Hiring must be easy: read through resumes, narrow it down to the best candidates, and pick the best. Easy enough.

Not exactly.

If you have ever hired an individual with an impressive resume who just wasn’t what you expected — or declined an individual whose resume wasn’t the best but excelled at the job — you know the reality:

Fantastic resumes don’t always result in fantastic hires.

Here’s why that is — and what you should do instead.

1. Resumes Only Reveal the Surface

A resume might report the places a person worked, the tools they used, and the outcomes they reported.

But it won’t reveal:

  • How they handle actual problems
  • How they explain things when under pressure
  • If they own up or merely follow orders
  • If they can actually excel in your team’s culture
  • You’re not hiring a paper. You’re hiring a person.

2. Buzzwords ≠ Capability

Resumes are filled with buzzwords such as “results-oriented,” “creative thinker,” or “cross-functional leader.”

The issue?

They’re simple to type and difficult to substantiate.

Without formal interviews and actual work samples, you’re testing narrative, not ability.

3. Not Everybody Has a Personal Branding Staff

Let’s be real: Some applicants have resume coaches, LinkedIn experts, and top-tier templates at their disposal.

Others do not — yet may still be a significantly better candidate.

Over-emphasizing polish on your resume can create stereotyping and overlooked talent.

4. Context Is Important

A person may appear to be a “job jumper” on paper — but perhaps they were laid off twice in a recession.

Another applicant may have worked for the same employer for years — but gained more than someone who changed five times.

Resumes don’t usually tell why. That’s where effective hiring practices come in.

What to Do Instead

Hire based on more than paper impressions. This is what really works:

  • Organize structured interviews – Ask the same job-specific questions to match actual skills, not resume filler.
  • Conduct work samples or projects – Observe candidates thinking, writing, and problem-solving — not merely talking.
  • Score with clarity – Employ a common rubric across the team. Don’t trust gut instinct or “they seem clever.”
  • Go beyond resume filtering – Employ clever shortlisting that screens for role-fit, not keywords. 

How Fomogo Assists

With Fomogo, we’ve created a hiring system that extends beyond the resume.

We assist groups in finding high-fit individuals through actual skills, clever signals, and organized collaboration — so that you hire quickly, and hire correctly. 

Because great hires are not on paper — they’re uncovered through process.