Screening a resume can be one of the biggest time killers for a recruiter. The initial screening should be a quick process and is not the time to read the entire resume.

Your objective is to check for basic job qualifications so you can pick up the phone to determine one of the following:

Are they a match for the role
Can they refer me to someone who is a good match for the role

When screening a resume, you are looking for a few key aspects to determine if the individual is worth calling such as:

Look for keywords that match the job requirements
Look for any major gaps in employment
Look to see if titles held from job to job are consistent
Ensure the candidate possesses the proper education required for the job

These steps are not necessarily disqualifiers, just areas that may warrant a little more investigation. Once the four steps have been completed you need to ask yourself two important questions:

Is this person a potential match for the job?
If under qualified or overqualified, could this person potentially lead me to someone who would be a good fit for the job?

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