The Passion of the Resume

"One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested."—E. M. Forster


Aristotle once said that, "All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire"; and it is those whose actions are driven by passion, that reach the unreachable and create the unimaginable. It is their passion for what they do, to succeed, to be the best, and to never give up on themselves that allows them to persevere regardless of adversity. But it is only when we understand what passion is and can identify that quality within us that we can begin our search for those candidates that posses it.

Passion is what drives us to be the best, it is what makes us challenge ourselves and forces us to take the next step in our lives. How do you know if you are passionate about what you do? Take a look at what you do and see if every day you push yourself just a little more, if every day you do something that makes you just a little better, and if every day you go above what is expected of you; not out of fear but out of pride and a sense of fulfillment. Take my HR Manager (Miguel Arguelles) for instance-- he was the first student in his high school to get accepted into Harvard having come from Cuba only a few years prior, was promoted to his position of HR Manager at the age of 22 and within his first year of being fully employed here at Inktel Direct, and has made many drastic changes in our company which helped us win the "Best Company to Work for" Award in 2008. A person with this type of passion is what we all need to be looking for with every hire. By learning how we can identify passionate candidates before they even walk through our doors, we can start improving the quality of our placements.

Identify passion in a resume
As the Corporate Recruiter that is responsible for staffing all exempt and non-exempt positions for our three locations , I receive hundreds of resumes per week and have undoubtedly developed my talent for spotting passion in them. Although a resume is a very limited representation of the candidate, most of the time it is a very accurate representation. So, when reading a resume be sure that you pay attention to everything from the email address to the layout; the content that the candidate displays on their resume tells you more than just their work history. With that in mind, here are a few of the things you can look for when in search of "Passion" in a resume:
1) They are member of industry related groups and associations- This shows that the candidate takes initiative and an interest in staying up to date with what's going on in their industry. Use this as an opportunity to further explore their reason for choosing to join that particular association/group and also make sure that they joined on their own and not because it was required or because their last employer gave them a free membership. You may also want to make sure that they play an active role, just because you are a member doesn't mean that you necessarily attend the meetings and events.
2) They list extracurricular activities pertaining to their field- People who love what they do usually spend a lot of time at work--so for someone taking the little bit of spare time that they have and using it to take part in extracurricular activities such as networking events, seminars, and gatherings is someone who is not only passionate but dedicated as well. But again, just like #1; you want to make sure that it was not mandated. Find out why they chose those activities and how often they do it.
3) Show continuous growth in the employment history- Again, passion is what drives us to be the best at what we do and someone who is passionate about what they do will undoubtedly continue to grow and excel in their careers. But make sure that the growth shown in the resume makes sense and it wasn't a matter of them just being at the right place at the right time or that the growth wasn't based on length of time at the employer. Keep in mind that different companies promote based on different merits.
4) List accomplishments instead of duties under each employer- This to me is the simplest of all signs to look for. A passionate person is obviously driven to continuously go above and beyond of what's required of them and therefore have probably accomplished a lot throughout their careers and what better opportunity for them to showcase those accomplishments than in their resume. Use the accomplishments that they list to prepare you for the next step in the process, whether it be a phone screen or an interview. Asking questions and breaking down their accomplishments to the smallest fact will allow you to trim all of the fat in the resume and get to the core of how passionate they truly are and how much they really have accomplished.

5) Have a consistent work history- I have come across so many people that have been in the call center industry for so many years, but not because they love it or they are passionate about it but simply because that's all they can ever find or its where they are the most comfortable. So, when you are revising the consistency of the work history make sure you keep #3 (show continuous growth) and #4 (list accomplishments instead of duties) in mind. The combination of those three qualities will assure that you find someone who loves what they do and are passionate about their career.
6) Clear and specific objective of the career they are pursuing on their resume- This is directly related to #5 (have a consistent work history) and pretty much ever other factor on this list. The objective shows us that the candidate knows what they are looking for and why they are looking for it. Even though someone has been in the same industry or field for a long time, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is what they are pursuing, what they are good at, or what they are passionate about. So be sure that their objective is a clear reflection of their accomplishments, work history, and most of the content on their resume.

7)Little to no gaps of employment- We have all come across those candidates that have a great resume, great education, and great companies that they have worked with; but then comes the much dreaded and mysterious employment gap. This should not necessarily disqualify a candidate but a lot of the times it is a red flag for you to be aware of when proceeding. Be sure to fully investigate any gaps of employment, this is where a lot of the times candidates truly show whether they love what they do or not. People who have been successful and have excelled in their career, don't just "take a break" they want to instead do everything possible to keep moving up and continue to grow.
8) Layout and Resume Format- This is basically resume reading 101. A lot of us seem to forget that it is not only the content of the resume that's important, but also the way that it is presented. One of the questions I love to ask candidates is "How much time did you spend on your resume?", it almost seems like a trick question but all I am doing is making sure that it was them that prepared their own resume, and that they didn't just put it together in 3o minutes-- like I've heard many times. My resume for example, has been a work in progress for the last 8 years and it is something that I continuously revise and update; as we continue to grow and develop, our resumes should reflect the same. So pay attention to the fonts used, spelling and grammatical errors, layout, colors (if any), uniformity of font sizes, verbiage, and the layout they choose (an executive's resume should not look like a high school resume).

As helpful as these tools may be, keep in mind to apply these tools within the context of the individual you are pursuing, since one size does not fit all. Using these tools is not going to guarantee you the perfect candidate but it will help you distinguish those that are passionate and teach you not to settle for any less. Take it upon yourself to decide what passionate means for you. Remember that finding passion in a candidate does not stop at the screening of a resume. It continues on to the interview process and even after they are hired. But it is the development of being able to identify this trait, starting at the screening of a resume that can make you a better recruiter and assure a more solid placement.