On the Other Side of the Résumé

Just a few months ago, I was hard at work perfecting my résumé, researching for job fairs, and practicing for interviews. I was a set-to-graduate college senior with no plans ahead of me. I read guides on résumé-crafting, I compared with friends’ templates, and did my very best to make that document as clean, professional, and impressive as possible.

And now I’m on the other side of the résumé.

My name is Todd, and I judge résumés.

Sure, I’m still in the training process and I’ve got a whole bunch of side projects, but my current day-in-day-out is résumés. Reading, scanning, analyzing, judging. I used to be a nervous aimless applicant, and now I play the part of the first sentinel on the road to being hired. That average 10-30 seconds a recruiter looks at a résumé before deciding to pass or pursue? Those seconds add up to make my day. Too many spelling or grammar mistakes? No thanks. Too far from the job site? Next. Wrong past job titles? Pass. Not enough experience with a skillset? Moving on.

It’s quite the change in perspective, but what can I do but try to make the best of it? If I’m going to do it, I might as well do my best to do it well. So review I do. Eventually, the absurdity will surely wear off. But until then, I’m working hard to let myself get more comfortable doing this job, a job that has to be done. My reassurance comes from knowing that, for those people whose résumés just might be good enough, I’m the first step on the way to employment. And what could make you feel better than getting someone hired?