Ever received a flood of applications, but none of them seemed quite right for the job? Or maybe you didn’t get any at all? The ideal scenario would be a perfect pool of quality candidates to choose from, and while that may sound like a dream, it’s not. Learning how to effectively screen candidates can make it a reality.
To help make your process easier, here are some of our top tips and best practices:
Pre-work that makes the hiring dream work
It all starts before your job post even goes live, says Fredrik, Head of People at HiCareer. To attract the right candidates and screen them effectively, you need a clear understanding of the skills, experience, personality, and soft skills you’re looking for. This pre-work is essential in learning how to screen candidates.
1. Define your cultural fit
Companies often spend time analyzing their target audience and creating customer personas. Fredrik suggests applying the same effort to hiring. Evaluate your needs, culture, the candidate’s profile, their needs, and create a candidate persona, which helps in screening candidates.
“I’ve learned that just because someone is an expert doesn’t mean they’re the right fit,” says Fredrik Johansson, co-founder of HiCareer.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What role will the candidate play in the team?
- What can you offer?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- How can you adapt to the candidate?
The more effort you put into defining your needs and understanding your cultural fit, the more efficient and targeted your recruitment will be.
2. Create Outstanding Job Ads
Top talent is attracted to top job ads. Ensure your job ad reflects what you expect from applicants. If you’re not looking for just any candidate, don’t write just any job ad, says Josephine, Marketing Specialist at HiCareer. Effective job ads are crucial in how to screen candidates properly by attracting the right talent.
“No one wants to read a wall of text filled with details. Use the job ad to pitch the role, your company, and your vision, but keep it brief and to the point,” says Josephine Andersson, Marketing Specialist at HiCareer.
Copywriting tips:
- 73% of people prefer short copy (HubSpot).
- Pages under 200 words have the highest conversion rates (Unbounce).
- Readers spend an average of 37 seconds on an article (Newscred).
Writing job ads is similar to writing sales copy. Remember who you’re communicating with, their language, needs, and desires. Don’t be afraid to get personal and communicate emotional values.
“You can’t just list what you’re looking for. Highlight the opportunity and skip the boring frameworks. If you’re not looking for conventional candidates, why write a conventional job ad?” says Josephine.
3. Content is Key
With your job ads now sleek and to the point, offer candidates additional content to help them form a clearer opinion about the job. Provide related topics and insights that align with their values and interests. Doing this can improve your strategy on how to screen candidates.
Content is also a great way to reach and engage potential candidates on social media.
Efficient Screening and Qualification
Now that you’ve hopefully attracted some great candidates, it’s time to dive into the screening and qualification process.
1. Understand Who They Are
Don’t judge a candidate solely by their current title. Focus on who they are, what they’re doing, and how they can contribute to your company’s journey.
“Working with fast-growing companies, I need to see if the candidate is comfortable in that kind of environment,” says Fredrik Johansson.
A candidate’s journey can show their ability to adapt and work independently. Fredrik also notes that how candidates write—on LinkedIn or in their resume—can reveal their priorities and focus.
2. Learn What They’ve Done
Smartness and the ability to solve problems are something to look for. Like concrete and specific achievements or actions the candidate has taken or been a part of, that show a certain ability, which directly relates to the competency you’re trying to find. Examples of these accomplishments could be successful product launches, sales numbers, or results of various campaigns.
— Looking at the career pattern of the candidate is also a good way to fetch more insight and further value whether the specific opening could be an interesting and relevant next chapter for the candidate, Fredrik Johansson says.
3. Stay Objective and Inclusive
Unconscious biases can affect hiring decisions. Aim to build a diverse team to encourage unique perspectives and make bold business decisions.
“Remind yourself to stay objective and inclusive. Even if you think you’re not being subjective, you might be,” says Fredrik.
Ways to boost inclusiveness:
- Define diversity and inclusion.
- Use inclusive language in job descriptions.
- Ensure your career page is accessible to everyone.
- Advertise openings in diverse channels.
- Use the same interview process for all candidates.
- Measure and analyze inclusiveness.
Did you know? Inclusive teams are twice as likely to meet financial goals, six times more likely to innovate, and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes.
4. Talk It Out
In the end, nothing ever beats the actual conversation with the candidate when it comes to learning whether they’re the perfect fit or if the role is what they’re looking for. Especially when it’s completely honest and transparent from both sides.
That’s why the pre-work and effective screening is so important. The more insight we have pre interviews, the better and deeper the conversations we enable. Plus – saving time on qualifying, gives more time to what truly matters – getting to know that candidate who you are now offering their dream job!
5. Use Professional Help
If you’re a kind-hearted and fast-growing company, who’d rather skip these steps and jump straight into the best part – meeting the candidates – we’d love to help you out.
HiCareer have thousands of pre-qualified candidates, who are looking to work in growth environments, waiting for your opportunities to appear. Learn more
