5 Simple Steps to a Flawless Screening Process

We have recently been working towards hiring an executive assistant for our chief revenue officer -- Our team of expert job ad writers wrote an awesome job ad, got it posted across our top-performing sourcing channels, and within three weeks we received 117 applicants.

However, once we started the sorting and ranking process, we weren't finding the type of applicants we were hoping to find at the top of our list.

It got me thinking...

We were so focused on how many years of work experience each applicant had as an executive assistant... That we couldn't see deeper into the skills and experience performing specific tasks that we were looking for.

We were more focused on job title than we were focused on skills and knowledge.

Our awesome job ad and large pool of applicants now required a lot more manual work to sort and screen because our poor screening questions weren't accurately ranking the top candidates.

In today's video, I'm going to walk you through how we fixed our sorting and ranking process to successfully screen applicants and ensure we find and hire the best fit for our open positions. Check it out!

We want to simplify and streamline the process... not create more manual work for HR professionals. You can do this by following my 5 steps to a flawless screening process.

5 Steps to a Flawless Screening Process

• 1. Take Time to Prepare Ahead of Time

  Oftentimes we can get so eager to get a job ad live and applicants flowing that we forget to make sure all of our ducks are in a row beforehand... Especially when it comes to job ad questions and requirements that are meant to simplify your screening process.

• 2. Come up with 10-15 Screening Questions

  For us, the first step of the application process includes submitting a resume, EEOC information, and a group of really solid job questions. These job questions are crucial to be able to quickly screen, filter, and find the best candidates.

• 3. Focus on Core Responsibilities

  Don't put too much emphasis on job title experience and recognize that job titles mean different things across different organizations. Someone that has experience as an executive assistant at one organization may not be a good fit as an executive assistant at your organization. Likewise, just because someone does not have prior experience as an executive assistant does not mean they wouldn't make an excellent executive assistant for you. Ask questions to gather information about experience performing job duties and acquiring the skills and knowledge that you're looking for.

• 4. Be Mindful of the Answer Options You Provide for Job Questions

  Instead of asking for number of years of experience, or level of expertise, I suggest using descriptive answers that more accurately help you identify if they'll know how to perform the task you're asking them to perform. Take Zoom, for example, If we need a person who will manage and organize all of our Zoom meetings, we wouldn't be interested in a person who has merely attended a handful of zoom meetings. Instead, we're looking for someone who has been the lead organizer of many zoom meetings or managed a company's zoom account. Identify the role you need this person to play, and offer answers that help highlight how qualified or experienced they are performing those talks.

• 5. Establish a scoring system

  When an applicant is asked a set of job questions, they're given a score for each answer that you've assigned to associate with your ranking system. You'll then gather a total score for an applicant's answers to see how they rank among other applicants.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the video to see how we've applied these 5 tips into our screening process to come up with a ranking system that works effortlessly!

Now, I've put together a FREE Job Interview Question Guide with our must ask questions when interviewing applicants. It also helps you create your own questions focused on specific behaviors and values that you're looking to find in your next hire. Download it here!