Most recruiters agree that screening candidates is very time-consuming. If you really can`t justify using an outside staffing service, here`s some advice on how to climb out of the pile of resumes.
As anyone who has ever run an employment ad knows, screening job applicants can be exasperating
Streamlining the hiring process is difficult; that`s why there are so many companies out there who charge good money to do it for you.
It may seem obvious, but efficient screening starts with specifying clear job requirements. Write the job description carefully and include all the associated duties. Separate the necessary skills from the helpful skills, and the soft (interpersonal) skills from hard (job-related) skills.
If you run a job listing or a take out an ad, make sure the minimum requirements of the job and the salary range are clearly defined. It might also make sense to specify what you don`t want (no one without industry experience, for example.) Ambiguous job postings attract a broad range of candidates, many of whom may or may not be qualified for the job you need done. That may seem like the right tactic, but it actually makes hiring much harder. The reality is, you`ll end up with far fewer qualified applicants than you expect, once you sift through all the untargeted resumes.
Unless you have a highly energetic and diligent receptionist, I would discourage you from taking phone calls. Resumes make a reliable first impression. Pay attention to the condition of the resume itself. Is it dog-eared or riddled with spelling or grammatical errors?
Once you`ve received the bulk of responses (usually within a week or two), separate resumes into stacks: call in for an interview, call for further questions, route within the company for other openings, keep on file, and not for us. Ideally, you want the call-in stack to contain candidates skilled in areas you specified as necessary for the job.
Then you`ll have to get on the phone and start the screening process all over again. Briefly speak to candidates on the phone about their skills and your company before you bring them in. It`s laborious, but worth it. Resist the impulse to immediately schedule interviews with candidates on the A list. Many people look good on paper but make a terrible phone impression. Trust those instincts.
Source:
http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring-interview
As anyone who has ever run an employment ad knows, screening job applicants can be exasperating
Streamlining the hiring process is difficult; that`s why there are so many companies out there who charge good money to do it for you.
It may seem obvious, but efficient screening starts with specifying clear job requirements. Write the job description carefully and include all the associated duties. Separate the necessary skills from the helpful skills, and the soft (interpersonal) skills from hard (job-related) skills.
If you run a job listing or a take out an ad, make sure the minimum requirements of the job and the salary range are clearly defined. It might also make sense to specify what you don`t want (no one without industry experience, for example.) Ambiguous job postings attract a broad range of candidates, many of whom may or may not be qualified for the job you need done. That may seem like the right tactic, but it actually makes hiring much harder. The reality is, you`ll end up with far fewer qualified applicants than you expect, once you sift through all the untargeted resumes.
Unless you have a highly energetic and diligent receptionist, I would discourage you from taking phone calls. Resumes make a reliable first impression. Pay attention to the condition of the resume itself. Is it dog-eared or riddled with spelling or grammatical errors?
Once you`ve received the bulk of responses (usually within a week or two), separate resumes into stacks: call in for an interview, call for further questions, route within the company for other openings, keep on file, and not for us. Ideally, you want the call-in stack to contain candidates skilled in areas you specified as necessary for the job.
Then you`ll have to get on the phone and start the screening process all over again. Briefly speak to candidates on the phone about their skills and your company before you bring them in. It`s laborious, but worth it. Resist the impulse to immediately schedule interviews with candidates on the A list. Many people look good on paper but make a terrible phone impression. Trust those instincts.
Source:
http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring-interview
