Tips to Help Narrow Down the Pool of Job Applicants & Identify the Best Candidates for Your Open Role  

You have an open role.  You wanted it filled over a month ago. You have received 587 resumés, over half of which present candidates not qualified for what you’re seeking. That said, there are about 30-40 applicants that look okay and they could be good fit, but on top of your day job, how are you supposed to figure out who to bring in for an interview? If you’re lucky, you have a recruiter in your company who can help you screen, but whether you do or don’t, you’ll want to consider some key points.

First and foremost, people who are applying for a job are seeking a new role, and are likely unhappy in their current situation. With that in mind, here are a few questions to ask yourself that will help you find the right candidate:

The Basics: Getting Started

• Toss resumes longer two pages – Resumés that are more than two pages are ridiculous.  Who has time for that much detail?  Some may disagree with me, but when you’re dealing with thousands upon thousands of resumés, you start to cut out those that are long-winded.  No time! (Not to mention all the books tell you to keep it to two pages.)
• Prioritize referrals and bench warmers – My favorite way to hire is through referrals, or by having a warm bench of candidates ready and waiting in the wings.  Usually, referrals are top-tier, as highly regarded colleagues will only vouch for people who they are certain will represent them well.  Warm benches of candidates are talented individuals that managers maintain on a regular basis. (I like to call them “a friend of the company.”)  These relationships are cultivated with two phone calls a year and 1-2 lunch/dinners per year to catch up and stay in touch.  These are people whom you’d like to hire one day, as well as people who have a nice network of talent to refer to you. That said, these candidates should of course go through the normal interview/vetting process along with all the other candidates.

The Winnowing-Down Phase 

• How long do you want this person to work with you?  1 year?  3 years?  5+ years? Remember:  “Past behavior is indicative of future behavior.” Look at the person’s tenure in their jobs.  Are they job-hoppers who have moved around every year?  Have they been at only one job for 15+ years?  Align the candidates toward what you’re seeking.  If you want a long-term hire, find someone who hasn’t been jumping around. If you only need someone short-term, look for the resumés that show an applicant with 1-2 years at each job.
• Do you want someone focused on career growth?  Or do you need someone who will be happy in the same role without progression?  When looking at resumés, do you see career progression with each job that the candidate has had?  Do you see only lateral moves?  The point is, only bring in the candidates whose resumés align with what you’re seeking.
• Think about the role you have open. Do you need someone who has seasoned experience, or do you want someone a little green whom you can train?  For example, if you need someone seasoned, and the open position is for a Marketing Manager, then look for “Marketing Manager” titles. But if you want to be able to train the person for the role, then look for “Marketing Specialist,” knowing that this person won’t have managerial experience, and you’ll be able to guide and help develop them.  Note: Be careful when you see the title of Director; people say they’ll take a Manager role if they’ve recently been a Director, but it’s likely that the person just needs a job, and will stay only until they find the Director role they’re ultimately seeking.
• Do phone interviews first. Schedule thirty-minute calls, ask all candidates the same ten questions, and based on the best responses, you can select who to bring in for an in-person interview. This will cut down the amount of time you would spend in person with candidates; the in-person interview will then be less surface and more in-depth, and therefore more authentic, which is, after all, what you want in order to hire the right fit.

By adding these steps to your recruiting process, you’ll be able to convert a list containing too many candidates into a shorter list of those best qualified for what you’re seeking.  It’s still a time-consuming process —  but it always is when you want to hire the best talent!