they focusing on procedure or outcome? This can give you a hint about how they value these things in their own career.

Do you want to find the best local candidates for your open positions? The Nextaff Temporary Agency in Pittsburgh can help with long and short-term placements.