When Rite Route recently posted for an operations job, the response was crazy. Maybe we should have expected it, since asking for people with no experience, no résumé, and not doing a formal interview seems insane.

But we had to do something to break through in today’s hiring environment.

Our approach? Stop hiring résumés and start hiring humans. Real ones who show up, lean in, and give a damn.

Résumé overload

We changed tactics a few years back when we advertised for a dispatcher. Within days, 400 or so résumés hit my inbox. Every one was perfectly formatted and suspiciously polished. Every applicant was apparently a valedictorian, football captain, or president of the euchre club.

It was impossible to tell who was real and who was just good with ChatGPT, telling us what they thought we wanted to hear.

Hire for heart, not history

So, we scrapped the pile and started over. Today, we focus on things AI can’t fake: integrity, reliability, and curiosity.

We aren’t even all that concerned about experience. The fact is, most trucking jobs aren’t rocket science. You can teach dispatch, customer service, or pricing in a few weeks. You can’t teach good judgment. You can’t teach someone to care.

The envelope test

Our process is deliberately uncomfortable. We ask candidates to write a 100-word story on why we should hire them. They have to print it, put it in an envelope, and on the left corner, write a reference number (my childhood phone number). They have to buy a stamp and drop it in the mail.

Most never make it. Some forget the phone number. Others can’t be bothered to find a printer.

Perfect. That’s the point. It’s not about paper or stamps. It’s about actions. Do you care enough to do something mildly inconvenient? Can you follow simple instructions?

No résumé, no interview, no problem

Once we get a submission that feels genuine, we invite the person to hang out. No formal interview. No scripted questions. Just come to the office for a few hours. Meet the team. Watch how we work.

What do we look for?

Curiosity. Do they ask smart questions? Do they listen? The ones who ask about our “secret sauce” instead of vacation days usually make the cut. Hiring this way is a little messier, but it’s real. It’s about chemistry, not credentials.

Recruiting from the inside out

Back in my MSM Transportation days, our best hires came from our circles of family, friends, and customers. People we knew shared our values before ever punching in.

We still start there. Our employees and customers know our culture better than any recruiter. When we do post publicly, it’s to find hidden gems in our community, not to drown in AI résumés.

Referrals and word-of-mouth still beat any job board on earth. Always will.

Building a talent funnel

At Left Lane, the formula’s the same. Actions beat résumés. We hire summer interns. Not to fetch coffee, but to run real projects that move the needle.

We evaluate brain power based on critical thinking and problem solving, not book smarts.

After a few months in the trenches, we know exactly who to keep. The fakers fade fast; the doers rise to the top. It’s a “try before you buy” system that works just as well for dispatchers as it does for analysts.

The myth of the sales superstar

The one role everyone insists needs experience is sales. I call BS. When companies get desperate, they chase the mythical rainmaker – an “all-star” with a supposed gazillion-dollar book of business.

Here’s the truth: real rainmakers don’t leave. They’ve spent years building relationships and won’t walk away. I’d rather groom a hungry rookie than a has-been who’s already peaked.

Experience is overrated. Résumés are AI-generated. Interviews are scripted. Sales saviors don’t save. The only thing left that’s authentic is action.

If someone’s willing to write a letter, buy a stamp, ask a smart question, or simply show up to hang around, they’re telling you everything you need to know. In a copy-paste world, I’ll take effort over a résumé any day.