Hiring the right person for the right job is crucial for any growing business. But screening and evaluating candidates can take up a significant amount of time for an HR professional, especially if your company is hiring for several positions at once. Often, resumes alone aren’t a good enough guide for determining who to interview.

An efficient candidate screening process will help you identify promising candidates and track each candidate through the hiring process. These candidate screening methods can make the hiring process easier and more efficient.

When an open position draws a large number of resumes and applications, screening each one manually can be tedious and time-consuming for a busy small or midsize business. Using automated resume screening software frees up time for HR professionals to focus on screening and evaluating the candidates that meet the basic qualifications for the position. Screeners can search resumes for keywords and years in the field to narrow down the list of candidates.

A simple way to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for the position is with a series of online questions written to determine their fit and eligibility. Candidate screening questions may also discourage and weed out those who aren’t as interested in the position. These questions can be presented online as part of the application process or emailed to candidates after applying.

Keep the questions short, specific, and related to the job qualifications. For example, if you’re requiring familiarity with a certain computer program, one question might ask candidates to describe their experience working with it. If the position involves travel or non-traditional office hours, another question might make sure they understand this requirement and are available to fulfill it.

Interviewing candidates takes a serious investment of time. When employees at your company have other pressing demands on their time, you might not have the luxury of bringing every qualified or promising candidate in for an interview. Many HR professionals use pre-recorded video interviewing to get to know the person behind the resume before committing to a full interview. The purpose of this interview is to get a better understanding of the candidate’s background and fit.

The video interview may ask candidates a series of questions. They record their answers and submit a video to the hiring team. These types of interviews may be more helpful than screening questions and phone calls because the visual aspect gives insight into a candidate’s personality and character, helping you get to know them better. Questions could be similar to the ones asked at a traditional interview. Ask the candidates to describe themselves and their interest in the position, what they understand about the role, why they are a good fit, how their experience relates, and a little about their personal interests.

Keeping track of an open job position, from listing the position and accepting first applications to several rounds of interviewing to offers, can be plenty of work. Use an applicant tracking system to make sure you’re not letting any applicants slip through the cracks and that you aren’t lagging behind in the hiring process. Applicant tracking systems keep track of applicants through candidate screening and beyond, so you can easily rate candidates and move them along the process.

Eddy helps HR professionals get their jobs done better and more efficiently. Our applicant tracking system creates a pipeline that allows the hiring team to visualize each candidate along the hiring process, share thoughts on each candidate, and track all communication with that candidate. Plus, automation options help keep the process moving forward. Spreadsheets just don’t offer the same visualization and simplicity. At Eddy, we can help your team find the right people for the job, quickly and efficiently.

Want to learn more about Eddy’s hiring solution? Watch a demo.