The use of resume has been a long time tradition in the job seeking and hiring world. Many business owners rely on this as the major source of relevant information and basis of the interview outcome.
But one important lesson that every employer must keep in mind is that they should be going beyond what’s written on the resumes and do more than the usual conversations during interviews. Because most of the time, these do not define the actual working quality that the applicants could provide when hired.
Finding great employees cannot be accomplished by depending on a piece of paper. Here are some tips for you to find the best hires for your business:
Examine Applications as if they were the actual applicants
Sometimes, it is better to observe the creativity in the presentation which reflects the applicants’ personality more than just the contents alone because the good qualities cannot always be expressed through words. Instead, you can look for their personalized, interesting cover letter and if they follow up with an email or phone call a week later or if they just simply fill their resume with the things they think you would need and expect. Remember that the kind of people who doesn’t take the time and effort to be remembered are not only less eager, but are also most likely not taking you seriously enough.
Don’t Just Ask but Test Them by Making Them Do Something
You should know that it is always easier to say than do. This is why what you hear on the interviews cannot be exactly proven unless the candidate does something to verify it. Remember that everyone you talk to is trying to sell themselves so don’t expect to smell the rotten parts of the fresh apples.
Unfortunately, there are also a lot of people who knows how to impress better than how they actually work. So if you are really eager to find the best among all the aspirants to work with your company, better have them do something to prove their worth.
For example, if you’re hiring someone to do your creative or publicity materials, have the candidates do some basic designs and see how they do and how they present it. But, even if you’re looking for something less task-based, like a project manager, you can still have the candidate look at a current project outline and see what kind ideas he/she can come up with.
You’ll also want to look beyond the skills and experience to make sure the candidate fits well with your company culture. The thing is, you don’t need to look for their best behavior at first because if it is really innate with them, it will automatically show. What you need to see is how they react on random times and if possible, on their most vulnerable moments.
Make use of a Trial Period
This is not suitable on all positions but if possible, you can also have your applicants undergo a testing period before the actual full-time employment. Treat it just like an internship but with better pay and more serious set-up. This can last for a few weeks or even months or up until you finally distinguish those who really fit for the position in your company.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Sometimes, Resumes and profiles may be able to provide a list of potentially exaggerated skills, but finding the best people to make your successful team requires more than a list of attributes on paper.
