Posted on 09/30/2024 4:45:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A former Google employee sprinkled his CV with absurd claims to check how many red flags recruiters ignore as long as a candidate has worked for a prestigious company. New York-based Jerry Lee conducted this social experiment of sorts to figure out how far his Google credentials would carry him in his job search.
Hidden in his largely straightforward resume, Lee added outlandish ‘achievements’ like “expert in Mia Khalifa” and “set the fraternity record for most vodka shots in one night.” He then sent the CV out to recruiters and waited.
What he found
Lee, who spent three years at Google as Strategy and Operations Manager, conducted the social experiment to see how many recruiters actually go through CVs with a fine comb.
What he found has surprised the internet. Despite adding nonsensical and even X-rated ‘achievements’ on his resume – like being an expert in former porn star Mia Khalifa -- Lee managed to get 29 interview calls over the course of six weeks.
Major companies like MongoDB and Robinhood asked Lee to appear for an interview, he claimed in an Instagram video where he documented his experiment and its results.
What he learned
In his Instagram post, Lee shared three things he learned from his experiment. The founder of career consulting firm Wonsulting explained the importance of a clear and concise resume.
“Focus on strong bullet points, clear job titles, and the impact you've made,” he advised job-seekers. “Periods and font sizes are fine details, but it's the big stuff that gets you noticed.”
Next, he spoke about the importance of highlighting achievements. “Big names catch eyes, but don't sweat it if you haven't worked at a 'big name'—just make sure your achievements pop with quantifiable results. It's about the skills you bring to the table, not just where you polished them,” Lee wrote in his Instagram post.
Finally, he asked job-seekers to keep their CVs simple and use a structured template. “Recruiters love them because they can spot the info they need at a glance,” he revealed.
I learn something new everyday.
Today I learned that Mia Khalifa is a a former porn star.
>> expert in Mia Khalifa
Not the artform I first thought
My ex-wife was an expert in Spin Deen Do.
?
I never heard of her, so I did a duck duck search. Playboy fired her for supporting the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel.
Mia is a former adult entertainer, if you know what I mean.
It sounds like he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth. The first bit implies the recruiters aren’t reading the resumes (I didn’t know who Mia Khalifa was), then he turns around and says that they are reading the resumes.
Recruiters ARE reading the big points located with key words. “Expert” doesn’t hit. The words that follow it might.
“Savings” “Increase”, things like that might hit and attract attention to the quantities and context.
Some years ago the resume I posted on my personal website scored a hit for a recruiter seeking skills in “Business Process Reengineering”. He then read through the various projects I had done in that space.
It sounds like in his case the only thing they read was “Google.” If you want to call that reading a resume, be my guest.
Spending Dough
1. “expert IN Mia Khalifa”
2. “expert ON Mia Khalifa”
I thought most experts were experts ON a subject, not IN a subject. Maybe his expertise “IN” is what got him noticed. The male hiring managers were looking for a first-hand, hands-on report.
Publicity stunt to create leads for his company. If you read the job boards, many interviews are for ghost jobs, bait and switch, etc. It’s tough out there.
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