Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you’ve probably been riveted by the latest developments in the recent college admission scandal. Dozens of parents have been indicted on fraud charges for allegedly falsifying their kids’ exam scores and athletic prowess.
This story is enthralling, but it’s also a warning. It’s a perfect example of why we need to be careful about how we evaluate a candidate’s educational achievements on a resume. Or any achievements, for that matter.
To help us survive, the human brain creates shortcuts. Many of these are helpful (like not having to remind yourself how to drive a car). Some are not.
So, for example, as people go to college to acquire certain skills, listing the degree on a resume produces a leap of logic. The degree translates to skills. Right?
Sure, in a lot of cases. But as the scandal highlights, things aren’t always so black and white. Someone can say they’re a tennis pro on paper, but if you put them on the court, they might not be as masterful as they made out. And they may graduate with a degree in programming, but if you watch them flex their skills, they may prove less talented than a self-taught candidate.
Like everything on a resume, educational achievements are evidence that candidates may have certain abilities. To know if candidates do possess those skills, you have to devise a fair, consistent way to evaluate them.
That’s what we do at career.place. Our anonymous hiring solution uses psychometric assessments, job scenarios, and other methods to objectively evaluate a candidate's abilities. Resumes don’t even come into the equation until the very end.
Don’t let your brain take a dodgy shortcut. Find the best person for the job with career.place.
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