It’s no secret that technology has been changing the way we work, and that includes the way we hire new employees. Over the past few years, the whole process of job applicant sourcing, screening and selection has gotten a major upgrade.
So, what exactly does this mean for candidate sourcing, screening and selection? Well, it means that companies are using more advanced tools and methods to find the best candidates and make sure they’re a good fit for the job. This might involve using online assessments, video interviews, and other types of technology to get a better sense of who a candidate is and what they can bring to the table. It also means companies can make better, more informed hiring decisions. And with so much of the process being automated, it’s also making the process more efficient and streamlined for everyone involved. But that’s just a high level overview! So let’s dive in to each of the aspects, using the three S’s of recruitment:
- Sourcing
- Screening
- Selection
What is job applicant sourcing?
Candidate sourcing is the process of finding and attracting potential job candidates to apply for open positions at a company. It’s a critical part of the recruitment process, and it can make a huge difference in the success of a hiring campaign.
But here’s the thing: candidate sourcing has come a long way over the past decade. Gone are the days of posting a job ad in the classified section of the newspaper and hoping for the best. Now, there are all sorts of sophisticated tools and techniques that companies can use to find top talent.
But one thing all these tools have in common is they benefit from a personalised approach. To personalise your advertisement there’s nothing better than a video introduction from you, the hiring manager, telling prospective candidates what they can expect from the role. If you would like to easily record a video introduction for use in sourcing candidates, Re-View makes this super easy.
So, where can companies find candidates these days? Here are five places to start:
- Job boards and career websites: There are tons of websites out there that are specifically designed to help companies connect with job seekers. Some of the most popular ones include LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor.
- Social media: It’s no secret that social media is a powerful tool for connecting with people. Companies can use platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to advertise job openings and find potential candidates.
- Employee referrals: Your current employees are often a great source of potential candidates. Encourage them to share job openings with their networks and offer incentives for successful referrals.
- Recruitment agencies: If you don’t have the time or resources to handle candidate sourcing on your own, you can always work with a recruitment agency. They’ll handle the whole process for you and provide you with a shortlist of qualified candidates.
- Professional networking events: Attending industry events and networking with professionals in your field can be a great way to find candidates. It’s a chance to meet people face-to-face and see if they might be a good fit for your company.
Once you find people who are attracted to joining your company, it’s time to take them into job applicant screening.
What is job applicant screening
In a nutshell, job applicant screening is the process of evaluating job applicants to determine their suitability for a role. This usually involves reviewing resumes and applications, conducting interviews, and maybe even performing background checks or other types of assessments.
But here’s the thing: job applicant screening doesn’t just happen at the end of the hiring process. It actually starts as soon as you start receiving applications for an open position. That’s right – as soon as you post a job ad, you’ll likely start getting resumes and applications from people who are interested in the role. And that’s when the screening process begins.
But watch-out! It’s not as simple as it sounds because there is one big trade off that recruiters need to make: the quality of hire and the time it takes to fill a vacancy. One the one hand, you could wait to find ‘the perfect candidate’ – but meanwhile the role is left unfilled. Or, you could accept a candidate that you think could grow into the role in order to get it filled sooner.
Regardless of which path you decided to take, screening plays a big role in both of these! So how do you do it? Whether you’ve got a handful of résumés to review or a mountain of them, there are three basic steps you should follow to make sure you’re getting the best candidates for the job.
1. Get a really good understanding of the role requirements.
First things first, you need to have a good understanding of what the role you’re hiring for actually requires. What skills and experience are necessary to be successful in the position? Make a list of the most important qualifications and keep it handy as you start reviewing resumes.
2. Create an objective scale
Creating an objective scale to rate candidates is a good idea because it helps take some of the subjectivity out of the process and ensures that biases aren’t creeping in.
When you’re trying to make a hiring decision, it’s easy to let your own personal preferences or biases influence your judgment. But by using an objective scale, you can ensure that you’re evaluating candidates based on specific, measurable criteria rather than just your gut feelings.
An objective scale also makes it easier to compare candidates and make informed decisions. By rating each candidate on the same scale, you can see how they stack up against one another and determine which one is the best fit to proceed to interviews.
Here are five traits to consider when reviewing applicants:
- Relevant experience and skills: How well does the candidate’s experience and skills match up with the requirements of the role?
- Cultural fit: Does the candidate seem like they’ll fit in well with your company’s culture and values?
- Diversity: Does the candidate bring a diverse range of experiences and perspectives to the table?
- Potential: Does the candidate show potential for growth and development within your company?
- Career goals: Are the candidate’s career goals aligned with your company’s values and mission?
After finalizing the objective scale, it’s time to dive into the data.
3. Look at the resumes and Re-View candidate screening videos
Next, it’s time to start looking at the resumes and candidate screening videos.
This is where you’ll get a sense of a candidate’s qualifications, including their work experience, education, skills, and other relevant information. The goal is to get a sense of whether the candidate has the qualifications you’re looking for.
In order to narrow down your list of candidates, it’s time to start digging a little deeper by reviewing candidate resumes, cover letters and candidate screening videos.
It’s important to consider BOTH resumes and videos, because videos can be a great way to get to know your candidates and see how they’ll fit in with your company culture.
By asking candidates selected questions (here is some question inspiration) followed by watching a job applicant screening video, you can get a sense of a candidate’s personality and behaviors, which can be really helpful when it comes to determining whether they’ll be a good fit for your company. Whether you’re looking for someone who is outgoing and energetic, or someone who is more reserved and thoughtful, a screening video run using Re-View can help you get a sense of who the candidate is and what they’re like to work with.
To back up the value of reviewing video responses, according to research, companies that use job applicant video screening tend to see a decrease in the time it takes new hires to contribute in their new role, and a decrease in company turnover. Win win. But that’s not all. With time companies save on interviewing candidates who aren’t the right fit, recruiters can spend more time focusing on building the pipeline of job applicants and analyzing shortlisted candidates more thoroughly.
After reviewing all your applicants resumes and video responses, it’s time to move forward into job applicant selection.
What is job applicant selection?
Alright, so you’ve finished screening all the candidates for your open position, and now it’s time to move on to the next step: selecting applicants for interviews. This is where you’ll make the final decision about who to hire for the open position and things start to get really exciting!
Candidate selection is all about finding the right person for the job.
After screening candidates, it’s time to take the best candidates through to interviews, reference checks and maybe even fancy things like skills tests, psychometric tests and case study challenges. And while technology has made the process a little easier, there are still some challenges that can hold things back, with a big risk being an inconsistent interview process.
As the person in charge of the hiring process, it’s important you insist on creating a consistent interview process ensure that you’re evaluating candidates fairly and making informed hiring decisions.
Here are four key benefits of a consistent interview process:
- Fairness: Consistent interview questions and approaches ensure that all candidates are being evaluated based on the same criteria. This helps to eliminate bias and ensures that all candidates have an equal opportunity to showcase their skills and qualifications.
- Comparison: By using the same questions and approaches with all candidates, it’s easier to compare and evaluate their responses. This can help you make more informed hiring decisions and find the best fit for the role.
- Structure: Consistent interview questions and approaches provide a framework for the interview process, which can make it easier to stay organized and on track.
- Reliability: Using consistent interview questions and approaches can help ensure that you’re getting accurate and reliable information from candidates. This can help you make more accurate predictions about how well a candidate will perform in the role.
Remember: Interviews can be a little nerve-wracking for both candidates and the interviewers, but they’re also a great opportunity to get to know your candidates and for your candidates to get to know you. So it’s important to make it feel reflective of the organization you’re representing.
Closing Out On Job Applicant Sourcing Screening and Selection
So you’re looking for the perfect candidate screening and selection tools, but there are so many options out there – where do you even start? It’s easy to get caught up in all the enterprise-backed best practices and fancy technology, but here’s the thing: what works for other companies might not be the best fit for you.
So instead of just going with the latest and greatest, it’s important to think about what will work best for your organization. That might mean finding a balance between interviews, screening questions, video and even fancier things like AI tools. Whatever you decide, the key is to find a solution that helps you start a dialogue with top talent and move your company forward.
So don’t be afraid to mix and match, or to think outside the box! By considering what works best for your organization, you’ll be able to find the perfect candidate screening and selection tools to help you find top talent.
Happy hiring!