Concise Guide to Strategic RecruitmentPart 4: Pre-screening Techniques

Pre-screening, the process of evaluating candidates based on their application alone, is a cost-effective method compared to full screening. Although it may not be as comprehensive, pre-screening helps identify potential candidates who are likely to be a good fit for the position. It also allows screeners to focus on evaluating more challenging skills by providing an initial assessment of certain skills outlined in the skill canvas.

Choosing Pre-screening Techniques

Various techniques can be employed during pre-screening, but it's essential to consider their associated costs. Some techniques may require additional input from candidates during the application process, providing more information but potentially deterring applicants who prefer a faster process. Candidates may choose to apply for other positions with quicker application processes, considering it statistically more advantageous than applying for a role with lengthier pre-screening requirements.

When deciding which pre-screening techniques to use, it is crucial to evaluate how well they align with the skill canvas and consider the impact on the application process's complexity.

Now, let's explore the tools available for pre-screening.

Resumes

Resumes (or CVs) are the fundamental and most widely-used tool for pre-screening. They provide a wealth of information about the applicants and our goal is to extract only the relevant one.

While it may be tempting to favor aesthetically pleasing and refined resumes, our focus should be on identifying signs of skills aligning with the skill canvas. This can be challenging, but providing concise explanations linking specific details in resumes to relevant skills can increase the likelihood of shortlisting suitable candidates.

Additionally, it is beneficial to maintain statistics on successful interviews from specific universities or previous employers. Factors such as writing style, certifications, or other attributes may contribute to identifying potential candidates.

Developing a systematic approach to sorting applications is crucial during this stage, given the limited information available, and maintaining statistics offers a valuable long-term strategy.

However, it's important to note that statistics should guide decisions rather than serve as rigid criteria, allowing room for considering candidates beyond the statistical data.

Motivation Letters

Motivation letters present a specific tool for pre-screening. They enhance the thoroughness of the interview process but also act as a filter for a large number of candidates. However, their accuracy as a screening tool may be limited.

Introducing motivation letters increases the application's complexity, potentially filtering out candidates based on their level of motivation or sometimes even desperation for any job opportunity. Additionally, evaluating these letters requires additional resources, as it entails reading and assessing what is basically an essay for a job that probably has nothing to do with writing.

Nevertheless, motivation letters can be particularly valuable for intern positions or roles where previous experience is not a requirement. In such cases, distinguishing between candidates can be challenging, and motivation letters may be the only available tool for assessment.

Homework Assignments

Homework assignments offer a valuable means to enhance the interview process's thoroughness while maintaining brevity on the recruiter's part. However, they come with their own set of challenges:

• Designing a homework assignment that adequately reflects the desired skills can be difficult.
• Assignments and their solutions can spread rapidly hence they can't be reused very often.
• Verifying that the solution submitted is the work of the assignee requires scheduling a call to discuss it. This, coupled with grading, consumes time that could be allocated elsewhere in the process.

Automated Tests

When expecting a high volume of applicants and when a skill from the skill canvas can be objectively assessed in a quick and automated manner, automated tests are a valuable option.

The ability to evaluate skills impartially, regardless of the applicant count, can save significant time and allow for greater thoroughness in other areas.

It is essential, however, to ensure that the automated tests closely align with the skill canvas and are not easily susceptible to cheating.

Others Techniques

Additional pre-screening tools can be devised, but it is of utmost importance they align with the skill canvas. Moreover, consideration should be given to the confidence level of skill evaluations and the resources required.

Next Steps

By this stage, a shortlist of potential candidates for interviews should have been established. With the limited information available, it is now time to select and prepare interview scenarios based on the gathered data. The next chapter will delve into the details of this process.