Impressive Resumes: Never Great Predictor of Job Success, Now Increasingly Ignored

 Almost 50% of new hires will fail within 18 months. That proves out the BusinessInsider reporting that  

1) Those gold-plated resumes with Ivy credentials and experience at brandnames were never an accurate predictor of job success

2) Decision-makers about manpower increasingly are ignoring resumes, especially with all the AI-generated slop and 

3) Other front-end screening strategies are being tried out.

The emerging vetting process includes:

Picking up on enthusiasm. You should be excited about the opportunity and be able to cite concrete reasons why. Yes, do your research about the organization and its players. "I want to work at Anthropic because of its AI ethics." "Paul, Weiss is my only real choice because I could contribute to Brad Karp's litigation team." "There's so much experimentation at Panera. Promising for increased traffic are the half-size portions. I have two ideas how to promote those."

Identifying the skills needed for the specific position and if it seems the applicant has hands-on recent experience with those skills. Business happens in the now. A particular task or cluster needs to get done. No longer is the focus on developing talent for the future. CEO succession issues only apply to a very few players. Sure, you could be vetted for those. More likely the demand occurs in a clearly defined sandbox. Keep the know-how up-to-date.

Live-testing, on the spot, of the expertise. That is, the show-us, don't tell us what you have done or could do. When interviewed for a tarot-reading contract position I bring my cards, along with what else goes with the staging. I look for clues what exactly the deciders want demonstrated. It varies from setting to setting. 

Relying on personal referrals. Organizations want to ramp up the odds of the right hire by dealing with the opinions of those whose human-resources judgment they trust. That reinforces the need to network widely. Become a known entity. Make them aware of what you're doing right now.

We coaches learn the most from our clients. They are telling me that they are landing work through bypassing the usual gatekeeping devices. They will contact the deciders directly. If it's a small business - and those are hiring - walk right in in-person. Offer to do a complimentary "sample" assignment. A career-changer from counseling to handyman cruised neighborhoods with older homeowners. They offered to mow that day, "just to help out." The startup grew. 

Success is a mental game. Failure comes from being done in by the “committee” in your head.

Together, we liberate your thinking. Then we change your story. And, unleash success. Meanwhile, we focus on bringing in income. That puts you in a position of strength.

Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, becoming a solopreneur and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). Yes, test out the chemistry. Zero risk.

Don’t give up before the miracle.



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