As the adage goes, “to catch a thief you must think like a thief.” The same applies to finding resumes in databases.

While thinking about your needs is definitely the right place to begin a resume sourcing campaign, you should translate those needs into “resume speak” to achieve optimal results. Effective resume research in a database requires you to use your command of the English language, your empathetic abilities, your comprehension of industries and professions, and your understanding of the psychology of your target candidate. In short, you need to use every ounce of your experience as a recruiter.

It’s time for some fresh ideas, and below I present three options for you to try today. Let’s pretend that you require someone with a Bachelor of Science degree. You have several options while searching a resume database.

Education Matters

First, you can easily select “Bachelor” from the Education category included in the database search engine. As obvious as this may seem, it is usually the wrong approach.

Education is an optional field in most databases, so a sizable portion of the resumes in a given database have no Education data in the field. If you select “Bachelor” for the Education field, you will miss all those candidates who opted not to complete that field.

Incidentally, passive candidates are the most likely to skip the field, as they are apt to upload their resumes on a whim, “just in case something better is out there.” However, they typically do a haphazard job of it. Candidates who are eager for new employment complete every field diligently. Candidates who are merely curious ignore whole sections of the resume submission process. That tendency yields the somewhat surprising revelation that the best candidates in a resume database may actually be those with the sparsest information in the category fields.

Unique Expressions: From BS to B.Sc and Beyond

Second, you can include the simple search string “bachelor of science” in the keyword field. This will definitely give you candidates who have a Bachelor of Science degree.

That said, the results will only be a sub-set of your target resumes. There are many ways a candidate can choose to express their Bachelor of Science degree. Some elect to write Bachelors of Science, or Bachelor’s of Science, or BS, or B.S., or BSc, or B.Sc., or BSEE (bachelor of electrical engineering), etc. There is a nearly endless variety of options available to the resume writer, and candidates use them all. Apply some demographic knowledge to whittle down the options.

For instance, “B.Sc.” on resumes will be a typical indication of candidates who received degrees many years ago or who received overseas degrees. If that is your target market, then try B.Sc. or BSc to find them.

Complex Logic Nets More Candidates

One last idea is to attempt to create a more complex search string that captures more candidates.

Here is a pretty good string:

((bachelor* AND science) OR bs* OR “b.s.”)

It will probably miss some resumes, but it should catch the bulk of them. Using the asterisk to indicate “wildcard value” and nested parentheses to indicate which terms must be present simultaneously, you account for most of the probable variations. Interpreting this string into written English yields:

• Any variant on “bachelor,” such as “bachelor,” “bachelors,” or “bachelor’s” AND the word “science.”
• Any variant on BS, such as BS, BSEE, BSCS, BSME, BSc, etc.
• The exact term “B.S.”

Apply this logic to all your requirements. Let’s say you are looking for a technology-related Project Manager. While your ideal candidate may be a current Project Manager, they may also be a Business Analyst who managed projects, or a Software Engineer who was given project management responsibilities, or any number of possibilities.

Searching for “project manager” will be severely limiting. Instead, account for what the candidate might write on a resume, and search for something like “managing projects” OR “managed projects” OR “manage projects” OR “project management” OR “project manager.”

After that, take a look at the words and phrases on the resulting resumes to see whether there are other common phrases you can include.

You may be tempted to use the string:

“manage* project*” OR “project* manage*”.

That string will not work properly in CareerBuilder, Monster, or HotJobs. Placing the asterisk within quotations tells the engine to look for the asterisk itself, rather than using the asterisk as a wildcard value. The string will deliver results, but the results will not be what you expected to see.

The key to effective resume searching is a combination of knowing what you want, knowing the operators of a search string, knowing the English language, and knowing the tendencies of the candidates you are seeking. You have to reach beyond the obvious to find your target. You have to “think like a thief” to catch your candidate.

Any hiring manager or recruiter knows that the intent of a resume is to market a specific candidate. Jobseekers sit down and spell out the stories of their careers, doing their best to mold the dry facts into an exciting and positive yarn. You can pick up the resume, read it over, and fairly quickly determine whether the candidate is a good fit for your position.

Within seconds, you can toss the resume on top of the ‘A’ pile, the ‘B’ pile, or the ‘Are You Crazy?’ pile. However, if you stop there, you’ve just thrown away the baby with the bathwater.

Resumes are a unique insight into the world outside of your office walls. They contain far more than just the details of one person’s work history. With just one resume, you can build an entire recruiting campaign. With 10 to 20 resumes, the world is yours.

Passive Candidate Sourcing

Many resumes contain references, complete with names, titles, and contact information. That’s an obvious opportunity for passive candidate sourcing. Just call up the person mentioned and ask if they’re interested in discussing other opportunities. Easy.

To find resumes that have relevant references listed, search for resumes of people who would probably report to your target candidate. Use the phrase (AND reference*) within your search string.

There is another excellent reason to search for resumes of subordinates to your target candidate. Many subordinates want their bosses’ jobs and believe themselves to be qualified for the position, if only the boss would leave the company. It’s often fairly simple to get a subordinate to refer you to their boss, usually with the caveat that you “don’t mention who made the referral.”

Searching for older resumes (more than a year old) of subordinates can be a great way to find individuals who are now qualified for your post. Many candidates use permanent email addresses and/or phone numbers on their resumes, so they can still be contacted. Of course, don’t assume that the candidate is still on the same career path; treat these older resumes as passive possibilities. Also, don’t search for older resumes of qualified candidates, as the candidate has probably progressed in their career beyond any interest in the position you’re currently trying to fill.

Competitive Research

Resumes contain specific job titles. If you search for resumes of your major competitors, finding each probable function within a given department, it’s a simple process to recreate the competitor’s organizational chart from the stated job titles.

Resumes often contain work-related email addresses and phone numbers. This gives you visibility into the email structure of the company (lastname.firstname@, firstinitial.lastname@, firstname-lastname@), which is a highly useful bit of knowledge. Phone numbers can offer similar glimpses into the probable extensions for your targeted employees.

Searching for a candidate with a long history at a given company is an excellent way to determine organizational charts. This is especially useful if you’re trying to fill a mid-level management position. Search for a more senior candidate with longevity at your target company, and you’ll find yourself staring right at the organizational location of your candidate.

Trends among layoffs, downsizing, and “bad” bosses are not difficult to spot from the information contained on a series of resumes from the same employer.

Marketing Effectiveness

If you are analyzing a resume from an applicant to your job posting, you have in your hand the equivalent of a market survey. Consider the following three reasons:

1. If you are receiving more unreasonable candidates than reasonable candidates, your advertising source just isn’t working out. Let me explain why I say unreasonable instead of unqualified. You have to account for career-changers and aspirational applicants. In other words, if a teacher applies for your Presenter post with the explanation that he is comfortable talking in front of large groups, the teacher may be unqualified but is still reasonable. If an entry-level telemarketer applies for your Financial Controller position, that candidate is unreasonable as well as unqualified. If more unreasonable people apply than reasonable people, your job is being exposed to the wrong audience.
2. If you are looking for candidates who need a special degree, certificate, or qualification, and you find that all your applicants lack that requirement, your job ad emphasis needs to be revised. The candidates are reading your ad and believing themselves to be qualified…so they clearly are not seeing or not understanding the prerequisites.
3. If you are not getting any applicants at all but are pretty sure the advertising site is a good one, re-write your advertisement. Remember that you are not writing a job description! Job descriptions are boring, straightforward displays of facts and features, whereas advertisements are emotional appeals to tangible and intangible benefits. Imagine if you were trying to make a purchase decision for a product based on the instruction manual. Job postings that contain only job descriptions are the equivalent.