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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?

#271

Post by mcenedella »

A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #227
jeroenhd wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Going direct to a hiring manager is always the best route to the job.

Any standardized process will lack fidelity and excellence in specific cases. Or maybe even in all cases, when the company has made the trade off for cost or speed over quality.

But that’s what big company life is like, and that’s why they have standardized processes. Because even with the errors, in aggregate, it works out better for the business.

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

#272

Post by vanusa »

ycombobreaker wrote: post #239
A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Do you really care that you made HR unhappy though? Seems like you shouldn't, the company/team management is probably happy to pursue references over the funnel of random candidates, and the unhappy HR staffer is better off learning from the experience.

Do you really care that you made HR unhappy though?

Fundamentally it does kind of suck to have to put up people in your environment who are "unhappy" with you, or the fact that you snuck in there -- not because you don't belong there, but because of their own basic ignorance as to how things actually work.

Not that you can't grit your teeth and live with it - it's a job after all, and that's what you get paid for. But still, it does kind of suck.

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

#273

Post by dahfizz »

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?

I think it's perfectly reasonable to want to filter out a candidate that can't be bothered to spent 3 minutes and run their resume through a spell checker. It tells you something important about the candidate.

Of course, it is also reasonable to be forgiving on resume errors. It depends on the culture and team you're trying to build.

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

#275

Post by mcenedella »

indymike wrote: post #173
laumars wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately the lack of a standardised format hasn’t stopped technology from being developed which automatically reviews CVs before they hit a human. The tech is already out there. The problem we have currently is that some CVs fail that review because they’re in a format that the tools cannot parse. If you’re CV is strong but you’re seeing fewer responses despite having a prettier CV compared to your peers, then t…

> The problem we have currently is that some CVs fail that review because they’re in a format that the tools cannot parse. My company (we have software for responding to applicants in real time... think apply... instant conversation with a human recruiter) did a study of about 1,200 resumes and found that 14% of resumes had inaccuracies that would cause them to be screened out... and about 9% of resumes were in a unp…

10 - 15% are typically unparsable, typically PDFs encoded as graphics, and to a lesser extent, Linkedin exports.

14% with incomplete information also sounds right.

And I also concur with you on the screening being pretty basic, not ES level of sophistication at all.

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

#276

Post by petarb »

CalRobert wrote: post #22

There is! https://jsonresume.org/ But nobody really uses it for data interchange. I use it to render my resume in new layouts now and then. Although, it does let style dictate content sometimes (some templates force you to have dates down to the day for job start and end dates, etc.)

This is great, thank you for sharing. I love the idea of defining the data once and then having different templates and layouts to choose from. Very CSS Zen Garden.

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

#277

Post by imwillofficial »

Tyr42 wrote: post #231
WalterBright wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Unfortunate time for a typo there ;p

That was a joke

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

#278

Post by imwillofficial »

vanusa wrote: post #244
moralestapia wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nodejs came out on 2009, I've used it non-stop since then and probably built close to 100 things with it. I am on the author's list of both node and v8. I write it as nodejs because that's how I got used to it on the mailing lists and several places that I frequent. If a "team" decides not to hire me because of the latter, then ... thanks, I guess?

I guess I'll backpedal at this point and acknowledge that that "nodejs" may in fact be not only a correct and accepted spelling -- but in fact a hip "in-the-know" spelling -- within a certain community. But at this point we're getting into the territory of what's seen as a positive in some niche communities may not be seen as a positive signal outside that community. And in business communications, what masters most…

Then you being outside the community, have done nothing but filter out the best candidates by focusing on the wrong details under the banner of “attention to detail”

It’s ego.

What is the résumé’s job? To convey experience and work in a positive light. A small typo that may incidentally be the correct spelling shouldn’t derail that if the goal is to hire the most talented people.

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

#279

Post by imwillofficial »

monsieurbanana wrote: post #203
Diti wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perfectionism and pedantism are good qualities some teams are after, it is unsurprising that some people would reject a candidate who did not bother “properly” writing the name of the technology they use.

He was clearly being pedant, not perfectionist. I've never heard of a team looking for pedant people. I'm curious to hear your definition of the word.

Over focus on mind numbing details that don’t appreciably move you closer to your goal.

In some software, say, nuclear warhead tracking software, you want those people.

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

#280

Post by mcenedella »

PeterisP wrote: post #258
Traster wrote: post #51

If you really want a job at my company, and the level at which you decide "this isn't worth my time" is 2 minutes to enter your details then you weren't a good fit in the first place. There are genuine reasons to turn down stupid requests in interview (ridiculous coding tests) but "Re-enter all your details into this form" isn't that hard, and if you really think you want the job then it's a very small price to pay.…

The thing is that it's nowhere close to 2 minutes. Heck, it's optimistic even if you're straight out of college or if you're explicitly asking for just the most recent employment; but if your system is asking for everything and there's a few decades of data to enter in a weird form, you'd be lucky to do it in half an hour.

We’ve found the average time to apply to a corporate job post is 18 minutes.
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