To some, this objective might seem fairly simple or straightforward, but in reality, a lot of HR professionals and companies lose out, because they’re not really keeping their eyes open and digging thoroughly into a job applicant’s resume. Looking at a person’s potential involves more than just looking at what he or she has done in the past. It takes a kind of predictive mindset — and that’s not always brought to the table during interviews or hiring processes.

So how do you look into your crystal ball and see what this individual may be capable of the future? A few fundamentals can help.

Evaluate Skills Thoroughly

Most companies already do this, but it’s very central to the idea of hiring the best people. Companies should clearly identify what types of skills, software specialties, physical prowess or financial or industry skills may be needed for a particular role. Then, going over the resume carefully, they will look for evidence of the skills or education that support further learning.

Evidence of Initiative

This is something that fewer companies may do when vetting candidate resumes. It involves looking for clues that someone has what it takes to be a self-starter and be creative and proactive in business. To do this, it’s usually necessary to look at the bullet points that describe past jobs. If HR professionals see something like “created or assisted in creating a plan for (XYZ)” — or – “redefined workplace methodology or objectives” or anything that shows the employee worked above their pay grade in planning, that’s solid evidence that this person has more initiative than the average candidate.

Education

There are a lot of people out there decrying the gap between academics and the job world, and saying that education just doesn’t prepare people for the job market. In many cases, this is abundantly true. However, in some cases, education that people have is a foundation to build from. Suppose a candidate has completed a few classes in some technical area that the company is deeply involved in. This signals the ‘green shoots’ of interest and intelligence, and the capability to learn in that area, and it’s something that should be taken into account in closely evaluating resumes.

People Power

Again, this is something that a lot of HR people miss, partly because it’s difficult to quantify, but partly because they just don’t value it enough. A person’s “people power” is based on how they can work in teams and groups, and add to the harmony of the workplace, rather than subtract from it.

Along with technical skills and initiative, this is a big deal because, in the end, a lot of business success relies more on people working together than it does on meeting some kinds of high-minded technological objectives. In other words, a lot of companies aren’t reinventing the wheel, they’re working competitively. So rather than having inventors on your team, you want people who can build a better work environment, and a better corporate culture, to really win out in your field. That is, unless your field is nuclear physics.

For more, check out the Full Steam Staffing blog to understand more about how we assist companies in the Ontario, California area.