HR expert named the reasons for rejecting strong candidates even before the interview

Even extensive professional experience does not guarantee an invitation to an interview if the resume does not meet the requirements of a particular vacancy. The employer may simply not see what task the candidate is capable of solving. HR expert and career consultant Kristina Solovyova told Izvestia about this on July 10.

According to the specialist, a resume should answer the employer's main question from the very first seconds — why this particular candidate should be invited to the next stage of selection. The document should clearly show the applicant's professional role, experience, achievements, logic of career development and compliance with the requirements of the vacancy. If you have to search for this information, even an experienced specialist risks giving in to a more understandable competitor.

"At the first stage, HR specialists and managers do not study the candidate's biography in detail. It is important for them to quickly understand what position a person is applying for, how much his experience corresponds to the vacancy and whether there is a consistent professional path," Solovyova explained.

One of the most common mistakes remains the use of a universal resume. Many applicants send the same document to different positions, from leadership positions to related specialties. As a result, the employer does not understand why this particular candidate is suitable for a particular vacancy.

Solovyova advises to adapt the resume for each position. To do this, it is necessary to carefully study the job description, identify recurring requirements and focus on those competencies and tasks that are important to the employer. At the same time, we are not talking about embellishing the experience, but about the correct placement of accents.

The presentation of professional experience is equally important, the expert added. A simple enumeration of responsibilities, such as "engaged in sales" or "participated in a project," practically does not help to assess the candidate's level. The specific results, the area of responsibility, and the specialist's contribution to achieving the company's goals look much more convincing.

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The same principle applies to career growth. It is important for employers to understand not only the sequence of positions held, but also the reasons for the increase, the complexity of tasks and the expansion of responsibilities. This is what demonstrates the development of a specialist.

The expert also noted that an attractive design does not compensate for the lack of a logical structure. A resume should quickly contain information about experience, skills, achievements, education, and work periods. Spelling mistakes, cumbersome wording, and several-page documents can ruin the impression of even a strong candidate.

Employers pay special attention to frequent job changes, long career breaks, or abrupt changes in the professional field. Such moments are not a reason for automatic rejection, however, if they are not explained in any way, the recruiter inevitably has additional questions.

According to Solovyova, it is not uncommon for a candidate with less well-known experience to gain an advantage over a specialist with a high-profile background precisely because of a clear and structured resume, which clearly describes the tasks, achievements and results of the work.

The potential of the applicant is also indicated by constant professional development: the development of new tools, professional development, expansion of the area of responsibility and training related to career tasks.

CEO of the Job search and Employee Recruitment service GdeRabota.ru Ekaterina Agayeva told on April 7 in which areas there will be a steady demand for specialists in the coming years. According to her, engineering and labor specialties will keep their jobs. There is a shortage of specialists in these areas, and in the coming years, most likely, it will not be possible to overcome the shortage of personnel. Robotics specialists will also be in demand.