For any kitchen and bath firm, people are the number one asset. That means learning to hire the best, train the best, motivate the best, communicate the best and compensate the best will help you become the best!

Hiring the best people begins with the screening process. Hopefully, when you advertise an open position, you’ll get a number of resumes and job applications. To efficiently screen and assess candidates’ skills and prevent stars from getting lost in the pile of submissions, you must establish a process for evaluating resumes.

The resume remains an essential tool for employers for screening candidates: It should allow you to begin the process of determining if the candidate is a good fit for the position and deciding whether this is someone you will want to interview.

We all know that resumes only tell you what the candidate wants you to know. And, we know that there are professional resume writers out there who are helping folks do their resumes. However, resumes still are one of the main tools to work with.

The visual presentation of the resume is key. Is it clean and concise? Is it organized or sloppy?

When evaluating resumes, look for stability by evaluating how long the candidate has stayed at each job. Three or four years at the same company usually shows stability.

Progress and promotions in previous jobs are also a good sign. Look for words like “led,” “planned,” “coached,” “coordinated,” “collaborated,” “motivated,” “negotiated” and similar action words that might highlight accomplishments.

Of course, just as a resume can show strengths, it can call attention to possible weaknesses.

Here are some resume “red flags” to watch for:

• Typos.
  
• Misspelled words.
  
• Grammatical errors and poor punctuation.
  
• Outdated information.
  
• A non-chronological organization or lack of dates, which could be an attempt to disguise either a history of job
• hopping or a long period of unemployment.
  
• Use of vague titles or descriptions
  
• Irrelevant personal information.
  
• A job history that indicates a lack of progress or promotions.
  
• Frequent job changes.
  
• Missing standard information – such as educational or experience history.

On the other hand, following are some resume hot buttons that will indicate you’re on the right track: