Focusing on the resume, let's look at the different signs that can tell us whether the person should go in the yes, no, or maybe pile. But, before we start looking at the resume, it is essential to note that, important as this step is, it should not be time consuming. It is also important to differentiate between screening a resume to decide whether the candidate at hand is worth interviewing or not, and studying the resume to decide on what questions to ask that person.  

Statistics show that the average time spent looking over a resume the first time round is less than 10 seconds! But are these 10 seconds enough to determine anything? By all means. There are several things to consider when looking at a resume for the first time. To save time you have to be experienced at reviewing resumes. Even if you are not, practice makes perfect. To make resume review time efficient try to review all these things in one review. Remember, if a candidate passes this first review, you can review it again at a later time. This first review is a filter for your potential candidate's to be divided into these three piles. 

When we look at a resume for the first time, the first thing we notice is its general layout - Is it organized? Is it comfortable to the eye? While these two items may seem superficial for some, in reality, they say a lot about the candidate at hand. How much effort is put into the grooming of the resume is an indication of the person's seriousness and general attitude. Look for neatness and logical organization of the sections in a resume. Does the candidate observe consistency in the choice of fonts throughout the resume? Are all the bulleted points the same? If the position you are recruiting for requires attention to detail, then these little things can come in quite handy in the initial screening process. Needless to say, they will never be sufficient to disqualify a person, but they can easily add or subtract points in this person's credit. You also need to pick out any spelling mistakes, which are an obvious sign of carelessness. 

Starting with the first item - the identification data - name, and contact information. This information should be very clear. Does the candidate list an email address? If yes, then s/he is up-to-date. The next thing you should see is the career objective, which is very important. Is it there in the first place? Does it sound too generic? Are there too many options "marketing or sales or finance?" If the objective contains a number of fields, how related or different are they? This is a clear indication of how focused the candidate is on a particular career. Of course, the more experienced the candidate the more focused and specific the objective should be. As you read on, keep the objective in the back of your head, and try and decide whether the body of the resume supports it or not. 

Moving on to the body of the resume, quickly scan a candidate's education (fresh graduate) or work experience, and look for major, field of study, academic institution, and grades. Look at the consistency - does the candidate always start with the name of the school/university or the degree, or does he mix and match, depending on what he wants to highlight? If the person has listed some of the coursework s/he has done, quickly scan to see whether it is in keeping with the objective or not. If the objective says "finance" then the candidate should be aware enough to highlight courses in that field, rather than start with marketing courses. The more experienced a candidate is, the less important the education becomes (unless the position requires a graduate degree), and your focus will automatically shift to their work experience. Notice whether s/he starts with the job title once, and the company another time. The candidate has to be selective enough to choose the one system that will suit him throughout. Also look at the content of these items. Does the work experience section read like a job description that could be applicable to anyone doing this job? That's a big no! Of course, in this first quick screening, all you need is to quickly scan the action verbs used to describe the different things the person has done, but the variety and creativity in selecting these words is another telling sign. Does the person use "participate" every time he/she wants to say he/she did something; is "responsible for" the opening phrase for the majority of the items in the work experience section? You should be looking for your industry's buzzwords, the key words that are an indication that the person is in tune with the field he is working in/seeking to enter. 

Being that you have specified certain requirements for a job vacancy, while going through the resume, you should be checking to see if a resume has the qualifications you require. But be careful not to be hasty. Some resumes may not contain the exact requirements that you had set but may still fit the job. For example, you are looking to recruit a marketing officer and require that this candidate have two years experience in marketing and a degree in business or mass communication. Upon looking through some resumes, you find a candidate that has a degree in psychology and three years of marketing experience. Is this candidate worth considering? Probably. This candidate may be placed in the maybe pile for now. 

At the end of this task you should have screened your stack of resumes and decided who is worth an interview and who is getting a "thanks, but no thanks" letter. You will also probably have a maybe pile- people you don't feel comfortable excluding right away, but who don't make the grade right away. People in this pile are usually either qualified to an extent, but their resume is a mess, in terms of overall organization, spelling mistakes, or qualified, but their career objective is not in line with the position they have applied to. In such a situation, sound judgement is the decisive factor, and there is no rule to determine what you should do with them. You will need to weigh the odds and decide whether these negatives are strong enough to disqualify a candidate from the running.