In the complex world of business, hiring the right candidate is a crucial task that can significantly impact a company’s success. A key piece of this process is applicant screening, a systematic method to evaluate potential employees. The process of how to screen applicants includes reviewing the initial job application and resume, initiating pre-interviews, performing any tests or assessments, and conducting reference and background checks.
Step 1: Review Resumes & Applications
To start the applicant screening process, review each resume or application manually. There are many things to learn about a candidate from their resume. Take into consideration the following:
- Resume depth/length: How much work experience does your applicant have, and how skilled are they at conveying large concepts succinctly?
- Grammar, vocabulary, and spelling: How detailed is the applicant, and are they willing to go the extra step to conduct a spelling or grammar scan of their resume and cover letter?
- Personality: What does the resume tell you about the personality of the applicant? Especially in creative or design roles, the cover letter and resume could be an accurate reflection of the applicant’s work product.
When screening applicants, ensure your determinations are directly aligned with the responsibilities and expectations of the role and not a reflection of personal preference. You might also consider implementing a blind hiring process by having all names, gender, ethnicity, and any other identifying marks removed from the application before the review.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Screen Resumes
An easy way to screen candidates is to use an applicant tracking system (ATS) that uses AI to populate and auto-reject applications based on predetermined criteria. A good ATS can help you efficiently monitor the applicant screening process by automatically classifying candidate profiles based on the information on their resumes.
There are many different AI tools available to employers, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some common abilities of AI resume screening tools include:
- Reading and understanding natural language
- Identifying key skills and qualifications
- Comparing candidates side-by-side
While AI resume screening can be a helpful tool for employers, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not perfect. There may be some false positives or negatives, and it’s important to supplement AI screening with other methods, such as human review.
Step 2: Conduct Pre-interviews
Pre-interviews are a valuable addition to the applicant screening process and should be your second step. These allow you to further assess a candidate’s suitability before investing time and resources into a full interview. These can be conducted either by a one-way video interview or phone screen interview.
Step 3: Implement Pre-employment Testing
Your next step is to request a pre-employment test. It is a tool used to assess a candidate’s ability to perform specific tasks related to a job role or to evaluate their personality and approach to work. These tests can provide additional insights into a candidate’s suitability for a position, beyond what a resume or interview can reveal.
The necessity of pre-employment testing depends largely on the nature of the job. For positions requiring specific technical skills, cognitive abilities, or certain personality traits, these tests can be invaluable in identifying the most qualified candidates and weeding out those who may have exaggerated too much on their resumes.
Many organizations have made it standard practice to assess candidates through tools like pre-employment Excel skill tests and personality assessments before hiring. Skill tests can range from typing (typical for administrative positions) and copywriting (common for positions that require writing) to code writing (mostly for software developers). These can serve as an excellent way to see a candidate’s skills in real time.
To avoid unnecessary legal woes, ensure that every candidate for the role is given the test at the same point in the recruiting process. It’s also important to ensure you’re complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. For example, providing extra time for a test or offering it in a different format would be a reasonable accommodation. All tests must be non-discriminatory, job-related, and consistent with business necessity.
Step 4: Perform Reference Checks
Once you’ve narrowed down your candidates, conduct an employment reference check by contacting the candidate’s previous employers, peers, and other sources to learn more about their on-the-job performance, employment history, and qualifications for a job. The contacted parties are generally provided by the prospective employee, and reference checks can be conducted via email or telephone through a series of relevant questions about the experience had with the candidate—though we recommend speaking on the phone with a reference whenever possible.
Reference checking can provide insight into a candidate’s work ethic, scope of past work, and ability to build and maintain relationships. They’re also a great way to verify information on the candidate’s resume or that they’ve shared with you in an interview. Because references are reflections of experiences had with the candidate by individuals in various roles, they should be considered. However, hiring decisions should not be made solely on a candidate’s reference check.
Step 5: Conduct a Background Check
When you’ve targeted a candidate to hire, consider running a background check. Having a background check policy can be a great tool for confirming that you made the right decision about a candidate. It can include details about a candidate’s criminal history, driving violations, credit review, and so forth. These checks can also include a verification of employment listed on a resume, and employers typically hire a third party to perform them.
However, background checks are not always necessary. The need for a background check depends on the nature of the job, the risks involved, and the level of trust required. For instance, jobs in finance, healthcare, education, and law enforcement often require comprehensive background checks due to the sensitive nature of these roles.
A background check is generally one of the last steps in your hiring process, often conducted after a conditional offer has been made. This is because some states have ban the box laws prohibiting employers from asking questions about a candidate’s criminal history or running a background check until an offer has been made.
Tips for a Successful Applicant Screening Process
Below are some tips to ensure your candidate screening process is thorough and successful:
- Review each application or resume for hidden qualifications. Not all candidates word their experience in the same way.
- Don’t dismiss a candidate for a reason associated with a protected class (i.e., age, sex, race, and gender).
- Use an ATS to weed out unqualified candidates efficiently, remembering to stay compliant with EEOC guidelines.
- Perform reference and background checks to verify information.
- Conduct brief pre-interviews to learn candidate credentials. And, be sure not to ask illegal interview questions.
- Document the reasons for your decisions at each stage of the screening process
- Don’t disregard ban-the-box laws or other regulations related to background checks and applicant screening.
It is important you follow guidelines and laws during this process. Give your full attention to applications and resumes, and do not dismiss a candidate based on a protected class of people (age, race, gender, etc.). Additionally, do not ask illegal interview questions during the application and pre-interview portions of the screening.
Applicant Screening Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This call is considered a preliminary phone screening and is usually conducted by an assistant, not the hiring manager. The assistant will ask relevant questions to gauge the applicant’s interest in the position and the company and to learn a bit more about the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and skills. This call is generally no more than 10 minutes long and is simply to verify the information provided on the resume.
To screen an employee for employment simply means to review their resume to ensure their qualifications match your job openings, conduct preliminary interviews, and perform reference background checks. A screening ensures you are not wasting the company’s or the applicant’s time if they are not a fit.
Yes. Prior to formally recruiting an employee you should screen them to see if they possess the right attributes for the position. The screening process sets the stage for recruitment by gathering all necessary information prior to the interviews and ultimately a job offer.
Bottom Line
Conducting efficient candidate screening is a critical step in the process of finding a great hire. Whether your organization decides to review each resume with a scrutinizing eye, utilize skill tests to ensure that only highly skilled candidates are considered, check references to verify your prospective new hire’s reputation, or use some combination of the above methods, thoroughly screening and eliminating unqualified applicants is the first step in curating a powerhouse team.
