How to Review Resumes Effectively: A Practical Guide for Hiring Managers

Studies show hiring managers often spend as little as 6–7 seconds scanning a resume. But let’s face it: scanning resumes can feel overwhelming and time consuming, especially when your day is already packed with meetings, team check-ins, and project deadlines. And yet, those early decisions who gets a call and who doesn’t can have a significant impact on the success of your next hire.

In fact, research suggests that in such a short window, it’s easy to miss red flags, overlook strong candidates, or be swayed by formatting over substance. This is why having a consistent, thoughtful, and strategic approach to resume review is so essential. The process shouldn’t be about speed, it should be about accuracy, alignment, and long-term success.

Here’s how to do it right.

Revisit the Role Before You Read

Before you open a single resume, take a moment to revisit the role you're hiring for. It’s tempting to dive in quickly, especially when you’re short on time. But clarity at the beginning saves hours down the line.

Ask yourself: what’s the real need you’re trying to solve with this hire? If the role has existed before, are you simply backfilling the same responsibilities or is there an opportunity to redefine the job based on new priorities or business growth?

Let’s say you’re hiring for a marketing manager. Are you looking for someone to lead strategy, execute campaigns, or build a brand from scratch? What does success look like in the first 3–6 months? Are there skills that are non-negotiable, and others that would be great but not essential?

Being clear on these answers helps you move beyond generic titles and focus on what matters most. Don’t rely solely on a recycled job description, calibrate expectations with your team so everyone agrees on the must-haves. This is the foundation for evaluating resumes fairly and consistently.

Focus on Competencies, Not Job Titles

One of the biggest mistakes hiring managers make is evaluating resumes based on job titles and company names. While those can offer useful context, they often hide more than they reveal.

Instead of asking “Where did they work?”, ask “What did they do?” Look for signs of impact, growth, and adaptability. Someone with a less impressive title might have led a transformation project, while another candidate with a high-profile employer might have had a narrow or administrative role.

Pay close attention to the language candidates use. Do they highlight measurable achievements, such as increasing revenue, improving processes, or launching successful initiatives? These indicators are often better predictors of future performance than surface-level credentials.

It's also important to consider transferable skills. A candidate who’s worked in a different industry may still bring valuable competencies like stakeholder communication, data analysis, or customer insight that apply well to your role. Dismissing them based on industry alone can mean missing out on top talent.

Use Additional Context, but Cautiously

If a resume catches your eye but feels incomplete, it’s okay to dig deeper—but be mindful of how and why you do it. Checking a LinkedIn profile can help you understand career progression or confirm role scope. Portfolios, personal websites, or public presentations can also offer rich insight into a candidate’s work style and output.

That said, don’t over interpret. It’s easy to fall into unconscious bias based on profile pictures, schools attended, or extracurricular details that have little to do with role performance. Focus on relevant, job-related information. When in doubt, consider a short screening call to clarify what’s unclear, rather than make assumptions based on limited data.

Career gaps, frequent job changes, or unconventional paths are not always red flags. They can reflect growth, exploration, or personal life events. What matters is how a candidate talks about those experiences and what they’ve learned along the way.

Consistency is Everything

Resume review is one of the areas where bias can creep in quickly and often without us realizing it. That’s why consistency is key.

Instead of relying on gut feel, use a structured evaluation framework. This might be a simple scoring system where you rate each candidate on key dimensions like technical skills, leadership potential, and communication ability. Whatever method you choose, apply it across every resume to ensure fairness.

It’s also helpful to take notes during the review process. Just jotting down one or two observations per candidate can save time later when you’re deciding who to move forward with. If you’re working with a team, share your shortlist and rationale so that everyone is on the same page before interviews begin.

This structure doesn’t just reduce bias it gives you more confidence in your decisions. You’ll know you’re choosing to interview candidates based on the qualities that actually matter for success in the role.

Make Smart Interview Decisions

Once you've reviewed a batch of resumes, resist the urge to interview “just in case.” If someone doesn’t meet the core requirements, or their experience doesn’t align with the role, it’s okay to say no.

Inviting too many candidates into the interview process can lead to unnecessary delays, decision fatigue, and ultimately, poor hiring outcomes. Instead, focus on those who either meet the essential criteria or show clear potential in areas that matter most.

If there are a few candidates who seem promising but not quite right on paper, consider a short screening call to dig deeper. Sometimes, a 15-minute conversation reveals qualities that a resume can’t fully capture. This is particularly useful for roles where communication, energy, or strategic thinking are essential.

For collaborative decision-making, you can also share your top choices with team members early and ask for input. Having multiple perspectives at this stage helps reduce blind spots and gives you a better sense of team alignment before interviews begin.

Final Thoughts

Reviewing resumes isn’t the flashiest part of hiring, but it might be the most important. The decisions you make during this stage shape everything that follows: who you meet, who you hire, and how quickly your team can move forward.

Done well, resume screening is more than a gatekeeping function it’s a leadership skill. It helps you allocate time wisely, create a stronger candidate experience, and build a team that fits your goals and culture.

And like any leadership skill, it can be learned, improved, and mastered with the right tools.

At Manabu Academy, we help managers sharpen their hiring skills to learn confident decision-making. Our Hiring Masterclass is designed for leaders who want to build better teams, faster and with less guesswork.

👉 Ready to hire smarter? Learn more about the Hiring Masterclass