Hiring great people is one of the most important parts of running a successful business, but it can also be one of the most time consuming.
Between reviewing applications, scheduling interviews and completing background checks, pre screening can quickly turn into a bottleneck.
The good news is that with the right approach you can streamline pre screening without cutting corners or sacrificing quality.
Let's take a look at some of the easiest ways to make the early stages of recruitment faster, smoother, and far less stressful for your team.
- Start with clear and specific job descriptions. Many bottlenecks in the hiring process begin long before the pre screening even begins. If your job descriptions are vague, you're going to attract a wide range of applicants, some great, some not remotely suited for the role, and some that should just go straight in the bin. If you are clear with your job ads, you can outline the must have skills, daily responsibilities and your expectations and therefore you can naturally filter out unsuitable candidates.
- Use prescreen questions to filter fast. Instead of spending time manually sorting through CVS, add short screening questions to your application forms. Focus on deal breaker requirements such as years of experience, certifications, and the ability to work required hours or shifts. These are simple yes or no, or short answer questions that instantly highlight the most promising candidates and cut early admin work dramatically.
- Automate the first round of CV sorting. Applicant tracking systems aren't just for large businesses. Even smaller businesses today have access to affordable tools that can automatically categorise and score CVS based on criteria. Look for features like keyword matching, skills based rankings, automated rejection messages, timeline tracking and more. This can save hours during busy recruitment periods.
- Standardise your evaluation criteria. A common reason pre screening feels chaotic is that each hiring manager assesses candidates differently. If you have a standardized checklist you can keep the evaluations consistent and speed up any decision making.You should make sure that everybody is across relevant experience, communication skills, culture fit, indicators, and role specific competencies. If you have everyone on the same page, you prevent long back and forth discussions and reduce any bias.
- Introduce short skills assessments. A quick skills test done before interviews can be incredibly efficient. It helps you to ensure that anyone reaching the next stage can actually perform the basics required for the role. These micro assessments can filter out mismatches early, saving your team valuable time later on.
- Communicate clearly and quickly with candidates. Delays often happen because candidates aren't told what the next steps are, or they fail to respond promptly. A simple automated e-mail sequence solved this by letting applicants know that the replication was received, what the timeline looks like, and when they can expect updates. With clear communication, you can keep your pipeline moving and reduce any dropouts.
Pre screening doesn't have to be slow or stressful. With clearer job ads and consistent evaluation criteria, your hiring process can become faster and more organised. This results in better hires and a lot less time spent drowning in CVs.
