As a busy manager or recruiter, you likely don’t have time to scour through dozens of CVs, looking for a new employee to join your team. While software can certainly help you narrow down your options automatically, it doesn’t hurt to have complete control over the process yourself.
Finding Top Candidates
However, the entire process can be time-consuming. If you’d like to speed it up a little, here are a few things to look out for in what could be your most desirable potential employees yet.
Certificates to Benefit Your Business
You may already know that some of the most helpful certificates you should have in your CV are those that benefit the business you’re trying to work for. Therefore, think about what your business is actively looking for, and whether under the ‘qualifications/skills’ section of the CV, any of the candidates have what it takes.
They might have undertaken safety training courses, which tie in nicely with your safety-conscious workplace. Alternatively, they might have undertaken extra training in processes that your workplace actively uses. These small things could hold significant value for your company.
Attention to Detail
It can often be easy to determine which job applicants are applying for many jobs at once and which have put all their effort into the CV for your advertised position. They may have utilized current CV technology in case you rely on it, or made sure every aspect of their CV relates to your specific role.
In contrast, people who have applied for several jobs in a hurry may be more likely to rely on standard cover letters and opening statements that don’t show as much passion and care as you may hope to see.
Evidence of Achievements
If someone outlines in their CV that they have undertaken, for example, safety training courses, details of such statements can help prove their accuracy. Achievements can easily be cross-checked, but it helps if they include the year of their certificate and where they received it. You can then get more of an idea of whether they are suitable candidates or have just got skill in creating a standout CV.
The Skills You Requested
When you advertise a job, you typically outline what you want in an applicant. You might ask for someone with team leadership skills, a safety-conscious attitude, and an excellent work ethic.
The best applicant for the job may be someone who outlines that they not only have what you require but back it up with evidence. You can undoubtedly narrow down your options by picking out keywords relating to your original job advertisement.
References
Your job applicants may be saying all the right things in their CVs, but having someone reiterate or confirm their statements can certainly offer confidence that you’re making the right hiring decision.
Another excellent way to narrow down your candidate options and make the applicant search less stressful is by making sure each one has at least two references. Having at least one from their most recent employer can also make some applicants stand out more than others.
You might receive several dozen, or even several hundred job applications for a single role. Narrowing them down might seem impossible, but some of these tips above may make that process more straightforward than you first thought.
Authored by Samantha Waites, EMediaBuyers team