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Things to Look For When Screening Candidates

Things to look for when screening candidates.

When you have a few hundred candidates to screen, making the process quick and simple is important. We have put together some important features to look out for when reviewing candidates in order to make the process easier.

Organisation

First things first, be organised! Having an organised screening process is key to be able to assess and scout out the right candidates for you. Being disorganised will detrimentally impact your ability to screen candidates fairly and efficiently. Organisation and structure are key!

Criteria

The first step is to start with a standard criteria which all candidates must meet to even be considered. It gives you a place to start when looking through people and makes the elimination process a lot easier, as those who don’t meet the basic criteria can be removed immediately.

Avoid unconscious bias

Unconscious bias is something we have to be aware of and ensure doesn’t occur during the screening process. We normally end up favouring the people most similar to us, which ultimately disadvantages other applicants. Unconscious bias means people are hired based on assumption rather than proven skill or ability, which is harmful to the industry and leads to less diversity.

Experience in the workplace

Workplace experience is important because it alludes to whether the candidates have the qualifications and skills necessary to be able to confidently take on the role. This part of the CV tends to be at the top as it plays a vital role in whether employers think candidates are a good fit.

Education

A candidate’s education is more important if they have limited work experience or are new and/or young in the industry.

It’s apparent that because degrees are now more common, people’s level of education has become a more important part of screening candidates. Just having a degree no longer makes you stand out as it once did, and other qualifications are now more important as a result.

Skills and Knowledge

Having a good level of knowledge and skills about an industry cannot be understated. Qualifications and achievements are things to take into account, as it shows a level of understanding which could be greater than others. However, don’t be put off by candidates who don’t have quite the right skills, chances are they’ll be more than willing to train and progress in order to fit the role.

Personality

A candidate’s personality is important, and the best way to assess this is through their CV, social media pages and then finally through the interview process. Despite skills and knowledge, personality is key as you want someone who will easily slot into the team and company culture. You want to find a person who appears passionate about your company and what you stand for, with a willingness and want to grow and learn within the business.

Skills, knowledge and experience are important, but don’t underestimate the importance of personality. Taking time to find a person who you know will fit in well will be to you, the new employee and the company as a whole.

Social media screening

Social media screening is now extremely common amongst interviewers, with Totaljobs stating that 74% of interviewers check social media in preparation for the interview.

Candidates’ social media presence can tell you a lot, both good and bad, about the candidates. As the majority of business is online, having a strong social media presence is important. However, you want your candidates to be sending out the right messages and therefore look out for inappropriate photos, language and comments and any illegal activities.

Keep the maybes!

Having a list of those who were great candidates, but not suitable for the role you were interviewing for is beneficial. They could be candidates to call upon in the future if you have new roles come up.  Keep in contact with them via regular calls and emails, to build a relationship in case of any future opportunities. Think smart when screening candidates and try and create connections which could be useful in the future.

CV Format

The format and presentation of people’s CVs is important. It should be clear and understandable and backwards chronological order. People with fancy, cluttered CVs could be trying to make up for little experience or lack of knowledge.

Green flags to look for on CVs?

• Clear career progression.
• Evidence of success and achievement.
• Staying in job roles for a substantial amount of time.
• Proven training and experience.
• Proven coaching ability.
• Being confident but not arrogant.
• Professional and active social media.

Red flags to look for on CVs?

• Jumping from job to job.
• Periods of unexplained unemployment.
• Lack of responsibility or achievement within the workplace.
• Long, hefty CV paras.
• Lack of information.
• An excessive amount of information.
• Over exaggeration of previous roles.
• Silly, unprofessional email addresses.
• Unprofessional and inappropriate social media posts, likes and correspondence.

Feedback

It’s always helpful for those candidates who are unsuccessful to give them some feedback. This allows them to learn from experience and for future job applications. Constructive criticism is always a positive.

 

For more advice on the best way to format and present a CV check out our blog: ‘Tips for Writing a Great CV’

 

Stay Safe,

Team Affecto.