You could set your watch by my neighbor, George. Every night that he's home he takes a walk around the block at exactly nine o'clock.

Not 9:10 or even 9:05, but at 9:00 p.m. sharp. By the time George is passing my house, it's usually about 9:15 (depending on how many other neighbors are out there).

I know this because George owns our town pharmacy so if I have any minor health questions or am wondering which is best for my cold, Claritin or Nyquil, I strategically take my dog, Duffy, outside just in time to catch George for a brief consultation.

So, you can imagine my surprise last Saturday when I was walking Duffy in the afternoon and I ran into George. "George," I exclaimed, "are you going out tonight and getting your exercise early?" "No such luck," he said, "I've gotta give myself a break. I have 75 resumes to read this afternoon and I'm only halfway through. I'm bleary-eyed!"

Here's why:

Our little town is looking for a new police chief. George is on the Search Committee for said spot and before the Monday night Selectmen meeting, he had been given some of the resumes to read and comment on. He had set aside his Saturday afternoon for the task, but it was even more overwhelming than he had imagined it would be.


Hiring Managers Feel Like George

I know lots of hiring managers who feel just like George did last Saturday. They are exhausted reading resumes; people out of a job are responding to ANYTHING that may even remotely be a fit for them. And, while I can assume that George began with a "prequalified" stack of resumes, most hiring managers don't even have that. They are simply awash with candidates. So, what do you do when you have a deluge of responses to your open position?

1. Designate a geographical location for candidates. If you don't plan on relocating the final candidates, there's no point in looking at non-local resumes. Given the deluge, in most cases, there's no need to search beyond your local area to find what you need. So determine a reasonable definition of "local" and toss out anyone who doesn't fit the bill. In my recent experience, this can easily cut your total pile in half.
 
2. Make a list of what experience the candidate MUST have. This list might include minimum amount of years doing a job, any necessary industry expertise and educational qualifications or program certifications needed. For each of your requirements, decide ahead of time what the minimum will be. Now go through the remaining stack and quickly — this is not your final pass — toss out those who don't fit the bill. Here as well, you're likely to cut another half to 75% of the remaining pile.

Michael Katz of Blue Penguin Development, Inc. (e-newsletter guru to the stars) is determined to see that everyone has a stimulus package all their own.

In an effort to encourage us all to do our part in getting this economy out of the doldrums, Michael has created SpendTwentyDollars.com, a grass-roots movement to get everyone to spend $20 on something they ordinarily would not buy (no gas or groceries please!) on the 20th of every month. I'm doing my part and have already posted a comment to the website. Join in the fun and save your country at the same time!