Screening potential employees can be difficult, but these five tips—reviewing resumes, checking online profiles, conducting phone and in-person interviews, and using psychological testing—can help employers choose the best candidate.
Yes, doing well at a job interview is hard. That’s a given. But screening potential employees is also quite a challenge. It is very hard to judge whether a candidate is the best person for the position, and to some degree, a company’s success can be determined by how good the recruiting officer is. If you have been tasked with screening potential employees, here are some tips to help you out:
1. Review the resumes thoroughly. Before going through resumes, create a profile of the type of employee you would like to hire. What educational background and training should the candidate have? What previous job experience and acquired skills are needed for the position you want to fill? Also, write down a list of keywords and skills you are looking for in an employee. Once you have created this profile, you will have a sound framework against which to compare the resumes you will read.
You should also check each resume for how long the applicant tends to stay with an organization and whether there are significant employment gaps in their career history. You may want to ask about these points during the actual job interview.
Make sure you conduct background checks to confirm that the information on the applicants’ resumes is factual.
2. Look up the applicant’s name on the Internet. This is a safeguard that helps you learn whether the applicant has any unsavory history. Any blogs or social networking pages that surface can give you clues about the type of person the applicant is.
3. Hold a telephone interview. For a first screening, you could conduct a telephone interview to make the most of both your time and the applicant’s time. Ask basic questions such as why they applied for the position, what skills qualify them for the job, and what they could contribute to the company.
4. Hold a one-on-one interview. After the telephone interview, schedule a one-on-one interview for those who passed. This is the time to ask more in-depth questions that allow the candidate to demonstrate their skills and know-how. You might ask behavioral or “what-if” questions to learn about their characteristics as an employee and their ability to make sound, ethical decisions.
If writing skills are important for the position the candidate hopes to fill, you could give timed writing assessments to help demonstrate the candidate’s writing abilities. Again, it is important to identify the specific skill sets you are looking for and design tests that can measure the candidate’s skill level.
Another aspect to watch for is the candidate’s nonverbal communication during the interview. Does the applicant appear honest and open, or shifty and suspicious? Remember, it is very important for your company to hire someone trustworthy, and the nonverbal cues each applicant displays will speak volumes about this matter.
5. Conduct psychological testing. Psychological testing during the job application process is sometimes viewed unfavorably because it can be an unfair and discriminatory testing practice. However, more and more companies are turning back to psychological testing for potential employees, since it is one of the most reliable indicators of an employee’s performance. Check the regulations in your area for conducting these types of pre-employment tests.
There you have it! These are just some of the ways to screen potential employees. Though choosing the best employee for the job may be challenging, be encouraged by the fact that there are many tools available to make your job easier. Good luck, and I hope this helps!
Screen Potential Employees
Screening potential employees can be difficult, but these five tips—reviewing resumes, checking online profiles, conducting phone and in-person interviews, and using psychological testing—can help employers choose the best candidate.
Yes, doing well at a job interview is hard. That’s a given. But screening potential employees is also quite a challenge. It is very hard to judge whether a candidate is the best person for the position, and to some degree, a company’s success can be determined by how good the recruiting officer is. If you have been tasked with screening potential employees, here are some tips to help you out:
1. Review the resumes thoroughly. Before going through resumes, create a profile of the type of employee you would like to hire. What educational background and training should the candidate have? What previous job experience and acquired skills are needed for the position you want to fill? Also, write down a list of keywords and skills you are looking for in an employee. Once you have created this profile, you will have a sound framework against which to compare the resumes you will read.
You should also check each resume for how long the applicant tends to stay with an organization and whether there are significant employment gaps in their career history. You may want to ask about these points during the actual job interview.
Make sure you conduct background checks to confirm that the information on the applicants’ resumes is factual.
2. Look up the applicant’s name on the Internet. This is a safeguard that helps you learn whether the applicant has any unsavory history. Any blogs or social networking pages that surface can give you clues about the type of person the applicant is.
3. Hold a telephone interview. For a first screening, you could conduct a telephone interview to make the most of both your time and the applicant’s time. Ask basic questions such as why they applied for the position, what skills qualify them for the job, and what they could contribute to the company.
4. Hold a one-on-one interview. After the telephone interview, schedule a one-on-one interview for those who passed. This is the time to ask more in-depth questions that allow the candidate to demonstrate their skills and know-how. You might ask behavioral or “what-if” questions to learn about their characteristics as an employee and their ability to make sound, ethical decisions.
If writing skills are important for the position the candidate hopes to fill, you could give timed writing assessments to help demonstrate the candidate’s writing abilities. Again, it is important to identify the specific skill sets you are looking for and design tests that can measure the candidate’s skill level.
Another aspect to watch for is the candidate’s nonverbal communication during the interview. Does the applicant appear honest and open, or shifty and suspicious? Remember, it is very important for your company to hire someone trustworthy, and the nonverbal cues each applicant displays will speak volumes about this matter.
5. Conduct psychological testing. Psychological testing during the job application process is sometimes viewed unfavorably because it can be an unfair and discriminatory testing practice. However, more and more companies are turning back to psychological testing for potential employees, since it is one of the most reliable indicators of an employee’s performance. Check the regulations in your area for conducting these types of pre-employment tests.
There you have it! These are just some of the ways to screen potential employees. Though choosing the best employee for the job may be challenging, be encouraged by the fact that there are many tools available to make your job easier. Good luck, and I hope this helps!
Screen Potential Employees
By Howtodotips
Screening potential employees can be difficult, but these five tips—reviewing resumes, checking online profiles, conducting phone and in-person interviews, and using psychological testing—can help employers choose the best candidate.