Tips for Narrowing Down Job Candidates

Tips for Narrowing Down Job Candidates

You received plenty of qualified applicants when you put out the call for new employees for your company. A good problem to have is choosing between several well-qualified candidates. To keep from feeling like you’re spinning your wheels, here are some tips for whittling down your options. 

Consider Soft Skills

Rather than focus solely on hard skills such as technical abilities, focus more on soft skills. Which candidates have good communication, teamwork and active listening skills? Being a well-qualified candidate doesn’t mean much if the person cannot apply her or his skills within a team setting or know how to communicate with other people. Besides candidates’ resumes, you can also get an idea of their soft skills by studying their cover letters. Who did they address the letter to? Is the letter engaging? Does the letter seem formulaic, or does it seem as if it was written to you and your company specifically?

Run Background Checks

Before arranging interviews, do some digging into your candidates’ history. Contact a company that specializes in background checks rochester ny to see whether any candidates have any arrests or evictions in their pasts. While a criminal history does not have to automatically disqualify a candidate, background checks give you a better idea of who job applicants are and how their past may influence their work performance. Be open and honest about running background checks in case applicants want to talk to you about anything you might find. 

Add Up Qualifications 

Another way to narrow down applicants is by tallying their individual qualifications. Use your original job ad as a guide to determine which candidates are the best qualified and which you may have to train to get them at the level you desire. Also, ask yourself which of your requested qualifications are must-haves and which are nice-to-haves. 

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You do not have to feel overwhelmed about choosing your next employee. Use the above tips to make a choice you feel confident about. 

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