If you are in the mass recruitment HR stint or recruiting for big shot companies, you must have once faced the situation of hundreds and thousands of candidates in front of you. Screening them is a task! Even after you have screened the whole lot into a small group, the process that follows isn’t less challenging. From those few, selecting the best is also a challenge.
The screening process for hiring is widely classified and some are new (like digital screening) to the HR industry. So, there is a need for the HR and recruitment industry to adopt them too. In short, when you get such a task, you are immediately looking for assistance to help you out with it. We have some guiding points for you to follow through on this journey. Below are the steps from start to end of the screening and funneling process.
Resume Screening
Organizations focus a lot on resumes and the candidates know it very well. Thus, they all put more effort into building and making a resume according to the job profile. These resumes prove very helpful when there are tons of applicants and you need some initial bar for them to clear.
Resume screening includes checking the following aspects: Resume Fit (According to the job role), Language, Previous Work Experience, Design of the Resume, Skills of the Candidate. This lets you know the candidate’s apparent suitability for entering the interview process.
Email Cover Letters
You can ask for cover letters along with the CV from the candidate for a better judgment. When you are screening a candidate through their cover letters too, you are having an added advantage. You are checking whether the candidate is thorough with the application and is interested and keen on the job.
While looking at the email cover letters, you are judging the candidate’s organization of thoughts and words, clarity of his mind, sincerity and language application.
Application Tracking Systems (ATS)
When it is too much work in scanning the resumes only, the HR team needs ATS. Applicant Tracking Systems are software, whose input is some keywords that you want in the resume of the desired candidate. It gives an output by processing all the resume and telling you which one will suit your needs.
It is a self-learning tool that works basically on certain algorithms. This can be a major disadvantage too. ATS can reject a deserving candidate simply because he or she didn’t have a set of keywords on the resume. Also, it cannot check the candidate’s skill. It observes the organization, language, keywords and job relatability of the candidate.
Screening Test For Jobs
Tests are the best option to further narrow your funnel when you have completed the resume and cover letter screening. Screening tests for jobs with proctoring services are easily available from online service providers like Questy. This lets the judgment over various areas of knowledge of the candidate easier.
References And Recommendations
This screening is done when you need more insight on the candidate profile. You can reach to the previous employer, colleagues, online portals that offer recommendations and as your previous employees in case they know them.
References and recommendations are subjective but can provide you valuable insight if you are looking
out for various sources and not relying on only one.
Social Network Assessment
When you know social media uses a lot of your data, the candidate’s data too would be on the web floating around. Go check online on various social media profiles of a candidate to get some dirt on them (if any). Though social network assessment is not entirely objective, it is an easy task you shouldn’t forget to add on your checklist.
Trial Projects
If you are confused among the best and are not able to further decide or come to a proper judgment about hiring, then a paid trial project would pave you the right way. You can give a small project to the candidate and they can work from home or office (as per your decision) and prove their respective mettle.
In this way, the candidate’s time is also not wasted and your project would have a new perspective. Of course, the candidate’s availability and your company’s rule book need to be confirmed first.
Telephonic Conversations And Tests
Telephonic tests are of an added advantage when you are in the final stages of recruitment and want to analyze the candidate properly. It gives you a convenient communication medium and a great facility to analyze a candidate’s thoughts and approach. Also, communication skills are tested well. Maintaining a worksheet of qualities and tick marking while conversing is a fast way to do the job.
The only con in this method is that you have to schedule the call and follow up if any changes occur in the schedule.
Video Interviews
Video interviews can be recorded or live. Though it may have the same issue as scheduling phone interviews, it has many added advantages. You can use AI or read yourself the attitude and personality of the candidate.
When you go for recorded video interviews, you are looking at a flexible version of screening. You can watch the recorded videos from candidates at any time and evaluate comfortably with your time and attention.
To Summarize
Be it a small-scale or a large-scale screening process, you have to follow a basic procedure and we have given you the perfect ideas to do so. With the right combination suitable to you, the screening process for hiring is easier.
For an ultimate recruitment process, screening is the soul that drives it. Be precise in your process and you will get the desired hire for the company!
