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

toot.cat

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

#451

Post by imwillofficial »

vanusa wrote: post #450
imwillofficial wrote: post #448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree or disagree, this is great feedback for job seekers. Spelling is often used as a filter. What are some other signals that act as red flags for a potential applicant in your hiring flow?

Well another major turn-off would be: a "primary skills" section that mentions 30 different random applications / protocols that one might have been incidentally exposed to for a week or 2 at some job ... 15 years ago. No one can be expert-level in all of these things. Just tell us the top 3-6 that really matter and which define you . Or even if it's just 1 or 2. It's infinitely better to hire someone who is in fact…

Both great points that can be easy to overlook, especially once one gets into their career a bit.

Know yourself, and know your audience.

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

#452

Post by chiph »

I used to be on the HR-XML standards committee which created XSD schemas for resumes (and other job-related data, like background checks). They seem to have morphed into the HR Open Standards Consortium:

https://www.hropenstandards.org

You must join (via email) in order to have access to the standards. Documentation for implementing the standards is via paid membership.

However, I have never seen a job site that will accept a conforming .XML file as an upload. They all want a .DOCX or .PDF, which they then proceed to mangle.

I can't explain why companies implement (bad) first-tier filtering via software, other than it's likely from their recruiters complaining to their bosses about all the spam and inappropriate candidates they get for openings.

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

#453

Post by chiph »

JMS2021 wrote: post #411

UK here. Recruited lots of people for my company. The technical details are irrelevant. Recruitment agency sends you CV. That CV has all names, address, phone numbers and email addresses removed. This is to stop the recruiter from bypassing the expensive agency and contacting the applicant directly to save agency fees Next, no age or DOB is displayed. That's against the equality act here. Next, the recruitment agency…

The few times I have had this happen to me, I have apologized to the interviewer for it. I knew it made their job harder to figure out what the recruiting firm had done to a relative standard resume layout. I would then hand them a paper copy from my bag that was actually readable. Doing so probably made the recruiting company mad, but if there was such a lack of trust between them about "stealing" candidates, I don't know what I could do to fix that.

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

#454

Post by wruza »

vanusa wrote: post #431
pendar747 wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's "Node.js" with a dot. If you spell it "nodejs", that's a serious red flag and you shouldn't be surprised if it gets you automatically discarded -- even by a human reviewer. Best example of someone I wouldn't want to work for ever

And that's the beauty of it - it's a perfect filter, both ways.

The question is does that really bring something good, either way, or is it just a whim. Some HR check the shape of your ears, and if it doesn't match some patterns, they skip.

perfect filter, both ways

Two ways of three. Some innocent person may accidentally put Node.js in their resume and get hired.

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

#455

Post by wruza »

jeromegv wrote: post #228
notRobot wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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

Bullshit. There are many things person may care about and many things they may not. If this position is unrelated to professional writing, it's just irrelevant. Are you questioning their abstract ability to "care" and trying to translate spelling care to job care? Bad news, it doesn't translate (aside from the fact that ideal perfectionists can't get shit done ever; your best candidate still figures out the ideal form of his resume and is too anxious to click "publish").

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

#456

Post by democracy »

vanusa wrote: post #174
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…

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…

>> It's "Node.js" with a dot. If you spell it "nodejs", that's a serious red flag and you shouldn't be surprised if it gets you automatically discarded -- even by a human reviewer.

Haha and then they scream about labour shortage )

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

#457

Post by democracy »

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…

I am still not sure if it's Javascript or JavaScript after all these years )

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

#458

Post by democracy »

imwillofficial wrote: post #279
monsieurbanana wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Something tells me they could easily focus their attention on something not necessarily related to the most critical parts of the project. They could be very pedantic (and often are) about some irrelevant thing.

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

#459

Post by vanusa »

roydivision wrote: post #335
OtomotO wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no "absolutely perfect", especially in such a subjective topic as résumés. Mine certainly isn't, it's like me. Worked out so far. But then again, I wouldn't want to work for most companies. Pecunia olet!

Neither would I want to work for most companies, but I don’t want my options reduced by making stupid mistakes on my CV.

The things is -- they ding you for a whole range of other things, all the time. Like not working for the right kind of company in your last job, failing their bullshit tests, or heaven forbid, having a "gap" in your resume. As if having a life (or a family member that needs taking care of) is to be seen as thumbing your nose at their sacred cause.

At least fixing stupid mistakes in your resume is well within your control, and (unlike cramming for their tests) doesn't take hours and hours of your time.

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

#460

Post by tomcat27 »

jfengel wrote: post #405
tomcat27 wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that still doesn't really explain why big companies have not initiated a RFC for resume format. they only have to come up with an RFC and just ask everyone to follow. The cost of producing such an RFC is so small. guaranteed reduction in inefficiencies including operational costs. my gut feeling is that 20% improvement could have big butterfly effects.

Because they don't want to commit to it. It would instantly become legacy and an increasing thorn in their sides. That was what I learned in ontologies: there is nothing so well understood and immutable that the business case won't change. It's so much easier to be vague than to be clear. I too was convinced that people would rather have good clean data that they could trust, and it would save them a ton of money in…

very little in resumes format changed in the last 50 years.
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