The most of candidates are rejected before interviews

+95% of candidates are rejected before interviews

Here’s a breakdown of where most people get ruled out, in a few seconds

-LinkedIn

Usually the very first thing HMs look at when given a referral, or when searching for talent on their own.

How do candidates present and package themselves to the world?

LinkedIn helps give a good idea of their interests, and many HMs will look for common connections that could be used as a reference.

On average, I’ll eliminate 1-2% of applications here. It’s pretty rare.

-Resume

This is where I’ll spend the bulk of my time, and where I’m assuming you’ve put your best, and most up-to-date effort.

I’ll check your qualifications, and understand what you’re passionate about (motivation is big). The main thing I assess is value…do you look for it, create it, deliver it?

Do you have quantifiable results that proves to me you understand how important this is?

I’ll eliminate 60-70% of applications (that actually make it to me) during this step.

-Submitted Materials

Once I’ve narrowed down the group I’m more interested in

I’ll check for anything else a candidate has submitted: cover letter, design work, portfolio links, GitHub, etc.

I usually do this if I haven’t made up my mind in the first two steps. I believe it’s important to include strong work examples if they can help your case.

You never know if it could be the difference.

Hope this helps!