Q: What makes TalentSpring better than legacy resume site?
A: The short answer is the Merit Rank. The longer answer is that recruiters and hiring managers only have so much time to spend looking for the best candidates for their openings. On existing resume sites there is no way for an employer to judge the quality of a candidate without at least skimming a resume. TalentSpring's Merit Rank solves that problem, allowing employers to spend their time looking at high quality candidates that also meet their requirements for such characteristics as ability to travel, willingness to relocate, salary range, work eligibility and more.
Q: How is the Merit Rank calculated?
A: TalentSpring creates accurate merit ranks by using the votes from candidates. Advanced mathematics are used to detect inaccurate votes and remove them while still accurately ranking candidates. The top resume in an industry receives a merit rank of 2,000 and the most entry level candidate receives a merit rank of 1,000.
Q: How does voting work?
A: The voting process used to generate the Merit Rank rankings is very simple. Voters are shown a series of resume pairs. With each pair the voter is asked which of the two candidates is most likely to be brought into an interview for the typical job opening in this job category. It is that simple - is Candidate A or Candidate B better in this job category. There is no worrying about previous pairs or what resumes are going to show up next. Each pair is considered in isolation.
Q: Who is going to be voting on my resume?
A: Who better to know what it takes to do a job than other people doing that job? Your resume is voted on by other people seeking to be ranked in the same category you are. Just as you are voting on other candidates in the same job category you are in. Since TalentSpring offers quite a few job categories to choose from, on occasion you may be voting on (and be voted on by) candidates in related job categories. For example, a C++ programming candidate might end up voting on Java programmers.
Q: How do I know that people are voting accurately?
A: We know when people are voting outside the "normal" range and remove these votes from the ranking calculations. We think that the ability to accurately vote is a skill that recruiters are interested in because it reflects both your understanding of the position you are interested in and your attention to detail. That is why we calculate and post your voting score as part of your Candidate Overview.
Q: What if I don't think my Merit Rank accurately reflects my capabilities?
A: If you don't like your Merit Rank for the category you selected there are several things to check. Did you choose the most appropriate category for your skills? If you did, then you should work on improving your resume. (See next question for some suggestions.) If you chose a category that is a bit of stretch (are you looking for a promotion?) then you should look at candidates that scored higher than you did and re-evaluate your choice.
Q: How does TalentSpring help me improve my resume?
A: Resume writing is hard. You often don't get a lot of relevant feedback from friends. And "sample resumes" are usually unrealistic. As you vote on other resumes, pay attention to what makes you vote for one candidate over another. Is it the way that Candidate A wrote their job descriptions? If so, how can you rewrite your descriptions to more accurately reflect your work experience? Is it the specifics skills that Candidate B lists? If so, do you have those same skills and did you include them on your resume?
Once you receive your Merit Rank, take the time to look at resumes that are ranked higher than yours (if you scored in at the top, it might be time to consider entering your resume in another category that might be more of a challenge for you - or to ask your boss for a raise). Your Merit Rank is a reflection of what your job category peers think of your resume (not what they think of you). By looking at resumes from candidates that have a higher Merit Rank you can see what types of information your peers judge to be most important for that job category. Do you have those experiences and skills? If so, does your resume accurately reflect them?
Q: How can I find the top 10% of resumes in an industry?
A: The scores are evenly distributed, which allows the top percentage of resumes to be identified. For example, resumes between merit rank 2,000 and 1,900 are in the top 10% of their industry.