Resume BINGO

Building the right staff can be one of the most critical and challenging roles of management. It takes time and strategic thought. Updating position descriptions, developing the right advertisement and determining where such ads are best displayed will get the process started. And then come the resumes—many, many resumes. Countless hours can be spent pouring over them and attempting to determine what are the characteristics that might help to differentiate one from another, and which are the most critical to success in the position.

In order to make this process less grueling, former Foundation staff member Carolyn Torgersen found and modified a piece that she referred to as “Resume BINGO.” Envision a BINGO card (a grid of 25 boxes—5 across and 5 down). In place of numbers, the boxes are filled with phrases that you hope not to see in the credentials you review. The more you find, the more likely a set of credentials moves lower in the stack.

I do find Resume BINGO, with my own additional modifications, to be helpful in the initial sort of candidates, and also to be uplifting and comical. While for the most part this focuses on attention to detail and common sense in creating a cover letter and resume (and therefore is not a comprehensive tool for assessing all nature of skills, abilities and experiences), it is a good starting place. Here is my own BINGO card, showing some of the “less desirable” attributes found in cover letters and resumes (and even Facebook) for an administrative role:

Of course, the most critical pieces are still to come; from reviewing all of the critical skills and experiences, to developing the short list of candidates, to interviewing and second interviews, to reference checks and more. But once the hiring, on boarding and training is done, I do look back on Resume BINGO and smile.

And again, this is all just about common sense, and some may or may not really apply. But I am amazed at how many hopefuls violate some of these basic concepts.

I’m LIVING GENEROUSLY today by offering this fun tool to both employers and potential employees: levity for one, and perhaps a final review checklist for the other. And I hope we all find the best fit possible.

Denise K. Spencer
President and CEO