Recruitment is an interesting beast. We are all after the same thing initially, exposure. Exposure in order to attract the best talent, exposure in order to promote our company, and exposure to portray the right perception of our company as an Employer. We are all in the business of attracting and hiring PEOPLE.

There are multitudes of methods used, and we try to be as personal as we can. We are after talent, people, the greatest asset to our business and the personal touch counts for most of this relationship. We want to talk to them, schmooze them, and convince them that we are right for them and vice versa.

Why then, is it the most simplest piece of this puzzle and process, the least personal of it all. What am I talking about? The humble Resume. Sure we get a name and phone number, but why is that the only thing we get to learn about someone initially? We are to afraid (and more so the candidate) of displaying a DOB, and god forbid a photo should be attached. What benefit could there be in seeing how a person presents themselves? We just want to know that they are degree educated, have done the same job for the last 5 years, and will work for the money that is being offered.

It was pointed out to me this morning, by someone that has never put any thought into this before, that the humble resume is the least personal part of the recruitment cycle, a candidate, an every day person, someone who wants to feel that he is a little more then skills and degrees.

Has the resume got to a point where all we want is skills and education, and the a candidates personality, goals and desires and what makes them tick is left to chance? I may be biased (wait I am a little) but adding a video profile (with the right expectations – read my previous article for more on this) to the mix would at least, from the candidates viewpoint, let them feel as if they are offering more then the skills, responsibilities and academic qualifications that we all put so much weight behind.

Lateral thinking and flexibility seems to have gone out the door. The resume has become black and white (another type of black and white) and the personal touch and feeling has been totally removed. We are hiring people, people with personalities, opinions and style, why don’t we “let them speak for themselves”.