Resume screening: A policy capturing study of recruiter judgments

Previous research on the practice of rŽsumŽ screening has failed to yield consistent results that generalize to real life recruiting settings. The present study draws from previous research on rŽsumŽ evaluation and identifies the 5 most common variables on rŽsumŽs--Academic Achievement, Extracurricular Activity, Goal Statements, RŽsumŽ Presentation, and Work Experience. The structure comprising each of these 5 important elements was assessed. In this study, real rŽsumŽs submitted for actual entry-level positions posted through a college career center were used to determine which variables recruiters use in judgments of applicant suitability. Policy capturing was used to identify the judgment policies of recruiters, and Academic Achievement was the best and most consistent predictor of applicant suitability. Recruiter awareness of how they make decisions about applicants based on rŽsumŽ evaluation was also assessed and it was determined that recruiters are not good at identifying how they make decisions on rŽsumŽs. Individual differences that may influence judgments of rŽsumŽs were examined, and future directions for both research and practice are presented