One of the key tasks of an HR recruiter is making a risk assessment of potential employees. This involves sifting through unqualified applicants from the resume review process, all the way through to the interview process.
Here are four tips to weed out unsuitable candidates and find the most qualified employee.
- Check online profiles. In today’s society, people share moments from their lives and post opinions on current events all the time, letting you catch a glimpse into a candidate’s personality. If their online profiles include aggressive commentary or inappropriate activity, you may not want this person representing your business. In addition to seeking negative clues, you can guess about the candidate’s character and personality, matching them with your corporate culture.
- In resumes, watch for poor grammar. In the business environment, clear and professional communication is not optional. Misspellings and incomplete sentences should prompt you to immediately pass on the candidate.
- Make sure each resume specifically addresses the job posting. For example, if you are looking to hire a systems administrator, and you ask for Microsoft Exchange experience, a resume that lists generic email server experience either indicates that they have no experience managing Exchange systems or that they did not read the job posting. The best applicants will directly address your business’s needs and be able to prove it.
- Narrow down the candidate pool and look for problem solvers. Once you’ve narrowed down the best candidates for an interview, you’ll want to know how the candidate will problem solve. Ask them how they would solve a problem currently being worked through in your business. Make sure to specify that there is no right answer, and have them vocalize their thought process. This should give you a good idea of their character and how they will fit with current employees.