Three Ways to Improve Screening in High Volumes of Job Applications
Faced with browsing through a massive volume of applications in a market affected by job scarcity, retrenchments and business closures, recruiters need to fine-tune their candidate screening to identify viable talent. Here are three ways to improve the process.
- Be more specific about job requirements
When confronted with high volumes of resumes for fewer jobs, becoming more specific with job descriptions can help human resources and recruiters weed out the illegible candidates in the first screening stage of hiring.
Updating a job description should reflect the job’s precise nature, define the employee’s roles and responsibilities without any confusion, and stipulate the non-negotiable criteria for hiring success. The better the job description, the more qualified the leads.
Getting the right help to improve job descriptions leads to better and quality screening results, making it easier to select the ideal candidate. In this case, recruitment agencies are of great assistance to advise HR and streamline job descriptions ahead of the screening process to maximise the talent pool.
In particular, agencies specialising in hiring for specific industries, e.g. technology, finance, sales, retail etc., are more knowledgeable about the skills, experience, remuneration and responsibilities required for filling particular administrative roles and executive positions.
- Introduce pre-screening assessments
It is not unusual for recruiters to offer pre-employment tests to filter through larger numbers of applicants successfully, especially in industries requiring particular skillsets, e.g. coding skills in technology and software development.
In high volumes of job applications, assessments can be a subsequent screening stage that filters the initial leads even further, based on their ability to perform a particular task.
Assessing problem-solving and other abilities through pre-employment testing eliminates subjectivity in the screening process and leads to fewer candidates undergoing the final interviewing stage. Recruitment agencies can assist with candidate testing, saving time and ensuring a better quality of talent leads overall.
- Focus on automated screening
With the advent of recruitment technology and hiring software, recruiters switched to automated screening to filter candidates based on all kinds of criteria, from location to experience and more. It is, by far, the best tool to speed up screening when dealing with a high number of applications.
Consider seeking the assistance of recruiters who invest in the latest technology to automate screening, selection, follow-up responses, interview scheduling etc. While these manual tasks are automated swiftly, a recruiter’s input and expertise becomes even more valuable at a strategic level in the critical final hiring stages.
Professional Sourcing can assist with the recruitment process during and after the pandemic. Visit prosourcing.co.za for more info.
Professional Sourcing can assist with the recruitment process during and after the pandemic. Our team has a strong reputation for recruitment expertise within our specialisation areas. Visit prosourcing.co.za for more info.
Professional Sourcing has a strong reputation for highly developed recruitment expertise within our specialisation areas. We develop strong long-term relationships with our loyal clients. Allow us to help you deal with your frustrations of a lengthy hiring process.
Professional Sourcing is a top-tier South African-based recruitment agency operating internationally, IPM accredited, LEVEL 2 BEE RATED and 51% Black Owned.