You’ve posted a job notice and now you have several resumes sitting on your desk. How do you determine who you will call in for an interview? Your time is valuable so you only want to interview the best prospects. To do this you’ll want to have a screening procedure. This will further ensure every candidate is treated equally thus minimizing the risk for a discrimination lawsuit in the future. You will also need to have a well written, well thought out description for the job if you haven’t already done so. This description should include a list of the core duties and responsibilities of the position. Further, it should list skillsets and education needed to be successful in the job. Also, you will want to outline how the job fits into the corporate structure. This will be crucial to not only screening resumes but also to drafting questions for the interview.
To allow your team adequate time for screening, respond immediately to each applicant acknowledging receipt of their resume. Not only is this a common courtesy, but it also provides you with an opportunity to let the candidates know the hiring timeframe. For example, you might say the job is open until April 1, and after that time you will be contacting candidates whose qualifications meet your corporate needs.
Build an Evaluation Team
List of Basic Qualifications
Draft Evaluation Sheet
The Chronological vs. Functional Resume
Organize Resumes
Remember the point of the meeting is to decide who you will call in for an interview. Consequently, you may possibly want to decide how many people to interview before beginning. This is especially important if you’ve received a large number of responses.
Finally, you’ll want to create three separate piles. This should be a “yes”, “no” and “maybe” pile. The “no” pile should include candidates who do not meet your basic criteria. And obviously, the yes pile should be candidates who meet all of your criteria without question. The maybe pile should consist of resumes that may require a few looks before deciding whether they warrant a face to face interview. If you’ve used a point system, your team leader should organize the resumes according to points. This will expedite the screening process and also give you a place to start. Additionally, if a candidate does not have one or more of your “must haves”, you’ll want to put them in your “no” pile.
Assessing Resumes
Your team needs to be fair and objective when screening candidates. Consequently it is important to have the evaluation sheet readily accessible while reviewing candidates’ resumes. Again, the evaluation sheet must include the basic job criteria. Screeners should refer to the basic qualifications often to help them conduct a fair assessment.
- Resume neatness. Does the resume contain stains or smudges? A messy resume will likely show a lack of care.
- Does the resume contain typos or misspelled words? Although you can overlook one or two typos, repeated errors are hard to excuse.
- Are there any concerns about their employment background such as their having held several jobs over the last few years? Or, does the resume show a gap in employment?
- Does the candidate have a clear career path? Working in a variety of fields can make for a well-rounded person, however, it may also indicate a lack of focus and direction. Further, look for positives such as job promotions. This not only shows a clear career path, but may confirm them to be a hard worker and team player.
- In assessing the resume, look for accomplishments or achievements instead of a list of responsibilities. For example, in sales have they met or possibly exceeded their sales goals? As a manager, what improvements have they made to the company or even the bottom line?
As your team reviews each resume, make note of any questions or concerns you might have that you could potentially address in the interview. And, keep these evaluation sheets for future reference or to help you with the interview. In lieu of a face to face interview, you may wish to conduct telephone interviews first.