Any organization needs to have a systematic plan to ensure they choose the right candidates from the hundreds and thousands that have applied for the job. When a company posts a job opening, a number of people apply for the job. Some are overqualified, while others are under-qualified. The company needs to come up with a plan that can successfully reduce the number of candidates they need to seriously consider and some are using Affinda.com to help them in the process. Below are 5 ways through which organizations can narrow down their candidate pool and hire the right people.
- An Appropriate Job Description and Job Specification
A job description provides an insight into the “job position” that needs to be filled. On the other hand, job specification clearly sets out the required competencies, qualifications, and characteristics that the potential candidate needs to have to be able to perform effectively on the job. These statements need to be clear and understandable to ensure only the right people send their applications to fill the role. Applicant Tracking Systems for small businesses allow the firms to remain organized. This system ensures that all the resumes received remain sorted at one place, saving managers' time spent screening through the applications.
2. Develop Job Applications that Contain Questions which Act as Filters
The questions need to be well-thought of. These questions should be designed in such a way that they provide an insight into the abilities and behavior of the candidate. Through the answers, managers can filter out the applicants that aren't appropriate for the job.
3. Prior Knowledge about Salary Requirements:
One of the driving forces for potential employees to choose a job has to be the salary package. Therefore, it is appropriate to learn about the candidates' salary expectations early on, to determine whether they fall in the salary range the organization is willing to provide or not. Some candidates tend to have unrealistic salary expectations and it would be appropriate to inform them about the salary range to avoid wasting time. Mentioning the salary bracket in the job advertisement will also discourage uninterested candidates from applying.
4. A Phone Screening Test can be Conducted: The HR representatives could phone screen the candidates that have stood out with their applications to have further knowledge about them. On the call, it could be judged whether the candidate's information on their resumes was correct and whether they have the right attitude to work. Along with that, managers could even determine the working hours the candidate would be willing to work in, along with any other requirements. Even though this conversation is not face to face, it is still better than written communication.
5. Conduct an In-person Interview
Experienced interviewers from the organization could conduct in-person interviews with all the chosen candidates. It would be appropriate to include individuals from the department the potential employee would be working in. They would be a better judge of whether the interviewee has the right skill set for the job.
Narrowing down the candidate pool is not a very difficult thing to do and for recruiters who are experienced, this is particularly very easy. Applicant tracking systems for small businesses is essential as this will save them time as well as money that they spend on dedicated recruiters.