Note: This is the second part of our Covid 19 Employer Support series about recruitment. For part 1 click here.
In our last blog, we covered some strategy around recruitment and how to advertise for your ideal candidate. By now you should be getting a raft of applications through. If not - it might be best to revisit your strategy rather than continuing the process with only a few candidates.
Assuming you have had a lot of interest and applications, what now?
How do you organise the applications? How do you create a shortlist of applicants? Let's explore...
Organising Applicants
If you have a lot of applicants it can seem overwhelming to try to narrow down a list of people you want to progress through to the interview phase. This is where your ideal candidate sheet will help you.
Next, read through the CVs and sort into the following piles:
Definitely do not qualify - They do not meet many or any of the minimum requirements. Sometimes people will apply for roles without reading the ad thoroughly or they may simply apply for any and all roles. If they really don't qualify, don't waste any more time on them.
May not qualify - If they meet most of the minimum requirements of the role but are lacking in just one or two areas, it may be worth giving them a second look. If they are a fast learner they may be able to upskill in the areas they are lacking and be able to add something else of even more value to your team.
May qualify - If they meet all of the minimum requirements of the role but don't necessarily meet all of the nice-to-have's. A lot of your applicants may fall into this category. It may simply be that they do have some desirable traits you are after but haven't communicated these in their application. The shortlist and interview process will allow you to uncover this.
Definitely qualify - They meet all of the minimum requirements of the role and seem to posses many if not all of the desirable traits you are looking for in an ideal candidate. Only a few of your applicants will likely fall into this category.
Creating a Shortlist
A shortlist is a list of the applicants who will be going through to the interview stage. Instead of predetermining how many candidates you want on your shortlist, the goal should be to interview ALL of the candidates who qualify. Depending on the piles you have created your approach may look like this:
May not qualify - A phone interview to see if they will be able to quickly meet the minimum requirements for the role and whether they add value in other ways (see your nice-to-have's list) that will enrich your team. If so you can add them to your shortlist.
May qualify - A phone interview to confirm that they meet the minimum requirements and whether there are some traits that they have which are on your nice-to-have's list. If so you can add them to your shortlist.
Definitely qualify - These candidates can put be put straight on to your shortlist to be put through to the interview stage
The Interview Stage
What questions should I ask in an interview? How can I conduct interviews under Covid 19 restrictions? These and other questions will be answered in our next instalment in our Covid 19 Employer Support Series.
In conclusion...
It can be time consuming to sift through piles of applicants but it is worth the time and effort as it is vital to get this part of the process right. Your perfect candidate could be right under your nose!
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