This Company Says Resumes Aren’t as Useful as We Think

Last month’s employment report showed a gain of 217,000 positions, but job seekers are still likely to find a highly-competitive labor market as hiring prospects remain drab.

But Joanna Weidenmiller puts the blame on the country’s hiring system. So she launched a business she claims fixes it.

Weidenmiller, the CEO and co-founder of The One-Page Company, says companies need to find ways to engage job candidates beyond their resumes.

“Resumes only tell the past of a person, which is never enough to predict future performances,” she says. “They also can’t tell who the candidates really are, and what they are capable of.”

The Silicon Valley-based company’s 1-Page platform allows employers to have candidates compete for jobs by solving problems in real time that are specific to the job they want.

For example, a company in California has applicants for a sales director position solve the following challenge:

“We are looking to expand into the education sector with force in 2014, and needs to create $2.5 million in sales in 2014. Your challenge is to suggest an idea that reflects your experience and your ability to execute that idea.”

The company launched in 2011, and has worked with more than 20 large multi-national corporations with more than 10,000-plus employees, as well as other businesses with between 500 and 5,000 workers, according to Weidenmiller.

“The result is a win-win for employers and candidates,” Weidenmiller says. “Companies get unique data they have never had before—predictive data for enhanced decision making on talent. Candidates have the chance to pitch their value beyond their past accomplishments.”

Last year, Weindemiller says 1-Page found that 6.8 billion resumes were sent to five million companies, adding that big companies like Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) are getting 70,000 resumes a week. Candidates know their odds are slim, so they apply to as many companies as they can in hopes of increasing their chances of landing an in-person interview.

“To manage this kind of traffic of applications, companies are equipped with resume-processing programs that look for key words and most of the time; they reject resumes only because of the format.”

Roy Cohen, career counselor and author of “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide,” says the process is similar to an “in-basket,” an exercise challenge that used to part of the interview process.

“Technology makes this process efficient, and any process that offers additional insight into how a candidate will perform is worth every penny,” Cohen says.

He agrees that the online application system doesn’t provide a real way for candidates to stand out.“Individuals should know it’s to their benefit to participate in a challenge like this,” Cohen says.

Companies that use 1-Page challenge candidates with real-time problems, and applicants that are really motivated will accept the challenge, Weindemiller says. Candidates can be sourced from LinkedIn (NASDAQ:LKND), internal referrals and more.

“They will do their homework and prove their value with unique ideas and solutions that the companies will never find on a resume,” she says. “Those who were not motivated in the first place will soon drop out and focus on the company they really want to work for.”

Aside from the skills gap that Weidenmiller says is hurting the job market, she adds understanding and engaging the Millennial workforce is also a big hurdle for employers.

She says her 1-Page platform helps better attract younger workers because they are a “social generation.”

“Millennials are soon to be 50% of the workforce in the U.S.,” she says. “1-Page engages Millennials by asking their ideas and how they will solve companies’ problems, having the chance to design their next job based on what they propose. Suddenly candidates have the power, as they really are those with the value that companies are looking to acquire.”