Binders of Women

Not another post on binders!

Yes, I know. I am seriously late to the party. I’m sorry. But I wanted to tell you that binders are an essential element of corporate America. No joke.

1. Technology is overrated. Binders are used in the recruiting process to organize paper resumes. Yes, in 2012.

2. In fact, I want you to get your paper resume in the hands of a hiring manager. Hiring managers hate reading PDF resumes on a screen. They won’t do it. You get a faster response when recruiters print out a bunch of resumes, stick them in a binder and say, “Read this.” You need to get into that binder.

3. Executive recruiters present their candidates in leather portfolios. That’s a cowhide binder, people. Yes, it’s a waste.

4. Binders are used to keep you to determine whether or not you keep your job. During succession planning events and talent reviews, managers like to print out your resume/CV and performance data and organize those discussions using binders. Really.

I have never had binders of women. I’ve always had binders of resumes. And I’ve never lied about seeking out binders of women when those binders were forced on to me because my recruiting process wasn’t inclusive enough; however, I have used binders like crazy because it makes my life easier. You’ve got your cloud-based tools and your tablet device. I’ve got a three-hole-punch and a penchant for getting organized.

And I really like clipboards.