Seven Deadly Sins - Resume Red Flags To Look For

1. The Job Hopper
Six months at firm ‘A’ followed by nine months at firm ‘B’ and so on, does not install a great deal of confidence in the applicant. Pass them by.

2. In and out of public accounting
Three years in a public accounting firm followed by a year as a cashier at Tim Hortons, and then two years in industry for example, again does not fit with what we are generally looking for, does it? Bye, bye.

3. Lack of promotion
Spending the last eleven years as a senior with firm ‘X’ usually tells us that this person has no prospects of making it any further. If you are just looking for a journeyman senior, and you’re desperate, then, ok, ask them in, but usually these people also end up in the ‘No’ pile, and rightly so.

4. Steps backwards and sideways
This is another red flag to avoid. Don’t buy into stories that there were no opportunities to move up in that firm so they moved to a more junior role elsewhere, taking a step backwards in order to advance later.

In my experience this is a sign that the previous employer didn’t have the heart to fire them, or they moved just before they were going to be let go.

5. Unaccountable gaps in employment history
Usually another red flag to give a wide berth to. If someone cannot account for a continuous period of employment, they were probably let go.

I have seen some good candidates who were let go after sitting the UFE, but these are rare exceptions. If there are periods missing from a resume, they’ve usually got something to hide.

6. ‘Personal differences’ or ‘Personality clash’ given as a reason for a move
Usually a Prima Donna will be waiting for meet you if you ask a candidate in for interview who has stated this as a reason for moving firms.

Unusual to be on a resume, but you might unearth this during the interview. If you do, quickly and politely wind up the meeting to avoid wasting further time.

7. Radical geographic moves
Another indicator that all is not well is if an applicant moves from a position in Quebec to one on Nova Scotia and then another in Ontario. You have a high risk of flight in this person, and it usually does not pay to be the next location on such an erratic resume. The exception might be if the candidate’s spouse or partner or significant ‘other’ – call them what you like – is in a position that could verify and justify this, like the armed forces or a mining company.

You might understand these reasons and invite them in, safe in the knowledge that their partner has now left the armed forces, or you accept that they might only be with you a year or two, following a similar pattern to previous relocations.

Having looked at the seven deadly sins, let’s examine the six desirable aspects of applicants’ resumes that we DO want to see. I call this Resume Six Appeal.

Six Appeal

1. Reasonable periods of continuous employment
Three years with one firm, followed by five at the next, with a valid reason for being interested in a move now, seems reasonable to me, and so it should to you too.

2. Steady growth in responsibilities
Another good sign is the steady growth in responsibilities in these roles. If, like most firms, you seek people who can grow with your firm, then this should definitely be something to look out for.

3. Attained their designation in reasonable time
Assuming that we are looking at qualified staff, then they should have passed the UFE within one or two attempts.

Any more than that (I have seen people fail FIVE times and still not get the message!) then we should start to question whether they have the analytical mind we’re looking for, or if they are able to take in and retain information, or if they are slow starters, great at the practical, not so hot at the theoretical etcetera.

So, if you have an applicant who started as a co-op student with XYZ & Co in 1997, wrote the UFE in 1998 and got their designation in 2000 – when their 30 months time was in – then we’re probably looking at a decent candidate.

4. Readily available references in public accounting
It’s best to do the reference checking early in the process. If a candidate readily makes references available on their resume, they are deadly serious about moving forward and have people who they have worked with/for who will attest to their suitability.

5. Steady growth in experiences
We’re looking for people who can learn new skills, apply them well, and move up in the firm, right? Then we should be looking for evidence of this in their resume.

6. Compatible firms on resume or desirable backgrounds
Knowing your competitors and seeing their strengths, you might have a few firms in mind where you might prefer applicants to come form. We will discuss how you can access these people later on in the book, but having certain firms in mind, and finding them on certain applicants’ resumes, will probably give you some confidence that if you interview them, you’ll be moving in the right direction.

I hope that these pointers will steer you in the right direction when starting a recruiting drive, and looking at resumes, giving you some methodology to help you on your way.