How exciting! Your job advertisement is out there for the world to see!
I imagine you’re one of the following people in this scenario:
⭐ Person 1 - You’re so excited you check every day (let’s be honest, every hour) to see who has applied. You look at their qualifications and skills immediately and are already calling them to schedule the interviews before the close date! Are you sure, though you got the best person this early in the process?
⭐ Person 2 - You patiently wait until the advertisement closes, but every so often you take a little peek at how many have applied. You’ll start your shortlisting within 2 days of the close date. You know what you want, but you’ll have a lot of work to do once you start your shortlisting.
⭐ Person 3 - You’re far too busy to check, I mean you’re already doing the job of two people, who has the time?!! You may not even realise the advertisement has closed and by the time you do it could be a week or two after the end date. When you do get time, you may get overwhelmed by the choices and just look at those who have applied most recently, missing many that had already submitted early on.
OR….you’re a combo of above and are actually Person 4, you’d love to get excited but you’re a bit nervous, even scared, about shortlisting. How do you know you’ll choose the right person? What if the people you choose show up for the interview and aren’t what you hoped for? When you’re lucky enough to have a large pool of candidates to choose from, how do you keep track of your top choices? Luckily, I have some handy tips that will certainly start you off on your way, regardless of which combination of the above you are.
Let’s start with the basics. You’ve put an advertisement out because you need to hire someone who can do the tasks listed in the position description and highlighted in the advertisement. What are those key items? My suggestion is to use a Resume Screening Matrix. A basic document or spreadsheet, or even a piece of paper, can help you do this. Down the left column write down all the applicants names (if you want to be proactive, also add in their mobile and email because it makes contacting the top candidates more efficient later). Across the top columns, add in each key criteria you’re looking for.
Example:
Okay you have the start to a good matrix! Next you need to decide how to rank them. I like to keep it simple at this stage. Out of 5 total points someone can earn between 0 and 5.
0 means they don’t appear to have requirement
3 means they do have the minimum level required
5 means they not only have the skills, but more than just the basics.
Now, I know what your next question is….can I give them a 2 or a 4? Well, yes, I assume you’re an adult and this is your ranking system, so you can give them literally anything you want, even a 3.257890. 😀
In the example above, let’s assume Charlie has relevant experience, the minimum qualification you asked for, intermediate software skills and hasn’t indicated their typing speed. Alex’s Resume shows they have had a full career in your role, did their qualification but also have completed additional education that supports their career. Alex’s Cover Letter also shares they are confident in their software skills and able to type at a fast speed with minimal errors.
You might just complete the Matrix like this:
In this case, purely upon reviewing the two resumes presented, you may choose to only interview Alex. This could just be a mistake!
WHAT!! A mistake? But Alex is clearly the more experienced and suitable…right? Well maybe they are, but Charlie did meet the criteria of the role, and although they didn’t indicate their typing speed, that doesn’t mean they can’t type with minimal errors. So what do we do now?
I’m a big fan of conducting a phone screen. It’s basically a pre-interview, and I’ll go into more detail in a future blog about how to do one very effectively to build your future relationship, but for now, essentially it’s an opportunity for you to contact your top preferred candidates, get a feel for them and ask those unknown questions. It also gets you an opportunity to ask a few other questions that you didn’t include in the advertisement. Some examples of great phone screening questions for this scenario are below:
Hi Charlie, I’m Ash of XYZ Company. Thanks for applying for our role! I’m reaching out to ask you a few questions about your application, do you have time now to speak?
Is there anything you wish you would have included in your Resume or application that you didn’t?
What is your availability and timeline to commence a new role?
I noticed you didn’t include your typing skills, can you share your experience in that area with me?
What is your availability to interview should you be shortlisted?
Thank you and close.
Now let’s assume you hit it off great with Charlie, they were warm and engaging, their enthusiasm for the role really showed through and they explained their typing skills were good but they forgot to list it on the CV. This may just be someone you want to interview.
You can repeat the same process with Alex, although instead of asking about what was missing, may dive deeper into why they applied for your role and what they plan to do with their career going forward being that they have so much experience.
So now you’ve confidentially shortlisted your candidate using a Recruitment Matrix which makes your process fair and unbiased. You’ve contacted your candidates through a planned phone screen and clarified what was missing. I think you are well and truly on your way to finding your great next hire! Go ahead and book those interviews!
If you’re not sure what to say in an interview booking, get in touch and Career Pursuit would love to send you in the right direction. Good luck!!
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