Top tips for screening candidates prior to interviewing them
Interviews can be time consuming. They’ll take you away from your desk and most importantly, away from clients. No matter what role you are recruiting for, save yourself time and use these screening tips before inviting candidates in for interview.
The CV is the most important screening tool you can have. Read it thoroughly
– Check for spelling mistakes, careless errors, layout issues, difference in font sizes/type of fonts – a lack of attention on such an important document is a real warning sign
– Check for unexplained gaps in work history – make a note and you can ask the reasons why in the telephone interview
– Check for length of time in each job. If a candidate has only lasted less than a year on each job – why?
– If they have stated the reasons for leaving each job – check for patterns
– Check for multiple switches between different types of roles/career
Conduct a telephone interview prior to a face-to face interview
A telephone interview takes on average 15 minutes. I love a telephone interview prior to a face-to-face for a number of reasons:-
– It filters out people who you would have previously wasted an hour interviewing
– It’s a test in itself – do they actually pick up the phone.
– Often in roles people are dealing with customers over the phone. This means the phone interview is a practical test before the first interview where you can assess their telephone manner
Set a task before the interview that has to be completed and sent back to you prior to confirmation of the face-to-face interview
This will depend upon your job role/business – however could be as simple as a covering letter, filling an application form, a small written task – the most important thing is that there is a specific action needed by a specific time. You can then screen out those candidates who failed to complete the task or completed it late.
If you’d like to continue the conversation, ask a question or discuss your Wealth Planning recruitment needs – we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch at kate@cranleighpersonnel.co.uk or 01483 279837.