How Minimalist Resume Templates Overcome Screening Bias
Discover how minimalist resume designs are breaking through screening bias. Learn how to create a standout resume that captures attention and showcases your skills effectively.
My recent article, “Should You Use Canva for Your Resume?” which discusses using Canva templates for resumes, sparked a passionate debate. Some felt strongly that visual design could unfairly sway hiring decisions away from actual qualifications. Others stood behind the value of visually appealing resumes in making a strong first impression.
Others even consider that article complete BS, claiming that a colorful resume does not affect professionalism and all those tips are ****. Of course, we all have opinions on resume best practices, which is fine.
But when I share career advice in this newsletter or anywhere else, I aim to base my recommendations on data, research, and learnings from my years of experience in the recruiting space.
I strive to avoid conjecture or assumptions without evidence. When I say that Canva resumes might make you appear less professional, it's not just a hunch - I actually have solid data to back it up.
Over the years, I have invested so much time in collecting hard insights on hiring trends - whether by analyzing factors causing high job turnover (in a 10-year study), building my own job search portal to determine the best time to post a job advert, or running small experiments like measuring how long recruiters spend reading resumes.
I also spend a lot of time understanding how recruiters read resumes, what they prefer, and more. That is why I am going to share the results of one of those tests I conducted over the years.
Before I do that, let me quickly address recruiters who are reading this newsletter. If you are a job seeker, you can skip this part. :)
Creating a Culture of Collaboration
The whole point of experiments like the one I am sharing in this newsletter is to go beyond guesswork and uncover real insights into how hiring decisions are made. I genuinely invite my fellow recruiting professionals to do similar tests for themselves instead of just speculating or criticizing others.
If you're a skeptic at heart, why not put that skepticism into action by tweaking the variables and testing assumptions? Design alternative experiments that mirror real hiring scenarios even more closely. Reach out to hundreds of recruiters instead of just a few. Do whatever it takes to challenge the findings you saw on the internet.
Because, in the end, we all share the same noble goal – providing job seekers with the best evidence-based advice possible. These job applicants are making important decisions about how to present themselves, and they deserve facts, not just opinions.
As a recruitment industry, let's create a culture of collaboration and inquiry rather than defensiveness and territoriality. Let's share what we've learned, complement each other's weaknesses, and build a stronger collective knowledge base. It's time to set aside our egos and put the welfare of the candidates front and center.
Sure, the methodologies used so far may have limitations or biases. But progress begins by extending goodwill towards others' efforts, not by outright dismissing inconvenient results. Let's demonstrate the same rigor we demand from job seekers – by backing up bold claims with rigorous analysis. That's how we arrive at practical truths.
If we refuse to learn from one another, how can we claim to guide others? We owe it to candidates to stay curious, humble, and driven by evidence in everything we do.
How Minimalist Resume Templates Overcome Screening Bias
In that spirit, let me share some unconscious biases regarding resumes and resume templates that can unconsciously influence hiring decisions and those connected to design.
The aim is not to condemn or dictate 'right strategies,' but rather to shed light on human factors that subtly shape outcomes, so we all have more agency in the hiring process.
What is hiring bias?
Hiring bias refers to the tendency for recruiters and hiring managers to make snap judgments and assumptions about job candidates that negatively impact the hiring decision. These biases are often unconscious and based on irrelevant criteria rather than the skills, experience, and cultural fit required for the role.
Factors such as a candidate's age, gender, race, appearance, educational background, and even subtle mannerisms can trigger biased assessments. For example, evaluating someone's competence or authority based on the sound of their voice rather than their credentials.
The human brain is wired to take shortcuts and make rapid assessments to efficiently process information. However, this can lead to unfair treatment of qualified candidates. Mitigating hiring bias requires intentional effort to counteract instinctive assumptions, implement structured interviews focused on job relevant criteria, and ensure a diversity of perspectives are involved in hiring decisions.
Resume Design Bias
Graphic elements in resumes can potentially trigger biases, especially if they include photographs or design elements that reveal personal information. One study from Emerald Insight found that initial screening of a job applicant's credentials while viewing the individual's photograph is likely to activate subconscious evaluation bias.
This suggests that graphic resumes might inadvertently highlight personal characteristics that lead to bias.
First Test
In 2020, I conducted several experiments to test whether visual design has an undue influence on resume screening. I created eight pairs of identical resumes (not the ones used as examples) for hypothetical candidates - the only difference was one resume in each pair used a basic template while the other was formatted with more visual flair using a template created in a design app like Canva.
I asked 80 participants, a mix of recruiters and hiring managers, to review each A/B pair and select the candidate they would rather prescreen for a job opening based only on a quick first look. They saw smaller images and didn't have five seconds to make a decision.
My goal was to find out whether strong visual design improperly sways early hiring decisions over relevant skills and experience.
The results showed that simpler, cleaner resumes were preferred by a wide margin. 72% of participants chose the basic templates over the more graphically dynamic Canva-designed type resumes when making their choice.
Key takeaways:
Visual clutter, while aesthetically appealing, may actually distract rather than enhance a resume if taken too far. Simple and skimmable beats flashy.
For early-stage resume review, relevant content is more critical than creative formats to convey qualifications.
Conservative designs allow credentials and accomplishments to shine rather than the design elements competing for attention.
Plain text resumes reduce visual biases, like photo
Hiring managers and recruiters selected a clean template as it helped them to orient themselves more quickly. (Question asked at the end of the test: Why did you make your selections?)
Second Test
The second contact experiment aimed to analyze the impact of resume design on hiring perception. I presented eight groups of resumes, each containing three identical resume templates for hypothetical candidates applying for specific roles.
Resume templates:
A) Simple formatting resume template
B) Small graphic elements resume (Company logos)
C) Canva-style resume template
The credentials, skills, and experience listed were exactly the same. During this test, I showed three resume templates with a job title relevant to those resumes, and I asked these questions below. There were eight groups of resumes connected with specific roles and job titles.
Which resume design do you prefer to see from candidates applying for these roles?
Which resume design appears the most professional?
Each group of resume templates also displays the job title of the role that an example candidate would apply for. The goal was to evaluate whether aesthetic preferences align with assessments of fit and qualifications based solely on appearance cues.
Key takeaways:
Clean, skimmable formatting is favored for roles where attention to detail is valued.
Graphic elements can boost creative roles but hurt traditional ones
The design of your resume could have an impact on how others perceive you.
Third Test
The third test had only six pairs of identical resumes, one just a text and the second one just templates with logos. They only need to select one design.
This experiment was conducted to determine whether resume templates featuring recognizable company logos elicit more favorable reactions compared to identical resumes displaying lesser-known companies.
The first group of resume templates had generic logos and brand names that were not well-known at that time.
The second group of resumes utilized a single template with a simple design that included only text references to the candidate's work history. The second template used the exact same text content but added famous brand logos, such as IBM and Google, alongside the company names.
This preference for major brand logos suggests a few interesting human biases at play. People tend to quickly trust and assign positive traits to things they find familiar or recognizable. Seeing a big brand logo on a resume can elicit a halo effect, causing viewers to think better of the candidate due to assumed associations with that brand. Famous companies also convey a kind of built-in social proof for a candidate's skills and experience.
Of course, things like logos, an orange header, a light gray background or anything else on your resume aren't inherently problematic. The concerns I raised in my previous article were about using too many distracting graphical elements, tables, and text boxes just for aesthetics instead of clear communication of candidates' skills.
I am aware that some people will disagree with the findings from my resume design experiments, but over a decade spent consulting hundreds of job seekers has shown me first-hand how even subtle resume changes can impact outcomes.
For example, simply converting dense paragraphs into scannable bullet points has repeatedly helped more candidates progress to interviews. Why? Because we need to optimize resumes not just for self-expression, but for easing the job of the reviewer on the other end.
Recruiters and hiring managers should be able to easily find the key details that demonstrate you're the perfect fit for the role. That is why resumes aren't art projects where personal flair takes priority.
They serve a practical purpose - highlighting strengths aligned with a target role's top priorities and screening criteria. Balancing aesthetics and messaging is key! The most visually stunning resume on Earth won't help if key details get buried in ostentatious formatting.
Of course, people can disagree on where to draw that line between standing out visually and ensuring skimmability. But the core principle remains - structure your resume first and foremost around the reader's needs rather than just your own creative preferences. Put yourself in their shoes, and you'll discover small tweaks that greatly boost your chances of moving forward.
Readers frequently inquire if getting a premium subscription for this newsletter is worth it, as they are unsure about what lies beyond the paywall. Let me give you a sneak peek, then!
Here's a glimpse of the content you'll typically find behind this newsletter's paywall.
I always encourage my readers to reach out with any questions they may have. Three topics often arise: how to solve age bias, location bias, and whether I should add a profile photo to my resume/LinkedIn.
I'd like to mention these topics in this newsletter edition, as we're already discussing bias. But don't worry, I'll delve deeper into them in one of the upcoming issues.
Location Bias
Location bias in hiring refers to the tendency of employers to favor candidates who live closer to the job location. This bias can inadvertently disadvantage applicants who live farther away, regardless of their qualifications or potential.
Research (conducted by University of Notre Dame) has shown that applicants living at a greater distance from the job are less likely to receive callbacks, a pattern that can perpetuate economic disparities and limit opportunities for those in distant or less affluent areas.
To combat this, employers are encouraged to consider location intelligence and more flexible work options, such as remote work, to broaden their talent pool and promote greater equity in hiring. But as we know, this is not often the case, and companies are moving from remote work opportunities back to a hybrid model.
How to overcome it: Instead of including your complete home address on your resume, only list your city and country/state. Remember, the main focus should be on your skills, experience, and fit for the job, rather than disclosing your exact location unnecessarily early in the job search process.
Overcoming Age Bias in Hiring
Age bias is probably the bias that annoys me the most - it's one that should have been eradicated years ago!
However, it's a real concern, as 38% of hiring managers admit to reviewing resumes with age bias, and more than 4 out of 5 express concerns about employees aged 60+ and under 25. Let me share with you a few basic tips on what you can do with it and if you want to learn more, you can find more tips in this book.
The study 'Implicit Age Cues in Resumes' revealed concerning age discrimination against older applicants during the hiring process. That's the reality for many individuals over 50. Researchers surveyed 610 HR professionals to investigate whether removing obvious age indicators from resumes, like date of birth, improved older candidates' likelihood of being hired. They also explored whether more subtle age cues, like "older-sounding" names or outdated extracurricular activities, impacted hiring decisions.
The experiment found clear evidence of bias - older applicants were disadvantaged based on implicit signals about their age on their resumes.
Another study (Economics Research Centre) showed that a 50-year-old worker was up to three times less likely to get an interview than a 28-year-old applicant.
How Age Can Be Conveyed on a Resume
To combat this documented ageism in hiring, many experts recommend to do this:
Do not add date of birth
Do not add a profile photo to your resume
Omitting graduation years if over 10-15 years ago
Highlighting relevant continuing education
Tailoring listed skills and experience to the role
Extracurricular activities considered outdated
Work experience length that indicates lifecycle stage
By carefully controlling the information they share, candidates can minimize unintentional signaling of their age and ensure that their experience is evaluated objectively.
Profile Photo Bias in Hiring
Regarding profile photos, a new study I read (Look the Part? The Role of Profile Pictures in Online Labor Markets) covered how profile pictures play a role in job searches.
The results showed that "candidates who appear more suitable for a job based on their profile pictures are more likely to be hired."
When I read this study, it brought to mind dozens of recent discussions with job seekers about how their LinkedIn profile photos impacted their job search. Having a photo is also one of the requirements for achieving LinkedIn All-Star status. So, not having it on your profile could impact your visibility on LinkedIn.
Many job seekers I worked with didn't have any profile photo on their LinkedIn profile. Some didn't think it was important, others didn't have time to take one, and some didn't want to pay for professional photography and didn't like using selfies.
I updated their profiles and added their AI-generated LinkedIn photos or photos we selected from the ones they shared with me. Each of them received more connection invitations, messages from recruiters, and significantly more profile visits. Of course, improving the full profile contributed to this success too. Even on profiles where we only added a photo, we observed positive results.
The Power of First Impressions
As we know, first impressions can make a significant difference. That study 'Look the Part? The Role of Profile Pictures in Online Labor Markets' delves into this phenomenon, focusing on the impact of profile pictures on hiring decisions in online freelance markets. Even though this study focused on freelancers, the results are applicable to full-time employees too!
The Impact of "Looking the Part"
The study reveals a striking trend: freelancers who appear more suitable for a job based on their profile pictures are more likely to be hired. This tendency occurs regardless of their actual job performance or qualifications. It suggests that visual cues play a pivotal role in influencing client decisions.
In environments where traditional reputation markers, such as reviews and ratings, fail to effectively differentiate between candidates, the influence of profile pictures becomes even more pronounced. This finding implies that in the absence of clear quality indicators, clients may subconsciously rely on visual impressions to make hiring choices.
The Risk of Unintentional Bias
A critical insight from the research is the risk of unintentional bias introduced by profile pictures. Clients might unknowingly prefer candidates who "look the part", potentially overlooking more qualified individuals who don't fit their visual expectations. This trend underscores the need for a more balanced approach to evaluating freelancers, combining visual impressions with objective performance metrics.
Key Takeaways for Job Seekers
For freelancers on online platforms, this study highlights the importance of a well-chosen profile picture. A visually appealing image that aligns with the perceived requirements of a job can significantly enhance hiring prospects. However, it's crucial to strike a balance, ensuring that the profile picture complements, rather than overshadows, actual skills and experiences.
While a picture is worth a thousand words, in the freelancing world, it might also be worth that crucial job offer. The study urges both freelancers and clients to be aware of the visual biases in hiring decisions and advocates for a more holistic approach to candidate evaluation.
Last Thoughts
It's important to remember that the job search journey is as unique as you are. The challenges of overcoming various biases in hiring, whether they're related to age, location, or even the photo on your LinkedIn profile, are real. But they are not insurmountable.
Your resume and your online presence are more than just pieces of paper or digital profiles; they are dynamic reflections of your professional journey. In a world where first impressions often hold significant weight, crafting these elements with care and strategic thought can set the stage for success.
Embrace the power of knowledge and use the insights shared in this newsletter to your advantage. Whether it's tweaking your resume to sidestep age bias, strategically choosing your LinkedIn photo, or addressing the challenges of location bias, each small step you take is a move toward your goal.
If you are currently looking for a new job, your next big opportunity is just around the corner.
Wishing you all the luck!
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