After posting a job ads online, your email inbox will probably get filled with resumes very fast. In most cases, many of these resumes will not match your requirements. Is there a way get to the top candidates with minimum effort?
Yes, there is. This will help you avoid wasting your valuable time for sorting through the unqualified applicants. Below are some ideas to help you get to the talent quickly and effectively.
• Get away from resumes with spelling and basic grammatical mistakes. A resume full of spelling and grammatical errors is an evidence of a candidate who shows little attention to detail or, even worse, who is lazy. This is likely not what you are looking for in your ideal employee.
• Avoid job hoppers: Applicants who have a work history that includes many changes over a short period of time should be avoided at all costs. If a candidate averages more than one company change per year it suggests that he will leave you as soon as he is offered more money. Another possibility is that these candidates cannot successfully achieve their duties.
• Don’t be put off by career changers. Most if not all professionals will change career at least 3 times in the course of their working life. What you should look for are people who display a history of constantly improving their skills and experiences.
• Look for achievements. An applicant who simply lists their past responsibilities and does not highlight key achievements suggests that they just ‘do’ their jobs. You want to see what a person was hired to do and then how successfully they achieved their responsibilities. Past achievements give a very good indication of future achievements.
• Don’t be fooled by technical jargons. If you are screening resumes for a technical position that uses language that you are unfamiliar with, then you should ask for assistance from somebody with the technical experience or knowledge. Many candidates believe that they can fool the HR Department with ‘technical jargon’. Don’t be fooled.
• Have a list of required skills and experiences. When screening resumes you should have a list of required skills and experiences in front of you where these experiences are listed in the order of importance. For example, having a Bachelor Degree may be the first requirement on this list. Therefore, if the applicant does not have the degree, you should immediately move on. Don’t waste your time reading an application that does not meet your most basic requirements.
