Rework jason fried

Resumes are ridiculous 
 
We all know resumes are a joke. They're exaggerations. They're filled with 
"action verbs" that don't mean anything. They list job titles and responsibilities that are 
vaguely accurate at best. And there's no way to verify most of what's on there. The whole 
thing is a farce. 
 
Worst of all, they're too easy. Anyone can create a decent-enough resume. That's 
why half-assed applicants love them so much. They can shotgun out hundreds at a time to 
potential employers. It's another form of spam. They don't care about landing your job; 
they just care about landing any job.  
 
If someone sends out a resume to three hundred companies, that's a huge red flag 
right there. There's no way that applicant has researched you. There's no way he knows 
what's different about your company. 

---

 
If you hire based on this garbage, you're missing the point of what hiring is about. 
You want a specific candidate who cares specifically about your company, your products, 
your customers, and your job. 
 
So how do you find these candidates? First step: Check the cover letter. In a cover 
letter, you get actual communication instead of a list of skills, verbs, and years of 
irrelevance. There's no way an applicant can churn out hundreds of personalized letters. 
That's why the cover letter is a much better test than a resume. You hear someone's actual 
voice and are able recognize if it's in tune with you and your company. 
 
Trust your gut reaction. If the first paragraph sucks, the second has to work that 
much harder. If there's no hook in the first three, it's unlikely there's a match there. On the 
other hand, if your gut is telling you there's a chance at a real match, then move on to the 
interview stage.