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6 Tips to Effectively Shortlist Candidates for your Vacancies

Tags: Candidate Experience, Recruitment Process

Effective recruitment processes can bring a flood of applications for Hiring Managers. This often leads to unapprised decisions being made, and the negative impact is reflected on the overall process of recruitment and the collective morale of the staff.

In order to make effective hiring decisions, it’s imperative to streamline the process into an efficient system for screening the right set of candidates for the job.

Here’s how you can shortlist candidates and restructure the recruitment process:

Do you have a plan?

First things first, you need to formulate a plan and stick to it. Your plan should include details like:

  • The minimum standards and number of candidates you wish to interview
  • The tentative availability of the interviewer
  • The time frame defined for the hiring process
  • The resources you would need to shortlist and evaluate the candidates

Sort these matters out and you will automatically draft up a plan for the impending recruitment.

Have you reached out to the right audience?

In order to get the right set of candidates to apply for the job, you need to make sure you are reaching out to them. You need to act like an aggressive Marketing Manager at the beginning of the recruitment process. Think of the vacancy as your product, the company name as the brand, and promote it to the right target market. You need to advertise what you are offering, and who you are offering it to.

Make Use of Technology

Ever heard of the ATS (Applicant Tracking System)? Make use of it! Applicant Tracking Systems can help you cull the right candidates and get rid of the wrong ones in the initial stages of the process. The results? You have lesser applications to review, and a possible chance of hiring the right candidate without the unnecessary hassles.

It’ll streamline your process, save time, and make sure you have the right set of candidates to interview.

Are You Asking the Correct Questions?

Remember your goal is to simplify the recruitment process and hire the most appropriate candidate. Keeping that in mind, come up with questions that are reflective of the job description and selection criteria. If you’re scoring the candidates, make sure you have a benchmark marking scheme for each section: supporting statement, work experience, and qualifications. This will help you eliminate any candidate that’s unsuitable for the job, and asses the eligible ones better.

Decide on the Offer

Candidate assessments will help you decide on preferred candidates – it’s time to make an offer. The offer must include details of job description, responsibilities, position, and the salary. You need to be careful about keeping the process structured and formal so that the new employees develop confidence in the organisation as their employer, and build upon expectations that may help them and the company progress.

Get the Candidates Involved

The recruitment process is basically you branding your organisation. It’s therefore important to leave a good impression on the candidates. You need to keep them engaged in the process. Give them feedback; if you can, provide them with a relevant timeline for your possible response. Make sure you inform the candidates of your decision, whether it’s positive or negative. This will make the candidates feel respected, and promote a positive image of your organisation among potential employees.

To make sure you don’t go wrong; follow these tips to hire top candidates who match your passion and enthusiasm to grow as an organisation. We’ve laid down the basics for you; it’s over to you now!

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