The Questions Are In Your Resume

Categorized | resume tips

Posted on 04 November 2007.

Recently we were down in San Antonio for the American Staffing Association and attended a workshop by a top instructor in the recruitment and staffing industry. He shared a tip with us on how it is possible to coach your interviewer what questions to ask your candidate. Hiring managers make questions based on your resume and of course their requirements. I can confirm this first hand from an HR perspective. Hiring managers and HR professionals often make notes and create job interview questions based on your resume. Here’s a hint: there is often more scribbling on the first page of your resume than on the last. In fact, pay particular attention the first half of the first page.

So how can you use this knowledge to your benefit? Insert something on the top half of your CV. By inserting a paragraph that comes before your resume, you can influence the questions your candidates will be asked. For example, if the intro to your CV reads, “my candidate is a IT Security Professional with 8 years of experience, with good communications skills….” you can be sure that one of the interview questions will relate to your communication skills. An example might be in this case, “tell me about a time when you had to explain the security issue to a non-technical audience“.

So the next time you apply for your dream job, give this technique a try and see what kind of questions you are asked. And before heading into the job interview, ensure to review your resume paying attention to the first half of the first page. Based on the content, develop some job interview questions and practice. You may be surprised at how well this works.

For additional information regarding resume writing or job interview techniques we encourage you to take our e-courses . You may also want to consider seeking job preparation coaching prior to going to the job interview. The courses have been developed from a human resources perspective.