The psychology of behaviorally-focused résumés on applicant selection: Are your hiring managers really hiring the ‘right’ people for the ‘right’ jobs?

This article examines the explosive growth of competency-based, or behavioral, selection programs within organizations. Recognizing this trend, many job applicants have learned to position themselves for selection by leveraging competency-based selection program concepts and psychological factors that influence résumé screening processes and interview decision outcomes. Specifically, there is a growing trend for job applicants to submit behaviorally-focused résumés—that is, résumés which emphasize behaviors required for success in positions—to gain interviews for job opportunities. These behaviorally-focused résumés may position applicants as the ‘right’ candidates for job opportunities, even if they are not truly the ‘right’ candidates for the jobs they seek. As such, it benefits employers to familiarize their hiring professionals with behaviorally-based résumés and competency program theories. Understanding these concepts and the psychology of behaviorally-focused résumés helps hiring professionals evaluate behaviorally-focused résumés more accurately, and minimizes résumé prescreening and selection mistakes.