Screening potential employees are important to do properly because as much as you may feel like you’re choosing the right person, it’s good to do your due diligence in background references, etc. With that being said, here are some tips that you might find useful when it comes to screening potential employees.
Be Ruthless With Applications
The application process of applying for a job is the part that you need to be ruthless on when sifting through said applications. It’s important that you’re filtering out everyone who just isn’t right for the job or perhaps doesn’t quite fit what you’re looking for in terms of previous and current experience. This is the part where you want to try and cut it down as much as possible, so it’s good to have a set criteria of what you’re looking for so that you can quickly chop anyone who doesn’t meet it. It’s going to help you reduce the amount of time it takes to go through this process, and you’re going to find that you get to the interview stage a lot quicker because of it. Recruitment can take a lot of time, effort, and resources, so the more of the above that you can save, the better.
Check Their References
References are essential because they tell you a bit about their professionalism within the workplace. It’s good to check all the references that someone has provided, and if they haven’t met the quota of references needed, it’s important to question why. Perhaps they’ve come fresh out of education, or they’ve not had enough jobs beforehand. It’s good to suggest that if a job reference isn’t available, then they should try and find someone else in a professional capacity. This might be a teacher that they have or someone from a professional position but isn’t directly related to the individual. There’s always a way around it, so don’t just dismiss it and hire them just off their word that they’re the perfect candidate for you.
Drug Tests
A drug test can certainly be handy to have as part of the process, especially if the industry you’re in is very particular about the safety and health of others in the hands of said employees. A drug test can be done with leak detection dye to ensure that no samples are tampered with and that you’re getting honesty with anyone who agrees to take a drug test. If they don’t want to do it, then you have every right to turn down their application for the role. If there’s nothing to hide, then a drug test should be fine to take for anyone applying for the job.
Do A Social Media Check
Many of us are on social media nowadays, and it can certainly play an influence over your hiring process. This is due to the fact that you might want only the most appropriate and conscious people when it comes to their own social media platforms. Anyone who might have caused drama or trouble in the past via social media is not necessarily someone you want your company to be associated with. There have been many examples of staff members being caught out by saying something bad over social media previously before joining, and that could backfire on your company’s face. A social media check is easy to do, and it’s not an invasion of privacy, as long the only person doing these checks is those that are doing the hiring.
Ask Them About Their Personal Life
Everyone’s personal life can be private, and it’s not a case of wanting to pry too much into their personal life that it’s uncomfortable. When conducting interviews, it’s good to ease them into the interview and make it less of a nerve-racking experience. A good way to relieve stress and anxiety is to ask them personal questions about their life. It might be what they enjoy doing in their spare time to where they came from and anything interesting about their life. It can be completely unrelated to the company itself or to the role. Give the candidate the opportunity to open up and share their personality with you. It can often be a good way of gaining an understanding of what they’re likely going to be like within the workplace. Will they fit in, or won’t they? This is essential and plays an important part in the hiring process.
Screening potential employees properly are important, so be sure to follow these tips in order to get the most out of each process.