How to Sort the Best Candidates Out of Multiple Applications

In today’s digital age, job postings can reach thousands of candidates within seconds. While this broad reach is beneficial, it also means recruiters are burdened with applications. Sorting through resumes to find the best candidates can be overwhelming. Implementing a strategic approach is essential to make this process more efficient and ensure you find the top talent.

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Provide a Detailed Job Description

A well-crafted job description is your first line of defence against unqualified applicants. It should be comprehensive, outlining every requirement and responsibility. This helps potential candidates self-assess their fit for the role before applying.

Key elements to include in a job description:

• Skills and Qualifications: Be specific about the necessary skills and qualifications. For instance, list the exact programming languages and frameworks required if you need a software developer.
• Experience: Clearly state the level of experience required. Instead of a broad range, provide a narrow one to attract the right level of expertise.
• Location and Work Environment: Mention the job location, whether it’s remote or on-site, and any other relevant details about the work environment.
• Salary Range: Providing a salary range can filter out candidates with unrealistic expectations.

By detailing these aspects, you reduce the number of irrelevant applications and attract candidates who genuinely meet the job’s criteria.

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Utilise Advanced Filters

Advanced filtering tools on job boards and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can significantly streamline the sorting process. These tools allow you to apply various filters to narrow down the pool of applicants based on specific criteria.

Effective filtering techniques:

• Location and Availability: Filter candidates based on their geographical location and availability to work in the specified location.
• Experience and Education: Use filters to find candidates with the exact level of experience and educational background required.
• Keywords: Implement keyword searches using Boolean operators to identify resumes that match specific job-related terms.

Advanced filters enable you to quickly identify candidates who meet the essential criteria, saving time and focusing on the most promising resumes.

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Implement Screening Questions

Screening questions are one of the most powerful tools to assess candidates’ qualifications and suitability early in the application process. These questions can be integrated into the job application form. These are also important because we do see that since its easy to apply for a job especially on sites like Linkedin the applicant do apply without reading the context sometimes.   

Types of screening questions:

• Skill-Based Questions: Ask about specific skills relevant to the job. For example, “How many years of experience do you have with JavaScript?”
• Experience-Related Questions: Inquire about past job experiences that align with the role. For example, “Describe a project where you utilised your bookkeeping skills.”
• Availability and Logistics: Questions about the candidate’s availability to start, willingness to relocate, and preferred working hours.

By using screening questions, you can immediately filter out candidates who do not meet the fundamental requirements.

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Request Video Responses

A video response request can provide deeper insights into a candidate’s personality, communication skills, and motivation. This step can be particularly useful for roles requiring strong interpersonal skills. 

Do note that this can be used for roles that are hired in bulk or for entry level positions. For mid to senior level roles, this is not something that works well since candidates prefer talking to a human to understand their fitment rather than sending across a video. Threads in reddit are filled with conversations where candidates don't apply because the ask is a video response. 

What to ask in video responses:

• Self-Introduction: Request candidates to introduce themselves and explain why they are interested in the role.
• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Pose a job-related challenge and ask candidates to describe how they would handle it.
• Role-Specific Questions: Inquire about specific skills or experiences relevant to the job.

Video responses add a personal touch to the application and help you gauge the candidate’s enthusiasm and cultural fit.

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Conduct Skill Tests

Pre-employment skill tests are essential for evaluating candidates' technical abilities and ensuring they possess the necessary competencies for the job.

Types of skill tests:

• Technical Tests: For roles like software development or accounting, use tests that assess specific technical skills.
• Aptitude Tests: Evaluate candidates’ problem-solving abilities, logical reasoning, and cognitive skills.
• Soft Skills Assessments: Test for communication skills, teamwork, and other interpersonal attributes.

Many Online platforms offer comprehensive libraries of pre-employment tests that can be customised to fit specific job requirements. Do note that tests need to be administered carefully. It's usually seen that if tests are inculcated to narrow down technical interviews at the beginning of the process , a lot of dropouts happen in the funnel. Similarly the difficulty of the test also needs to be accurate, too difficult a test would mean more time investment from the candidates end which might lead to drop offs. A well balanced test design is an art and a science and requires careful balance.

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Also Read: Why do Candidates Drop Out of the Hiring Process?

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Use tawgl for Interview Intelligence

tawgl is an AI-powered interview engine that brings speed, accuracy, and equity to your hiring process. Integrating seamlessly with your ATS, tawgl offers unique access to interview conversations, providing objective and actionable insights to enhance your recruitment strategy.

Benefits of tawgl:

• Improved Candidate Conversion: Enhance the candidate experience, leading to better conversion rates.
• Informed Hiring Decisions: Gain deeper insights to sharpen hiring decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
• Time Savings: Conduct fewer interviews per hire, saving hours of valuable time.

How tawgl works:

• Before the Interview: Plan your interview rounds with structured, consistent, and fair questions and prompts.
• During the Interview: Empower interviewers with a feature-loaded sidekick to facilitate great conversations and capture high-quality feedback notes.
• After the Interview: Access insights on the conversations, uncover the truth about your process and identify learning opportunities.‍
• Continuous Improvement: Highlight positives and enhance your hiring teams' potential, improving with every interview.

So, optimizing your hiring process involves crafting a comprehensive job description, utilizing advanced filters, incorporating screening questions, requesting video responses where appropriate, and conducting relevant skill tests. Leveraging tools like tawgl can provide additional insights to further streamline your recruitment efforts. These strategies empower you to efficiently attract and select top talent, ensuring a successful hiring outcome.