SCREENING THE CANDIDATES (PT 2)

With a screening time-management process in place, the next issue to address is actually reviewing the CVs successfully.

My experience in assisting companies with their recruitment, especially for permanent placements, is that the best 'paper match' is often interviewed and that this best 'paper match' is then usually not hired because they don't match-up to expectations come the interview. Instead, the person who is offered the post is usually a good match in terms of culture, personality, desire and enthusiasm; may often be short on experience but has a career trending in the right direction.

That is to say, if going purely on the basis of the CV one person would be hired, but when the interview is taken into account too, someone else will win out.

That experience has led me to take a controversial approach to reviewing CVs in that I look for reasons to include people in the process rather than reasons to exclude them. That is a fundamental shift in attitude, away from the commonly held 'weeding out' approach. My view is that being positive in this way pays dividends come the interview stage and, indeed, with the person appointed to the post.

Reviewing CVs

The most common thing to do when reviewing CVs is to see how long someone has worked with a particular experience or technical skill. Indeed, until the age discrimination laws were introduced in Europe, a standard job description would actually set out the number of years experience in a particular task that was required.

Now that this is illegal, better job specifications have become much more important - as discussed in earlier blogs. From these improved specifications we can see the measurements for success and the behaviours we expect the candidates to demonstrate so that the position works for all parties, and this means we have some useful criteria to actually review CVs against.

Step-by-step:

1. Put together a list of the requirements from the job description that you can screen for and see in a CV.

For instance, you can see technical skills, accuracy and attention to detail because of the tasks carried out and how well the CV has been put together. Higgledy-piggledy CVs with grammatical and spelling errors do not suggest an organised person with good attention to detail. If they are to have a customer- or supplier-facing role but can’t set up their own CV properly then what are you customers and suppliers going to experience?
In contrast, as we discussed previously, flexibility and whether the person is a team player or not are difficult to ascertain from a CV so, despite people putting it in their summary or profile, there isn't a measurable context in which to make a judgement in the screening process.

2. Read the CV in depth, not just a scan.

I read CVs in chronological order which invariably involves reading from the bottom up so that I can obtain a good picture of a candidate's progression. The employees who will make the most difference can usually demonstrate progression through their roles and this will usually translate into desire and enthusiasm.

3.  Look for trends.

Within a candidate's progression I look for trends in achievements that are similar to those that will be needed in the post, and for improving results and responsibilities as their career has progressed. I also look for new skills that have been developed throughout their career.

4. Ask questions.

We all get frustrated when we are given 17 page CVs. Therefore, we should not be surprised when there is information missing on a two- or three-page CV so that you can’t get a complete picture of the applicant. This can be easily rectified by going back for specific information or lining up a pre-interview screening conversation. (This is a topic which I will cover in a future blog.) Don't reject candidates because a CV doesn't have all the answers.

5. Keep track.

Detail each applicant on your spreadsheet (as explained earlier) so that you can both track your pipeline easily for the people that you want to move to the next stage and maintain a record as to why applicants have been rejected. In today’s litigious times, tracking reasons for rejection are vital throughout the process to ensure that you do not run into discrimination issues.

6. Prefer Referrals

Barring exceptional circumstances, always discuss any employee-referred CVs with the employee and select their referrals to be taken to the interview stage. The employee understands the company culture, the way you work and your expectations and is likely to be suggesting a person who will work well in the organisation and contribute significantly, rather than the perfect 'paper match' (who often isn’t hired).

In Summary

To move through the screening process effectively and efficiently follow these steps:

• Impose good time management practices on yourself and review the applications in small manageable batches.
• Seek to screen applicants in rather than out, using the success measures and behaviours from your job description.
• Read CVs chronologically to accurately assess career progression.
• If a trend or skill is not clear do not dismiss the CV and applicant out of hand. Instead, ask for more information.
• Track reasons for screening in and for screening out.

At the end of this stage, you should have your initial screening organised and know who you want to take forward and who to exclude. This means you can now you can set up your interviews.

Next Time

Setting up interviews and protecting your reputation as you let applicants know that you will not be moving forward with them.