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Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

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Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#221

Post by WalterBright »

moralestapia wrote: post #91
jeroenhd wrote: post #42

In my opinion, there shouldn't be. Documents like these shouldn't be automatically processed, they should be reviewed by humans. Reducing someone's life history to a list of educational institutions and employers feels robotic even for a software developer's mindset. I understand that there are real life problems because companies do use automated processing on applications, but that kind of behaviour shouldn't be en…

>Documents like these shouldn't be automatically processed, they should be reviewed by humans. That's very nice to think about but in the real world if people don't match some exact keywords they get thrown away. HR is looking for "node.js" but you wrote it like "nodejs"? Though luck pal, bye. HR wants a "computer scientist" but you have a degree in "computer science"? Same, automatically discarded. If anything, a st…

I asked a tech recruiter once how long he looked at a resume before deciding to trash it or file it. He said 2 seconds.

He said he looked at about 1000 resumes a week. After a while, you can tell in 2 seconds if it is worth pursuing or not.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#223

Post by WalterBright »

kortilla wrote: post #183
vanusa wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's very nice to think about but in the real world if people don't match some exact keywords they get thrown away. This isn't the "real world" you're referring to here -- it's the fin-de-big-tech bubble world where everyone and their dog is not only sold, smack-down drunk on the idea that Algorithms and Data are the Solution to Your Problems. They aren't of course -- it's just a giant hornswoggle. This "world" nee…

> That's what resumes used to be, after all -- a kind of a take-home test where you really do have enough time (and perfect knowledge) to get everything 100 percent right. The only thing this filters for is people who have been looking for a job for a long time and/or are people focused on presentation instead of content, good luck with that. We’ve hired incredible engineers across that have had typos and major resum…

Being sloppy writing code, though, can be disastrous.

I know I've rejected resumes for tech writing positions that contained spelling errors. I would hope a tech writer would at least use a spell chekker.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#224

Post by jenscow »

notRobot wrote: post #215
irrational wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. We typically receive hundreds of resumes for every position. The easiest way to winnow them down is to throw out any with spelling or grammar errors. It is astonishing how high a percentage include these errors. There is absolutely no excuse to have spelling and grammar errors in your resume if you are serious about trying to find work.

Some people aren't native speakers. Do they really need to know how to spell perfectly to work for you?

Knowing what the red wriggly lines mean is a start.

From my experience, however, it's the native English speakers who spel the worse.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#225

Post by celdon25 »

Something tells me that solving this would not help the OP's chances of landing a job.

* "Why do people like JSON so much?"

* No work history on LinkedIn except a > "This got posted to Hacker News. I'm tempted to create an account and join the discussion, but I'm holding off for now because I've already got plenty of time-eating social venues to post on."

So, never heard of HN before, then deciding that despite being unemployed and spending too much time on social media already, those other sites are still a more important use of time?

> I've decided it's my job to whine, complain, and refuse to eat my vegetables until the employers start fixing the whole job-hunting process, because it really sucks.

Maybe the problem lies with the OP's value metrics

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#226

Post by WalterBright »

notRobot wrote: post #215
irrational wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. We typically receive hundreds of resumes for every position. The easiest way to winnow them down is to throw out any with spelling or grammar errors. It is astonishing how high a percentage include these errors. There is absolutely no excuse to have spelling and grammar errors in your resume if you are serious about trying to find work.

Some people aren't native speakers. Do they really need to know how to spell perfectly to work for you?

That's why gawd invented spell checkers.

Besides, I've noticed that ESL speakers make different kinds of mistakes than sloppy native speakers do.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#227

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 »

jeroenhd wrote: post #113
moralestapia wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Documents like these shouldn't be automatically processed, they should be reviewed by humans. That's very nice to think about but in the real world if people don't match some exact keywords they get thrown away. HR is looking for "node.js" but you wrote it like "nodejs"? Though luck pal, bye. HR wants a "computer scientist" but you have a degree in "computer science"? Same, automatically discarded. If anything, a st…

I'm not sure if I'd mind that. If HR is made up of robots that stupid, that sounds like a terrible company to work for. A standard format wouldn't solve the problems you described. There's no comprehensive list of frameworks and programming languages, let alone for types of experience outside computer science. The data would be structured, but HR would still throw out the bits of data that need to be filled in manual…

It varies. There is a reason there is some level dislike for HR cohorts. Keyword bingo is one of those things.

Minor anecdote incoming. I applied to a company A. It was a fit. I think I used the right keywords. Zero response. I talked with my buddy there. She talked with hiring manager. I got hired by company A. I later found out HR was unhappy, because it undermined their 'process' - such as it is.

There just has to be a better way to do this when compared to things as they are now.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#228

Post by jeromegv »

notRobot wrote: post #215
irrational wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. We typically receive hundreds of resumes for every position. The easiest way to winnow them down is to throw out any with spelling or grammar errors. It is astonishing how high a percentage include these errors. There is absolutely no excuse to have spelling and grammar errors in your resume if you are serious about trying to find work.

Some people aren't native speakers. Do they really need to know how to spell perfectly to work for you?

FYI Not an English native speaker

It’s a document sent to tons of people. Revised by tons of hiring managers. Can’t you spend 5 minute looking at a dictionary? If you cant be bothered to spend 5 minutes researching this for an important document, what makes me think that you will spend 5 minutes trying to be good at your job. Lack of care on your resume is lack of care on lots of other things.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#229

Post by WalterBright »

a9h74j wrote: post #164
democracy wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a good advice but probably for the top X percent in their industry who have a luxury to choose their employer - not everyone is in this position.

Indeed, I first heard this advice in the form: Don't submit a resume until you are sure you have the job.

I remember the HR chief of [famous company] complaining to me that she'd already been ordered to offer me a job, and needed a resume to check her bureaucratic boxen.

Re: Why isn't there a universal data format for résumés?

#230

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 »

jeroenhd wrote: post #42

In my opinion, there shouldn't be. Documents like these shouldn't be automatically processed, they should be reviewed by humans. Reducing someone's life history to a list of educational institutions and employers feels robotic even for a software developer's mindset. I understand that there are real life problems because companies do use automated processing on applications, but that kind of behaviour shouldn't be en…

Knowing life, the end result would be multiple competing standards and weird clans would form along with studies proving that, statistically speaking, standard X people are different from standard Z people.

Edit: Humans are weird. I guess current ecosystem is not as bad as it could be ( even though it does suck ).

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