Did you know the first resume was written by Leonardo DaVinci? Until the 1950′s, resumes weren’t required to get a job. Until the 1970′s, they were handwritten.

Maybe it’s time we got rid of resumes again….

Resumes Become an Institution

1930 - Resumes were just formalities. Most wrote them on scraps of paper over lunch with employers.

1940 - Resumes are like Facebook profiles. They include weight, age, height, marital status and religion.

1950 - Resumes are no longer just formalities, they are now expected.

Source: Business Insider

I’ve been a big fan of job-based tests as part of the selection process.

Want to hire a marketing director? Give them a fake product or client, some constraints, and lock them in a room for an hour to see how they work. I think it’s a better way to gauge someone’s actual experience than how well they interview.

But there’s a giant, gaping hole in this idea.

You automatically screen out people who haven’t done something before, but could learn quickly and be amazing at it. People who are passionate and eager and brilliant, but just need a little training and guidance.

Any ideas on how to successfully balance passion and experience?

Mark, the world’s worst recruiter…

(Hat tip to Mandy from Designs on Talent. Email subscribers click through.)

I think world-class recruiting is really about three things:

1. Building a pipeline of qualified talent before you need to hire someone.
2. Accurate, valid selection criteria.
3. A fantastic candidate experience.

Those three things are the real game-changers. Everything else is just fluff.

Keep reading…

Renegade HR is a simple approach to HR: Recruit great people, and help them do amazing things that drive your business.

Here’s how to start practicing Renegade HR at your organization today.

Keep reading…

I have a guest post up on Know HR this morning – Seven things marketing can teach you about HR. Here’s a quick teaser:

1. It’s a lot easier to market a great product. Rather than pushing a crappy HR program on people, make the program so awesome, so helpful to people, that they not only want to use it – they even tell a friend!

Check out the other six (and subscribe, if you’re not already) at KnowHR. Special thanks to Frank Roche for letting me post on his site!

I always encourage recruiters to think of job postings as a marketing tool instead of just a list of duties and job requirements. One thing I’d love to see are video job postings, featuring conversations with the recruiter, hiring manager, and maybe some of the coworkers. This could be a great way to connect with the candidate and build an employer brand.