4 Tips for Improving Your Screening Process When Hiring New Candidates

Improve the candidate screening process, even if you have an established businesses. From finding someone with the right skill set to figuring out if they’re a good match for your company culture, your employment screening process can have a huge effect on whether hiring is successful or not.

To refine this process, consider integrating a comprehensive human resource system that can modernize your candidate screening by simplifying tasks, automating routine procedures, and offering data-driven insights to facilitate well-informed hiring choices. By harnessing the capabilities of a human resource management system, businesses can not only enhance their screening procedures but also elevate overall HR efficiency, ultimately attracting and retaining top-tier talent.

Whether you’re a newly minted startup or a seasoned entrepreneur, these four tips can help you improve your screening process for hiring new employees:

1. Carefully Review Their Application

It’s easy to assume that if someone applied, they’re qualified for the job. However, applicants often submit their resumes for positions that they may not be 100 percent qualified for.

And, a lot of the time, that’s a good thing because many aspects of a job can be easily taught. However, usually, there are certain requirements that are critical to performing the basic duties of the position. That’s why it’s essential that you carefully review their application to determine whether they have the skills you need.

If you fail to do so and wait to find out they’re missing a critical skill during the interview, you waste both your time and theirs. In addition to the job application, resume, and cover letter, you may want to dig into their social media, specifically LinkedIn.

This can give you more insight into their skills and previous job experiences. Check out the recommendations section, too. They might have received a glowing recommendation from a former employer that will set them apart.

Make sure to integrate tools and software to find and shortlist qualified candidates who best fit your requirements. For example, RecruitingCRM free software can help you swiftly identify the perfect match for your job by sifting through vast databases of applicants, ensuring you don’t miss out on top talent and saving both your time and theirs in the process.

2. Improve Candidate Screening Process: Run a Background Check

Many businesses use employment screening solutions to provide them with peace of mind when making their hiring decisions. Depending on the position, you may want to do both a background check and a credit check (especially if they’re dealing with finances).

A background check with CRB Direct can help you verify that they are who they say they are, have the experience they’ve listed, and are not a high-risk hire as far as criminal history goes. As for a credit check, it basically gives you insight into how they have managed their personal finances, including whether they have any delinquent accounts and their credit history.

If you do decide to perform background checks when hiring new candidates, make sure you get their permission.

3. Ask the Right Questions

If an applicant meets the general qualifications and seems like a good fit on paper, bring them in for an interview. But first, make sure you’re prepared.

Ideally, have a set of questions prepared already that you plan to ask the individual. Tailor these questions to the position, as generic interview questions can sometimes miss the mark. So, make sure you put some thought into them. Here are a few examples to get you started:

• What attracted you to this position?
• What skills do you think would help you excel in this position?
• Why do you think you’re a good fit for this company?
• What type of work environment do you prefer?
• How would you handle ____ situation? (make sure it’s something they would realistically run into in this position)

Also, asking pre-screening questions like when they could potentially start, and their salary expectations are best to ask during a quick pre-interview or on the application. That is, before you take the time to bring them in. It’s an easy way to weed out individuals who are not a good fit in the most basic sense.

Remember that you started your business, so you’re the only one who can know exactly what you need.

4. Perform an Evaluation

Finally, have serious candidates complete some sort of evaluation, whether it relates to the the skills required for the position or a personality test. The results can help you make your decision. Pre-employment tests can be a powerful tool in narrowing down your pool of candidates, especially for a technical job where the skill set is particular.

And they can provide important insight. There are personality tests that can tell you how good of a match an individual is for a position or a particular work environment.

To make sure that your hiring process is fair, make sure you administer the same test to everyone you’re considering for the position. Or at least those who make it to the second round of interviews.

Takeaway on Improving the Candidate Screening Process

Starting with these four tips, you can vastly improve your screening process when you’re considering who to hire. While you might have to make a small investment upfront, the payoff will be invaluable in the long run. That’s because you’ll feel confident that you’ve picked the best fit to help take your company to the next level.

Photo by studioroman (Canva Free Content License).