Top 10 Ways to Find the WOW Candidate in the Piles of Resumes
By Julie Wootton – CEO | San Diego Human Resource Consulting, Inc.
1-760-438-8046 | julie@sdhrconsulting.com
With unemployment rates still into the double digits, employers are experiencing one of the best hiring markets ever as more candidates are applying for jobs than ever before. For every job an employer posts, employers should expect to receive hundreds of resumes, from mostly unqualified candidates.
If this is the new normal, how do employers know who to pick from the piles of resumes received?
1. Only hire WOW Candidates! Since most companies are getting bombarded with resumes, screen out the majority of resumes that don’t fit into the profile of the ideal candidate and go after the WOW Candidates. Expect the best candidates to completely WOW you, going way above and beyond expectations. The best candidates will have researched your company, will sound enthusiastic every time you speak to them, and will have a proven track record of success and a smile on their face whether you hear it on the phone or see it in person.
2. Screen out candidates (Most resumes are 85% fluff so screen out the fluff). Many candidates inflate things such as education, past salary, job titles, dates of employment and even job responsibilities. If you have a background check policy, make sure you also check education/degree received and confirm past salary, ask to see it in writing to confirm dates and pay when checking references and you can even cross reference titles and dates of employment on sites like www.linkedin.com.
3. Consider reviewing only the very powerful cover letters and resumes that match up to at least 80% of the job description. The WOW candidate will present an individualized cover letter documenting how their background, skills and experiences match the job description. It is very important for employers to focus on the ideal applicant by screening out less worthy candidates and not trying to screen candidates in.
4. Match up resume to job description, have a profile in mind of the type of candidate that will best fit with the working environment and other team members, company culture and even salary requirements and when sourcing for candidates, have this profile in mind when you are hunting for the WOW candidates.
5. Look for resumes demonstrating the candidate’s staying power. Job hopping and gaps in employment are red flag warnings. Past performance predicts future performance so if an employee switches jobs every two years, they are more likely to repeat the same pattern with you.
6. Focus on the positive, team-players, good neighbor type of candidates. Hiring a bad apple can cost employers a lot of money and hassle in the long run so look for candidates that have positive attitudes, team-players and generally good people that you would want to be your neighbor. Employers can train employees for skill but can’t teach employees how to show up to work with a good attitude every day. Employees either bring a good attitude naturally or they just don’t have it!
7. Train managers how to interview job applicants with predetermined interview questions rather than relying on a gut feeling and get candidates to be specific in their answers during the interview process. Start by creating impactful, open-ended behavioral interview questions that will help predict future performance and identify the right candidates. For example, ask questions that counter balance each other such as what went well, what went wrong? Where did you fail? What did you learn? If nothing, move on. If responses are vague, ask for further clarification or expand. How were your annual results in closing sales compared to others? Look for success oriented answers with conviction, a compelling story-teller and WOW factor responses.
8. Extend the interview process: Select candidates who have been interviewed by a team rather than just a few employees. Don’t rush into making a hiring decision, it’s just like dating, it’s best to take your time, interview a lot and find the best match, don’t just marry the first person you date! You want to get a feel for how this candidate interacts with you and other team members at different times throughout the day. Conduct interviews at different times, whether it is morning, during lunch, evening, etc. The last thing you want is someone who crashes at 3pm every day when their job requires long days and strict deadlines.
9. Do your due diligence: Make sure you check references thoroughly, don’t just call references provided, do your homework and dig around, ask references who else you can speak to that can help you make a hiring decision.
10. Be fair and consistent throughout the interview process and conduct a thorough background check to make sure you are hiring the right person. Have an expert review your entire recruitment process to ensure that you are attracting and retaining the right candidates.
Julie Wootton is a guest blogger for GObackgrounds.com. She has been an HR consultant for nearly 20 years. The views expressed herein are solely from an HR consultants point of view. These views do not constitute legal opinion or advice. The reader should always seek advice from a competent lawyer to answer any legal questions concerning their business practices.
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