When resumes are reviewed do the people deciding their fate see the candidate at face value or do they see what they expect to see based on personal preconceptions and the image presented by the resume itself.
Over the years I’ve observed that decision makers see only what they want to see and this is why, in my opinion, you have lesser qualified candidates chosen over more qualified ones on a daily basis.
How can this be? Here is an example that can help you understand why reality is not always viewed the same way under the same set of circumstances.
John Brady is a chef and prepares the exact same meal in his French Bistro and his Diner in West Hampton NY. In the bistro in July he serves a Monday supper special of Vichyssoise, Coq au vin with haricot vert, Mesclun & tomate salad and a glass of Alsace Pinot Blanc for $39.95. In his Diner, the Monday blue-plate special is chilled potato leek soup, chicken with mushrooms in wine sauce with a side order of green beans, lettuce & tomato salad and a glass of white wine for $19.95. Remember these are the exact same meals. Same chef, the exact same ingredients and preparation with the exact same utensils used in both kitchens.
However, and not surprising, the sales and customer perceptions of the meal differ drastically in each eatery.
On Monday you need reservations to get into the bistro and John serves 40+ specials while in his Diner he’s lucky to sell 8 Monday specials.
When asked why they chose this meal, bistro patrons said they were looking forward to enjoying a fine French culinary experience, plus they mentioned that the ambiance, plating and the buzz about John and his bistro certainly influenced their decision to dine there as well.
On the other hand, when asked why they passed on this meal customers at the Diner said that all they saw was overpriced cold soup, a salad, and a chicken entree with only one side dish and a glass of wine, therefore other sides on the menu held greater appeal for them.
The bottom line was the meal's ppresentation and perception made a $40 meal look like a worthwhile bargain for the bistro customer while the exact same meal for $20 less at the Diner was perceived as overpriced and lacking in value.
Similar preconceived notions and misconceptions also apply in how your resume is looked at and how people judge your value; and most often the reality of how good you are has nnothing to do with whether people choose your or pass on you.
I think that most employers, especially when looking to hire personnel in the $50k-$250k brackets, tend to judge a person’s value in their resume with the desire to hire a candidate who resembles the meal at the French Bistro.
They are swayed more by the perception of value in what they perceive to see than in what may actually exist, and they can be won over by precisely targeted messages and visual appeal that enriches and enhances the value of what is being sold. They have a clear perception of exactly what and who they want to hire, and of what the more valuable employee will look like on paper. The problem is most people who write a resume fail to understand this. They’re of the opinion that no matter how you present the truth people will see it and judge you accordingly. They fail to understand The Power of Expectations and why the mind gets what it expects.
Resume writers, amateur and professional, need to understand that people will assume the meal in the bistro to be a better value than the meal in the Diner when in actuality they are 100% the same. They need to understand how to market the resume as much as how to write it and how to make the candidate come across as being perhaps a bit more expensive than the other candidate’s but still a bargain in comparison.
If you’re not sure if your resume achieves this or what you can do to accomplish this you can email me your resume for a free critique at perry@perrynewman.com
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