Find the one line the client asked for, check whether it is still real, and put it in line one of the submittal with the date and what has happened since. Fifteen-year-old experience is not a problem if the skill is still there and the recruiter says so plainly. It is a problem when it is buried on page two and the client finds it after they have decided the resume does not match.
Resume archaeology
The order says "must have run a food-grade packaging line." The resume is three pages. The first two are logistics and dispatch. On the bottom of page three: "Line lead, packaging, 2009 to 2011."
That is the line. The question is whether the client will find it, and whether it still counts.
Is it still real?
Old experience fades or it does not, depending on the skill. Ask the candidate three things.
- What did you actually do there? A line lead who ran changeovers and sanitation remembers the details. Listen for them.
- Have you used any of it since? Maybe the dispatch job included a packaging site. Maybe they have not touched a line since 2011.
- What has changed? Equipment, safety rules, certifications. A candidate who knows what has changed is one who has kept up.
If the skill is still there, say so. If it is not, this is not the submittal for this order, and the candidate deserves to hear that.
Line one of the submittal
Do not make the client dig. Put the match first, with its date, and what makes it still valid.
"Ran a food-grade packaging line as line lead for two years (2009 to 2011). Since then, twelve years in logistics, including three at a packaging site where he covered line changeovers. Can describe current sanitation rules. Available Monday."
Now the client knows the experience is old, knows why it still counts, and does not have to find it on page three.
When it does not count
Some skills have a shelf life. Certifications expire. Software changes. Safety rules get rewritten. If the client's must-have is "current" and the candidate's experience is not, the honest submittal says so, or does not go. A client who finds out at the interview that "experienced" meant 2009 does not send the next order.
Where M-Tracker fits
The order says what the client needs and the submittal says what the candidate has. M-Tracker reads one against the other before the client sees it and points out, in plain words, when the match is there but buried, or when a must-have is dated and the submittal does not say so. The recruiter moves the line, or makes the call, before it goes.
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Questions people ask
Should I leave old experience off the resume?
It is the candidate's resume, not yours. But the submittal is yours, and it should lead with the match.
How old is too old?
It depends on the skill. Driving a forklift, maybe never. Running a specific software version, a few years. Ask the client if you are unsure.
What if the client's "must-have" is really a nice-to-have?
Ask. "If someone did this fifteen years ago and has been in logistics since, is that a yes or a no?" You will get a clear answer and a better order.
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