Job Candidates - From Beginning to End, What To Do To Narrow The List

You have posted the ads in the ""Help Wanted"" sections of the regional newspapers and even online.  There are hundreds of resumes in your in-boxes, both email and regular.  You have limited managerial time and want to get on with the process.  Now what do you do?

Don't Miss The First Step - Use The Ad To Screen
Before you do anything - place an ad, read a resume, interview a candidate - decide what credentials and experience you want in the ideal candidate.   The smartest use of your managers' time in the hiring process is their involvement in the upfront planning stage.  Depending on the requirements of the open position, put together minimum selection criteria such as years of prior experience, industry expertise, managerial positions held, education, professional certifications, achievements and awards, residential proximity and so on.  Don't forget to create a basic personality profile, as well.  What are the personality traits that will be helpful to fit into the department or your company as a whole and what traits may be required to fulfill the position? If you have already run an ad, you should still compile the desired selection criteria.  TIP:  Some of the better online services offer online applications which can help you to filter information and to tone down the graphics and design aspects of resumes.  Unless you are hiring for those creative positions where resume design may be an important selection criteria, use the online forms if you can.

The First Cut
Using the key selection criteria, have the person in-charge of the hiring do a quick review of the resumes to weed out the obvious fits and misfits - and the near-fits.  Create three separate files of candidates for future review.  Don't throw out anything at this stage.  If you have an HR staff making the first cut, schedule an immediate review of their fits and near-fits by the hiring department managers.  This will provide solid feedback among your managers early in the process.  TIP:  Make notes about the candidate credentials which seem to fit the selection criteria.  Your first impressions - even if they are on the ""paper background"" only - are usually good ones.

In-Depth Analysis
Now it is time to do an in-depth analysis of the resume ""fits"".  Review the following resume areas:

• Job experience - Follow the job history from the first position and responsibilities listed to the most current.  Look at the amount of time spent at each position and each company.  Note any differences between what you are reading and your own knowledge of the industry or position requirements.  Look for obvious question areas such as time between jobs, geographic moves and unusual promotions.
• Education - Review the list of schools attended and the dates when they were attended, matching them up with degrees or certifications earned.  Do a quick review to see if employment gaps or unusual promotions match up with the dates when educational sessions were attended or when graduations occurred.
• Professional awards & technical achievements - Read the awards and achievements as a measure of a candidate's personal commitment and success to his or her career, not just as a checklist of desired progress points.  Also note the existence of any unusual items such as certifications held that are not commensurate with the job experience indicated.  Resume embellishment is a possibility.
• Qualifications - Make sure that any special job qualifications you included in your ad are highlighted on either the resume or a cover letter.  If they are not, you should probably move the candidate to the ""near-fit"" category.

Telephone Pre-screening
Now that you have a list of targeted ""fit"" candidates, schedule brief telephone screening interviews to further refine your list.  During these calls, confirm any qualifications noted in the ad and any additional criteria that may be ""showstoppers"" such as willingness to relocate or ability to work unusual hours required by the position.


These steps may help you manage your candidate list.  From hundreds of candidates to a targeted dozen should be your goal - any way to get the job done right is the smart way!