What Doc Managers Look for in a Résumé?

An excerpt from “Managing Writers” blog

Most hiring managers, and I am no exception, take a couple of passes when reviewing résumés. The first pass eliminates people who are clearly not what I am looking for. I try to answer two questions: first, are this person’s qualifications even in the ballpark for the job, and second, can he or she write at least well enough to create a competent résumé? Answering the first of these questions is not hard, but it does require that you understand the job requirements thoroughly and read the résumé closely. The former should be easy, but I have seen cases where a manager hired someone because he or she was a whiz at task A, when skill at task B was what was really required. I suggest that you document the job requirements in writing. Read the résumé closely. A few years ago I needed to hire a tools person. A contract house I had worked with before said they had just the person I needed. I did not have much time, so I just glanced at the résumé before the interview. About five minutes in, the candidate stopped me and said, “Why are you interviewing me for this job, I’m not a tools expert”? The contract house had obviously skimmed her résumé, seen the names of a few tools, and assumed, either honestly or possibly shaving the facts, that I might hire her as a tools person. Fortunately for her, I was also looking for writers, and I was so impressed with her honesty and outspoken manner that I kept interviewing her and ultimately hired her as a writer.

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