Screening and hiring a candidate takes the hiring manager 24 hours, and the majority of that time is spent on the screening process. It is also estimated that for every job you post, 250 resumes are submitted.
How can you screen through all these resumes in the best way? This guide is here to help you save up to 20% on hiring costs by showing you the best ways to screen resumes and spot the best talent. We will also walk you through the best tools and techniques to screen resumes.
What is Resume screening?
Resume screening is where hiring managers, recruiters, or ATS sift through the resumes or CVs to identify the best talent for your company.
In a nutshell, resume screening is the process where you analyze resumes to identify candidates who possess the skills and qualifications needed for a specific job.
How to screen resumes
Imagine that you want to hire the best sales manager who will take your business to the next level. The first step you take is to post jobs on Kick Jobs to attract talent, whom you will screen out. Let’s say hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of candidates apply for the job. That’s a lot of applications. How can you quickly and efficiently screen these resumes and spot the most qualified candidates?
Here are four steps on how to screen resumes for entry-level, mid-level, and senior levels.
Step 1: Screening the resume based on minimum qualifications:
Minimum qualifications are non-negotiable skills and experience a candidate must have to be able to perform the job effectively.
Let’s say you want to screen and hire a remote software engineer who must possess the following minimum qualifications:
- Education level (e.g., bachelor’s degree in Computer Science)
- Years of experience (e.g., 3+ years of experience in Python, Javascript and CMS)
Automate this initial screening process and use ATS to parse this set of keywords to screen the resume.
The ATS will save you up to 20% in initial screening. It will review and rank resumes that meet the minimum qualifications.
As an employer who wants to hire the best talent, you will check top-ranked resumes by the ATS. Check whether the talent possesses soft skills, cultural fit, or other important factors that may be essential for the role.
Step 2: Screening for Preferred Qualifications:
These are the additional skills and experience that would make a candidate a stronger fit for the role. They are desirable, but not mandatory.
Think of these additional skills as “nice to have.”
How do you screen for “nice to have” skills and experience and hire the best? In this second stage, you will do it manually. Go through each resume to see the evidence of these skills and experiences.
Keep reading to find out how to automate this process.
The candidates who meet the additional skill requirements will move on to the next step of the shortlisting process.
Step 3: Shortlisting Candidates:
Based on the first and second steps, you now have a pool of candidates. Talent who meet the minimum and preferred qualifications. Candidates that you feel align with your company’s goals.
Now, the candidates you shortlist are processed to the next level of hiring through interviews, assessments, or other selection methods.
Tech innovations in resume screening
Recruiters and hiring managers, the era of manual sifting resumes is near. Tech is shaking up the world of recruitment, and five key innovations are revolutionizing how we spot top talent.
Traditional resume screening is a time-numbing, bias-riddled monster. You spend 24 hours scouring resumes, often overlooking hidden gems due to limited keywords or unconscious biases. The result? Missed opportunities, frustrated candidates, and a hiring process stuck in the dark ages.
Here are 5 game-changing hacks for faster resume screening!
1. AI-powered Matching: Beyond Keywords, Understanding Skills
Gone are the days of keyword-stuffed resumes fooling the system. Sophisticated AI algorithms are now analyzing resumes for skills, experience, and achievements, going beyond simple keyword matching. This means candidates with transferable skills and relevant accomplishments, even if expressed differently, are no longer overlooked.
A recent study by Ideal found that AI-powered resume screening reduced hiring time by 30% and improves the quality hire by 25%.
How much time do you spend sifting through irrelevant resumes? Could AI-powered recruitment tools such as Manatal, Vervoe free up your time for more strategic tasks? Yes.
2. Skill Assessments: Beyond the Resume, Validating Potential
70% of recruiters trust skill assessments more than resumes for predicting a candidate’s true skills. That makes sense, right? We all wonder how well resume skills translate to real-world performance. Skill assessments can give you that certainty before you even schedule an interview!
So, how do you choose the right assessments? Consider psychometric tests that can reveal personality and work style. Coding challenges test programming skills, and simulations mimic real-world scenarios. The key is to use the right assessment test.
3. Bias Detection: Building a Fairer Hiring Landscape
Unconscious bias can creep into traditional resume screening, leading to missed opportunities for diverse talent. AI-powered tools are now being developed to detect and mitigate bias in resumes, analyzing language and keywords for potential biases.
4. Video Introductions: Adding a Human Touch to Screening
While AI automates some tasks, the human element remains crucial. Short video introductions integrated into the screening process allow candidates to showcase their personality, communication skills, and enthusiasm for the role.
5. Future-Proofing Your Talent Pipeline: Embracing Continuous Learning
The skill landscape is constantly evolving. To stay ahead, companies need to identify candidates who are not only qualified today but also have the potential to learn and adapt to future needs.What Are The Best Ways To Screen Resumes?
Conclusion
Finally, resume screening is time-consuming and often frustrating for hiring managers and recruiters candidates. However, thanks to recent technological advancements. There are now several innovative tools and techniques that can help you screen resumes more efficiently and effectively.
By using a combination of AI-powered matching, skill assessments, bias detection, video introductions, and future-proofing strategies, you can save time, reduce bias, and improve your chances of finding the best possible talent for your company.
With Kick Jobs, you post and attract top talent In the United Kingdom, India, and Kenya, with just one click.
