There are three kinds of information the recruiters are trying to get from you.

1. Work & Education History / Certifications / Skills

2. Specific Experiences

3. Interest / Desires

Your resume will provide the "high-line" facts, such as where you went to school and what you've done, and for whom. All this really does however is tell the recruiter if you *seem* to have the requisite skills and background to be considered further. Remember, the resume is used to screen you out, not in.

Thus, unless you have all the requisite, preferred facts on your resume, i.e. the right school, the right experience, or the right GPA, don't depend on your resume to get you any further in the process. Rather, focus on your company research, and concentrate on knowing why you are "S.P.E.C.I.A.L."

Once you get an interview, the recruiter will want to know what's behind your resume. Or, more simply stated, they want to know why you are you; what makes you special. Finally, recruiters are also most interested in knowing what motivates you for a particular job.

Why Behaviors?

In the Finance world, it is said that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. In the work world, the converse is that past behavior is a clear, definitive predictor of future performance. Generally stated, a person is, as a person does. What you do defines who you are. The recruiter is going to ask you specific questions to find out how you behaved in the past in order to predict how you will perform in the future.

For example, consider a candidate that has an exceptional education history; having gone to the right school and graduating with honors. The recruiter will ask the candidate to describe what he did and how he did it, to get such good grades. Imagine what would happen to that candidate's chances for a job if he explained that he hardly studied. What would be the reaction if the candidate said further that his major wasn't that hard and that he knew exactly what professors to take or not to take? Clearly, this would be a candidate that looks great on paper, but is a terrible prospect for an entry level, college grad position.

On the other side, imagine a candidate that went to a small, regional school and the only job experience on their resume is their summer job at the cucumber processing plant. Imagine that this candidate merely explains during an interview, which she secured through a series of informational interviews that began with the aunt of her college roommate, that she "assisted the manager" while she was out unexpectedly due to her child's illness.

Using the BSM, the interviewer may probe more closely and ask her to explain more fully what she meant, i.e. what actions did she do. Upon doing so, the interviewer finds out that she scheduled part-time workers, balanced the ledger, and resolved conflict between two workers. The interviewer continues to probe for the results, i.e. what happened due to the direct result of your actions. The interviewer then discovers that she was recommended for a promotion to shift supervisor.

Now, all of a sudden, the interviewer is paying absolutely zero attention to her resume and the gaps that she may have. At this point the focus is completely on her and what she's achieved and mostly, how she achieved it. Her ability to perform by using the right behaviors is essential and has set her apart as a special candidate. Clearly, she is worthy of moving to the next round and meeting the hiring managers and potential peers.

The BSM teaches recruiters to gather examples of behaviors to derive the data to predict a candidate's likely performance in the role utilizing the various aspects, i.e. dimensions, required for success, as in the acronym S.P.E.C.I.A.L. If, for instance, a recruiter wanted to gather behavior examples of how the candidate persevered, they would seek examples of utilizing that dimension. They'd want to see examples of overcoming obstacles, pushing forward even though it would be so much easier to quit.

BSM is very effective simply because it uncovers the truth about who a candidate really is.