Why I Refuse to Use Resumes and What I Do Instead

For the record, I hate resumes.

There’s something about them that gets under my skin.

My main beef has to do with resume speak, i.e. the language people adopt when writing resumes. What does it all mean anyway?

“Managed company Facebook and Twitter accounts.”

“Served as assistant store manager.”

“Demonstrated ability to work within budget constraints.”

Etc., etc.

It’s all so terse and incomplete. While sorting through the stack of submitted applications, you need someone to translate so you know what you’re reading.

But that’s not the only problem.

Not only are resumes hard to understand, but they’re so easy to lie on. If you don’t believe me, check out these findings from The Society of Human Resource Managers:

A recent survey from The Society of Human Resource Managers reported that 53% of the resumes and job applications that they reviewed contained falsifications, such as misleading statements, fraudulent degrees, altered employment dates, inflated salary claims, inaccurate job descriptions, and falsified references. (source: http://www.cpsa.com/knowledgecentre/SRCArticleRead.aspx?articleID=745)

53% of resumes contained falsifications!!!

That means every other person who submits a resume is lying, exagerating, or misleading you in some way. (This also happens to be easier to do when applicants write in resume speak that’s difficult to interpret.)

And then here’s the kicker: When you submit a resume, you become a number in a stack. Maybe#55, or maybe #95. Whatever it is, you don’t stand out. As soon as you submit a resume, your application looks exactly the same as everyone else’s.

It ends up being a very inefficient way to find a job, and in my opinion, it doesn’t help your case whatsover. Once you submit a resume without any other kind of connection or factor that makes you stand out, you might as well cross your fingers and do a rain dance because chances are you’re going to be overlooked.

So what’s the alternative?

Well, I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve decided on an alternative for myself.

First and foremost, I’ve decided never again to use a resume. It’s a conviction I’ve decided upon and something I plan to follow through with.

Over the past year, three companies have asked for a resume, and all three times, I’ve responded, “Sorry, I don’t use a resume. Do you mind if I submit something else instead?”

The first two times I was turned down. The third time it worked.

I also use this as a test to decide if I want to work for a company. If they’re so big that they must receive a resume, then they’re probably not a good fit for me. I’d rather work with someone smaller and more flexible, something that gets tested when you aren’t willing to turn in a resume. I also intend to work for startups or work for myself the rest of my life and I have a body of work to point to, so this strategy is easier for me to pull off than it will be for some others.

Ok, great, so I don’t use resumes. But what about if I’m going to hire someone? What will I do then?

I’ve decided in this scenario once again not to use resumes, and I haven’t yet asked for a resume when hiring someone. Instead, I ask for their portfolio, and/or I ask for a one-page statement that uses short paragraphs and bullet points about why they’re a good fit for the job and why I should hire them.

Why do I ask for a one-page statement instead of a resume? Because I want to mix things up a bit. I want to find out what makes the candidate stand out for the position, and I also want to see genuine interest in the job being advertised. What I don’t want is someone who’s spraying resumes to every available job opening. That guy’s not going to be a good fit for what I’m doing. But someone who’s willing to write up a half-page or one-page explanation of why he’s a good fit for the job, that’s what I’m looking for.

The other thing I plan to do is use Plum.io to screen candidates. It’s an awesome test companies can use to identify work ethic, pesonality type, and intelligence of job applicants. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: work ethic and intelligence are the top two indications of how successful an employee will be. Not grade point average, degree, or how many clubs they were in during college. Plum.io offers a shortcut to finding the best employees that are applying for a position. If you’re looking to up your talent game, Plum.io is the way to do it. (Full disclosure: I did contract work for Plum about two years ago when they were still known as Cream.hr, but I currently do not receive any kind of compensation from them.)

So there you have it. The reasons I refuse to use a resume, both in searching for a job and in hiring new applicants. I believe resumes are outdated and a huge waste of time and energy. It’s time to mix things up to find job applicants that really are a good fit for a job and aren’t just submitting resumes to every other Monster job board posting. If you’re looking to hire more talented employees that are a better fit for your company, I recommend you ditch resumes and find something else to do instead.