With a little preparation and a discerning eye, you can reduce the time you spend scanning resumes and ensure you schedule interviews only with the most qualified applicants. Consider the following tips.

Define Requirements
Have a detailed job description on hand before you begin. It should focus on skills and expertise that will truly impact job performance. Requirements such as industry background, software knowledge and years of experience should all be included. As you sort resumes, the job description will help you narrow the field.

Review Styles
Resumes typically fall into two categories, chronological or functional, and it's important to know what to look for in each type. The classic resume is organized chronologically, with most recent work experience and job responsibilities listed first. An alternative is the functional resume, wherein information is organized according to individual skills, with experience and abilities most relevant to a given position listed first.

When reviewing a chronological resume, pay close attention to dates of employment and gaps in work history. For example, a resume that states a position was held in "1996" does not clearly indicate the length of employment. The job could have lasted from one day to 12 months.

With functional resumes, be on guard for vague job descriptions or failure to list actual positions held. This can indicate that the job seeker hasn't acquired significant work experience.

Read Between the Lines
A resume should be well written and free of any typos, misspellings and grammatical errors. Candidates who take the time to produce a clean and professional resume demonstrate attention to detail and a desire to make a favorable impression.

Also be wary of phrases such as "exposure to," "familiar with" and other qualifiers. These often indicate the candidate lacks hands-on experience. And read each entry from the bottom up; job candidates frequently list their least flattering information last.

Follow Up with Phone Calls
Even after carefully reviewing resumes, you may still have doubts about which candidates are suitable for in-person interviews. Consider conducting a brief telephone interview to narrow the field. This additional step can save you valuable time. An unproductive phone interview may take five minutes but an unnecessary formal interview could cost an hour or more of your day.

Skillfully reviewing resumes requires a thoughtful yet flexible approach. With a little practice, you can read resumes for what they say — and do not say — about job candidates, which in turn will help you make a more effective decision.

For a look at the lighter side of resumes, visit www.resumania.com, a web site devoted to Resumania^®, the term coined by our company to describe inadvertent resume bloopers. Examples come from businesses worldwide and are used to emphasize the need for careful resume evaluation.