Your job ads are running and the applications are flowing in. The idea of finding the right candidate amongst a pile of CVs and cover letters can seem overwhelming.
Luckily, if you do these next crucial steps correctly, you’ll find narrowing down the candidate pool isn’t quite as difficult or stressful as it first appears.
The first thing you must do is create a fast, logical way to screen applications. You want to ensure you waste as little time as possible reading resumes from unsuitable candidates. A great way to achieve this is with a simple checklist of essential and desirable characteristics. If a CV doesn’t list a must-have item, move on. If all the desirable factors are met, shortlist them for the preliminary interviews.
You may also want to add a scoring system based on how polished their applications are – this is a particularly good idea if the role requires strong writing skills or high attention to detail. For any candidates you’re on the fence about, create a ‘maybe’ list to review once you know how many definite ‘yes’ candidates you have.
Whether you print a physical checklist or prefer to track things in a spreadsheet, this approach keeps things fair and objective.
There are three main ways you can choose to conduct your first round of interviews:
Remote video interviews are ideal for this phase of the recruitment funnel. It’s fast and simple, and it mitigates common real-time interview headaches (scheduling hassles, no-shows, and so on).
The key to successful interviewing is preparation and planning – under no circumstances should you run ‘unstructured interviews’. The relaxed, informal chat approach to interviews has been shown by numerous reliable and validated studies to be one of the least helpful tools for understanding whether a candidate would do well in a prospective role.
Structured interviews, on the other hand, work well for both parties. Following a consistent format means less room for bias, and having a clear direction with your questions can avoid any uncomfortable pauses in conversation. When it comes to choosing the actual questions, focus on two primary objectives:
You’ve narrowed down your candidate pool to just the frontrunners and now you’re ready to meet them in person. As with the previous interviews, preparation is key. Work out what questions you’ll ask to delve deeper into each candidate’s suitability.
A face-to-face interview is also the ideal opportunity to ask for a work sample. What this entails specifically will depend on the industry or role, but it’s great to get a look at what each applicant is capable of producing. As the hiring manager, you may not have specific knowledge of what makes a work sample good or bad, so don’t hesitate to consult with an expert in your business if necessary.
If you conduct a remote psychometric assessment prior to the interviews, even better! You can analyse their results for any improvement areas and discuss with them how they would strive to overcome them if they get the job. This is a great way to get a feel for how good they are at problem solving and how open they are to developing themselves professionally.
In Part 3, you’ll learn about transitioning your chosen person from candidate to satisfied staff member, from checking their references to on-boarding them into the team.
Revelian is an Australian-owned specialist in cutting-edge psychometric assessments to enable employers to make better people decisions. We give our clients unique, data-driven insight into human behaviour at work.
