You put out a job ad looking to fill an open position and make sure you have adequate staff on board for Q4. Just a few hours later, you’re staring at an inbox flooded with resumes. Where do you even start? Sorting through a large pile of resumes can be a daunting task. However, there are secrets to help you speed through the cluttered stack and choose a winning candidate.
Streamline your review process.
Before you start sifting through the resumes, make the decision whether you want to do so digitally or by printing out a hard copy. Either way can be efficient, but not a combination of both. When you have a mix of both digital and hard copies, it’s easy to skip over people or lose resumes during the process. So either print all the resumes out or search through them gathering information in a virtual stack.
Set aside time for reviewing resumes.
As a hiring manager, you’re a busy person with a lot of work on your plate. However, you should not wait until the eleventh hour to start reviewing applications. Set aside one to two hours each day to work through the stack of resumes until you’re finished. Waiting until the last minute in the hiring screening process to go over resumes can lead to missed opportunities to make great hires. Instead, plan out a little time each day to go through the resumes.
Look at specific criteria.
Instead of trying to read through every resume, pick two to three qualifications you’re looking for. These should be determined by the type of job and the kind of person you’re looking for. Some common criteria many organizations use are college degree, stability, and organization. Put resumes that meet your three criteria into a separate stack to revisit later.
Scan for keywords.
In the same way you chose criteria for the resume to meet, you should also focus on keywords. Briefly scan the resume to see if its keywords match yours. With the applicant pool reaching unmanageable numbers, many companies now rely on keyword searches to narrow down the candidate base.
How Can BOS Staffing Assist Your Hiring Process?
Don’t have time to sift through resumes? Let the experienced team at BOS Staffing help. For more than 35 years we have helped clients throughout Northeast Georgia and nationwide complete work cost-effectively, hire smarter, and manage their workforces more efficiently. Contact us today to get customized staffing solutions for your organization.
