The entire recruitment process can be a lengthy one, involving many steps from determining the gaps in the organization, to generating a list of vacancies, to fine tuning a job role and publicizing it to lure candidates.
Perhaps the most tasking part of this process is sifting through the large pool of applications that come in. In fact, on average, 250 resumes are submitting for each job posting, and of those only 4-6 applicants will be called in for an interview.
Since there are plenty of applications to go through, how can you ensure that you are not missing out on a stellar candidate? How can you ensure that the few that you have shortlisted are indeed among the top of those who have applied?
Here are some tips on how to effectively shortlist the candidates for any job vacancy
1. Determine your shortlisting criteria
This is based on the essential and desirable criteria that a candidate must fulfill to be considered for the role. Create a profile of an ideal candidate – this will help you be clear on what you are looking for and can include aspects such as education qualifications, skills (technical and soft), experience, personality traits and competencies.
Make sure you stick to these prescribed standards. This will help you save time, as you will be able to quickly sort through applications, reject those who fall short, and concentrate in detail on those who fulfill the criteria.
2. Create a scoring pattern
It is one thing to determine whether a candidate fulfills or does not fulfill a measure in your criteria, but the way that you can differentiate candidate to candidate, is by determining how well they fulfill those areas.
So, the way in which you can narrow down the number of candidates to a shortlisted few is by determining your screening method. Depending on the vacancy, this could include administering a knowledge test / assessment, an aptitude test, cognitive ability tests. Or, it could simply involve a scoring card against which each applicant is given a score on the different measures of the criteria.
3. Take advantage of phone interviews
You may have shortlisted an applicant who fulfills all the essential measures in your criteria at a reasonable degree, but you may have some additional questions about other aspects. This could include their location, additional information about their qualification or previous work experience.
To clarify, give the candidate a call. This will help you further shortlist before the interview stage.
4. Face-to-face interviews
Although all above measures can paint a good picture of a candidate’s capabilities in terms of their skills, experiences and attributes, it may be hard to determine whether they will be the right fit in the organization, especially in terms of the way they present themselves, their attitude and their ability to contribute to organizational goals.
This is why, a critical step in shortlisting “the oneâ€, and in order to get to know the candidate, get a better understanding of their work ethic are face-to-face interviews.
During this stage, it is essential to ask yourself questions such as;
- Does the application seem excited about the new opportunity?
- Do they have knowledge about the company’s goals?
- Does their personality and attitude seem to fit in with the work culture?
MakeYourMove is dedicated to providing you with a database of screened, legitimate and qualified applicants. Our service, coupled with an effective shortlisting process on your side will guarantee that you will find and recruit the candidate that is a perfect fit for the job role, and your organization.
