As the economy recovers from the recent recession, workers who have long been unemployed or underemployed are seeking work once again. While the increase in candidates gives a hiring manager more opportunities to find the right candidate, it can also make the process more difficult. A larger talent pool requires more time and effort from hiring managers.
How can hiring managers reduce the work involved in finding top talent? Working with a staffing firm can help you target star talent in a stack of resumes. Your staffing partner can also help you find top candidates by ensuring the resume pile contains qualified individuals who are likely to be a good fit with your firm – saving your company time and money that would otherwise be spent on scanning the resumes of unsuitable candidates.
Can you identify top candidates on a first pass through a resume pile? Consider the following tips:
- Know what the job requires. Every position has a core set of required skills and abilities, and a peripheral set of “desired-but-not-required” skills and abilities. Discuss hiring with a position’s supervisor to ensure hiring managers know what is required and what is desired, and keep these categories in mind when examining resumes.
- Get good at spotting promise. Candidates who are self-motivated, have a passion for learning independently, and who are a good fit with your organization’s culture are more likely to be top candidates for your company than candidates with similar skills who lack these traits. On a resume, look for volunteer work, challenging hobbies, or further education – particularly if the candidate pursued these while unemployed or working outside his or her usual field.
- Compromise on experience, not character. In highly competitive fields, your top candidates may not be your perfect candidates, but they may be nearly perfect. If you must compromise to find a good fit, compromise on job experience, not on character traits like organization, communication, or perseverance. Motivation and passion for learning can drive a candidate to learn new skills.
At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our experienced recruiters sift through the pile before presenting you with candidates, ensuring you can choose top talent from a fully qualified field. Contact us today to learn more!
