As one of Miami’s leading staffing agencies, Future Force knows the end of the year is typically one of the busiest periods when it comes to screening applicant resumes and making hiring decisions. If you’re feeling like you don’t have enough time in the day to review the influx of applications coming your way, you’re certainly not alone. That’s why applicant tracking systems were invented.
But if your company doesn’t have one – and it’s all up to you – what can you do to make the resume screening process a little easier? Here are a few quick tips regardless of the position you’re hiring for:
1. Set Goals
Don’t get lost in the tide of incoming applications from candidates. Instead, commit to reviewing a certain number of resumes per day (such as 30 per day), or committing a certain number of hours to reviewing resumes (such as between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.). That means closing your door, turning off your cell phone and getting it done.
Approaching resume screening with set goals in mind will ensure you don’t get burnt out. You have an end goal to work toward each day. And you can measure the progress you’re making.
2. Evaluate First Impressions
Is the resume professionally formatted, or does it have tiny margins? Did a candidate send a three-page cover letter complete with a headshot, or a succinct one-page letter? Did they follow the directions from your job post, or ignore them altogether? Are there apparent typos or has the resume clearly been proofread?
When it comes to evaluating resumes, first impressions matter. That’s not to say you should trash every resume that doesn’t make a perfect first impression. There will be ones that deserve a second look. However, some will be so clearly inappropriate that you won’t need to waste your time looking much further than their misspelled job titles.
3. Look for Job Stability
When hiring, look for a sense of career stability. That means having worked at each past employer for over a year, at the very least. If there’s one stint that lasted only a few months, don’t worry too much about it. But when every job has a short tenure, then you need to worry.
Also, look for a clear increase in responsibility over the course of a candidate’s career.
4. Look for Deal Breakers
One easy way to look for deal breakers is to make a list of the four or five absolute “must-haves” (not the “wants”) you need in a candidate. Then, if a candidate clearly doesn’t meet that criteria, you can quickly screen them out of the running. So, for instance, if you need a warehouse manager with 10 years of experience and an applicant only has two, then that’s a deal breaker.
By using the tips above, you should be able to make your time spent screening resumes not only easier, but more effective, too. But if you simply don’t have time to screen all the resumes coming your way and you need help, call Future Force.
As one of Miami’s leading staffing agencies (2011 Top Ranked Firm – Staffing Industry Analysts, Top 100 Minority Business, and Hispanic Business 500), we can handle the hiring process for you – from sourcing candidates to conducting interviews and skills testing. You can focus on other priorities, while we deliver top candidates.
Contact us today to tell us more about your needs.