Recruiters and the Recruited...Who's Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

If you're an HR professional, a recruiter or a hiring manager in the beverage industry, then you have certainly sifted through thousands of resumes looking for that ONE candidate to fill that ONE spot. Undoubtedly, you take five to ten seconds scanning an applicant's resume to determine their worthiness to receive another five seconds of your time. But, as you scroll through pages of submitted resumes and nothing seems to jump out at you, you wonder how on Earth every single resume can make the same dumb mistakes.

I'm not here to tell you the "five fatal mistakes to resume writing". There are recruiters who claim they have read tens of thousands of resumes in their careers and they've decided to give job seekers advice (sell a program for $49 to $300) that will help them
avoid the most common resume mishaps. Whatever these mistakes are, these guys know how to avoid them. I liken them to the IRS Debt companies on TV; "John L. from Texas owed $149,000 in back taxes but the IRS settled for $457." I can't knock them, though. Something is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay.

If recruiters are tired of reading lame resumes, I bet applicants are equally tired of reading lame job postings. Incomplete job descriptions, over the top qualification requirements, "road warrior" travel status and the ever secret "confidential employer" are trademarks to a position that is more than likely a revolving door for the recruiter than a quality job worth pursuing further by the applicant. The overly-burdensome "Responsibilities" column is often filled with such mundane acts as "talking", "reaching", and "dialing a phone". Do you think you ever weeded out anyone after they've read those job duties? "Oh, dialing a phone. I'm not very good at that. I better pass." And do you think you've covered all your bases in case you get sued by an employee later? I can see it now; "Your Honor, the Plaintiff was told in the job listing the job included breathing and speaking, so we are asking the court to dismiss without prejudice." And the educational requirement is just as laughable. It says right there in the job description the role is "entry-level sales". Of course you'd like a person with a Bachelor's or Master's degree. Why not? But, is it necessary to list that requirement, even though you know the person you hire more than likely wont have that, or need it? Again, did you weed out any non-worthy applicants or did you eliminate potential quality hires?

Spelling errors are probably the most egregious and annoying. Especially when the person reading and critiquing your resume is the same person in charge of posting the job listing. I know, it's very easy to point out someone elses' mistakes while glossing over your own. But, you're asking for someone to bring their "A game" (and Bachelor's degree) and you can't even use the correct form of a verb in explaining the job description. Sometimes a job posting is cut-and-pasted so much for the same position, the mistakes are multiplied two and three times in the same listing. It really leaves the candidate shaking their head knowing someone of lesser attention to detail is deciding their future.

I'm not attacking recruiters here. I'm just tired of reading how there are so many experts out there who can help the job hunter. I guess when the national unemployment rate is above 8.5%, recruiters are holding the cards when it comes to hiring. There is such an unlimited pool of candidates that the recruiters' own inadequacies are hidden under a high volume of endless resumes. If the same standard was applied to their own work that's applied to the scrutinizing of resumes, perhaps the unemployment rate would be a bit higher.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro

Pot, Coke, Pros and Cons. Why New Yorkers Are Left Holding the Dime Bag (all puns intended)

As the writer @DrinkPro, I will talk about pretty much anything beverage related. No matter how minuscule, if it has ANYTHING to do with the beverage industry, I write about it. Which is why I'm writing about marijuana.

When I go to the polling place on election day, I have never voted for someone who said they would legalize pot. Why? Because none of the people I have ever voted for have supported or been against that issue. It doesn't mean I'd vote for them or not. It just means it has never been a campaign platform. So, why does it always seem to come up after an election?

I feel bad for the citizens of New York city that their mayor is spending his time on the clock talking about decriminalizing pot less than 25 grams and criminalizing Coke over 16 oz. I don't think either one of these issues was his platform when he ran for mayor. As for NY Governor Cuomo, in his 41 page One Year Progress Report, he didn't mention pot legalization as a campaign promise kept.

With far more serious issues confronting citizens across the country, why do our elected leaders continually make news worrying about nonsense? I wish politicians had to fill out an Official Agenda form when running for office, and, if elected, they were not allowed to discuss or legislate on official taxpayer time any topics not on the Official Agenda, with the exception of emergency issues, of course. That way, we could keep them on track with what it is they said they would tackle. They would have a list of the top 50 or 100 issues and voters would decide who's list is more worthy of their vote. If elected, and they finish off their list, then give them carte blanche to address any issue they want until the next election, when they formally submit their new Official Agenda.

We have high unemployment and home foreclosure rates across the country. Even while the national unemployment average fell almost 1%, New York state's unemployment went up a half a point. That's a 1.5 point negative swing for New Yorkers.

Nothing good can ever come from this. I know Cuomo and Bloomberg are sure to get a lot of support from pot smokers. And why shouldn't they? If I smoked pot, I'd be happy too. I just wonder how many of those applauding Bloomberg and Cuomo's efforts are out of work and on the brink of losing or have already lost their home. I really worry about our children's future when the grown-ups are consumed with what we consume. All puns intended.

@DrinkPro