By Kevin Roth

You receive the resume of a candidate that was originally rejected, but this new version of the resume now looks perfect for the role. Should you engage them?

OF COURSE!

OK, so they went back and got a little help in terms of repositioning their resume to better reflect the position. Is that cheating?

The fact that they were overlooked the first time says more about the flaws in the process than it does the candidate’s aptitude.

Do NOT mis-diagnose the switch in content as some sign that they lack critical thinking or writing skills. The simple fact is that writing a resume is an absolute drain of a process and can be a headache just to get one solid version together, let alone having to rework it for every different position you apply for (albeit still a strategy that I strongly recommend).

If the new resume looks good, get them in the mix! You very well might find yourselves working together in the near future with a great story to share.