Now that the season for 2010 predictions is over, I want to follow-up the The Resume Inflation Index post. Let it be known that job descriptions are the leading cause of this inflation.

What is resume inflation? It is the act of bolstering credentials of a job seeker by adding lies and exaggerations to a resume. While it may be hard to believe that 50% of resumes are exaggerated, it can be understood given the challenge to “stand out” by every person in the recruitment industry.

Where does resume inflation start? It is in the act of tailoring the resume to fit the job description. How many times have job seekers been told make adjustments to their resumes to reflect a better fit to the job description? Thus the perversion begins.

While job seekers that make such creative adjustments are in the wrong, hiring managers would do well to understand what they have wrought through onerous job descriptions. These documents rarely reflect the reality for what is actually required of the job at that time, meaning the skills needed to perform tasks that meet specific objectives. What we have are recycled high-level descriptions, reflecting what management thinks, written by committee and eventually handed down to a recruiter without any additional insight.

The end result is a bloated description that must be deciphered to understand what is actually required. The best recruiters can intuit this, but most job seekers have no chance, therefore resulting in resume inflation.

My solution: dump job descriptions. Let’s stop this job description calamity. Instead, let’s get really specific about what we need in positions, ask people in those positions already what they do, and make sure these requirements serve some purpose i.e. support key tasks and fulfill specific goals.

Yes, this takes time and it makes the job seeker’s life tougher. However, it accomplishes two things; it removes much of the incentive to inflate a resume and it results in a much better pool of candidates that actually can do the work required.