The traditional candidate screening process required a lot of hard work. First, recruiters had to manually go through the profiles of hundreds of candidates and collect relevant information. It was followed by phone call screening and assessment to understand candidates better.
In this blog, you will come across best tips that recruiters use to get the best out of their candidate screening process at various stages:
1. Resume screening
Best practices for resume screening:
- Make sure the resume is free from grammatical errors
- Check for employment gaps
- Make sure that the resume is updated
- Match candidate’s offline and online information
- Check the candidate’s recent accomplishments
Make this process much easier by using the resume parsing feature on applicant tracking systems (ATS). For example, recruiters use the PyjamaHR ATS to fetch candidate resumes across job boards and organise them under unique candidate profiles.
2. Screening cover letter
Cover letters are the best way to learn more about applicants early on. You can ask candidates to submit a cover letter during the application process. It will help you understand the candidate’s:
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Motivation for the role
- Career goals
The cover letter will also help you determine how well the candidate is in written communication.
3. Screening over phone call
After screening resumes and cover letters, you will narrow your list of the most eligible candidates. The next step in a candidate screening process is screening over the phone call. You can check the candidate’s availability and schedule a phone call. While screening over a phone call, you must cross verify:
- Candidate’s qualification
- Work experience
- Location
- Salary expectation
- Notice period
Also, ask a few questions over the call as a determiner to move the candidate further in the recruitment process.
4. Video Screening
Many recruiters prefer video screening to gauge candidates’ soft skills early. It saves the time and effort of the recruitment team when they have only a few qualified candidates for the interview round. The advantage of video screening over phone calls is that you can evaluate candidates’ personalities and communication skills while they face the camera.
5. Pre-employment assessment
Most recruiters use assessment as part of their candidate screening process. It is wise to use assessment tools to test a candidate’s skills before moving to the interview rounds. You can test and find out if candidates can do the job. Depending on the role you are hiring for, you can conduct various assessment tests like coding, aptitude, personality, and cognitive ability tests.
A common mistake to avoid while screening candidates:
While you are screening candidates, update them as they move through the stages of the hiring process. It will ensure a good candidate experience, engage them to research more about your organisation and keep them interested in working with you. The best way to do this is by using an applicant tracking system.
Screening is a crucial part of the interview process. Avoid time-consuming manual screening to make your hiring faster. Using an ATS like PyjamaHR, you can automate your screening process and hire faster.
