The job market today is more competitive than ever, and this means candidates are applying for open positions in droves. This is making it a challenge for recruiters and hiring managers to identify candidates with the most potential. With the stakes this high, it is crucial to have a reliable strategy to single out the best of the best.
Here, 20 members of the Forbes Business Council share proven techniques that will leverage your company’s ability to quickly identify top candidates among a large pool and streamline your hiring process.
1. Use An ATS That Aligns With Your Values
By using an applicant tracking system (ATS) that aligns with our company values, we prioritize candidates with specific skills and experiences. This ensures a quick match with our unique needs in serving the nonprofit sector, helping us identify top resumes efficiently. – Jon Osterburg, Jitasa
2. Leverage Skills-Based Filtering
One effective strategy for quickly identifying top resumes is leveraging skills-based filtering. First, list the essential skills and qualifications needed that are specific to the job role. Then, use software or manual review to filter resumes based on these criteria. This approach narrows down the candidate pool effectively, allowing for a focused assessment of relevant experience and cultural fit. – Sevana Petrosian, SEV
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3. Ask For Personal Brand Stories
At our company, in alignment with our strategic branding approach, we invite potential employees to share their personal brand stories—specifically, what connects them with favorite brands. By delving into the why, who and what behind these brands’ successes, we gain profound insights into their understanding of effective execution. Use the “special sauce” that is your brand in your hiring process. – Stephanie Gunther, Wax Creek, Inc.
4. Examine Their Recent Experiences
Skip straight to the experience section of the resume. Look to make sure the experience in their last one to three jobs lines up with what you’re looking for. If it doesn’t, immediately discard it. If it does, flag it or add it to a shortlist to go back and review in more detail later. This process should take no more than ten seconds per resume. – Erin Stephenson, DOZR
5. Include A Simple Screening Test
I like to include a simple screening test. If the job posting requires the candidate to email their resume, I will require them to use a specific word or phrase in the subject line. The instruction is usually placed closer to the bottom of the job posting. This identifies the ones who have actually read through the ad and can follow instructions. – Jason LaBrash, Grizzly Iron, Inc.
6. Look For Problem Solvers
I look for resumes that mention solving a specific problem. When properly done, it highlights the candidate’s industry knowledge, application of their skills and critical thinking capabilities. This also gives me an opportunity to discuss how their approach to problem-solving could be applied to my organization. – Daniel Kraciun, Trust.med
7. Request A Certain Word Be Used In Cover Letter
We typically request that an applicant include a particular unique word or phrase in their cover letter. It’s a quick way to determine how carefully a candidate has read our job post and whether they are attentive and detail-oriented. It also demonstrates to us their level of interest in our posted position when they submit a letter that includes a specified cover letter template modification. – Denise Caron-Quinn, In Order to Succeed®
8. Ask For A Video Cover Letter
In today’s digital age, video cover letters have become an innovative and effective method for evaluating candidates beyond the limitations of traditional resumes. Instead of relying solely on written text, video cover letters allow candidates to showcase their initiative, personality, communication skills and enthusiasm in a more engaging and authentic way. – Judy Sahay, Crowd Media Group
9. Identify Results And Achievements
I look for results and achievements in previous positions. I want to see tangible evidence of their efforts. For example, if revenue was increased, by how much? If they have longevity in their field plus great results, then it’s definitely someone I want to speak to. – Melissa Johnson, E3 Coaching LLC
10. Utilize The ‘Triage Approach’
We utilize the “Triage Approach” by initiating a quick scan to sieve out candidates that do not meet our basic requirements. We then look for crucial hard and soft skills in the remaining applications, followed by evidence of problem-solving capabilities. The final step involves assessing each candidate’s fit within our company culture, as well as gauging their values, interests and the tone of the cover letter. – Jochen Schwenk, Schwenk AG
11. Look For Goals And What Drives The Candidate
I’m looking to see what drives each candidate, what’s important to them in their life and what their goals are. I want to know who has done research on the company ahead of time, who is the most interested and enthusiastic about the opportunity and about possibly joining our team and who is looking for a career with purpose. I also want to determine who wants to see what they’re truly capable of achieving for themselves and the company. – Dawn Massa Stancavish, Massa Products Corporation
12. Identify Candidates Who Have Sent Something Personal
We get over 600 applicants per role and we’re a small business. I personally sift through every single application and can quickly identify the top candidates. The ones who stand out aren’t set apart by their CV alone but through something personalized they’ve sent. When I’m just looking at CVs, I look at how they describe themselves. Plus, the top candidates usually engage with our socials, too. – Sabrina Chevannes, Complex Creative
13. Find Ways To Narrow The Pool
To narrow the pool, we check for typos. If you aren’t conscientious enough to present yourself flawlessly, we don’t expect you will do so for the company. Along with their resume, we give each candidate a chance to stand out by telling us, in 500 words or less, what sets them apart, what makes them tick and invite them to add a doodle. It’s far more interesting than any cover letter and resume. – Michele Markham, EAG Advertising & Marketing
14. Look For Quantifiable Achievements
Having encountered numerous lengthy resumes that list job responsibilities, I’ve found that the most compelling candidates are those who prove quantifiable achievements. If the candidate is unable to articulate their accomplishments in measurable language, they haven’t brought the results. I recommend prioritizing resumes that outline precisely what was done, accompanied by numerical evidence. – Roman Axelrod, XPANCEO
15. Ask Questions To Gauge A Candidate’s Drive
We always ask the applicants to answer one or two questions that usually let us see the drive, grit and values that they have. For example, we ask, “How can you bring value to our business?” and “What are the top three things that you are looking for in your new job?” Their experience and their references are important, however, their fit to our culture is most important. – Magda Paslaru, THE RAINBOWIDEA
16. Hire For-Purpose People
Whether I’m hiring for our firm or taking part in talent acquisition for clients, I look for candidates who have taken a keen eye to the job description and tailored their resume accordingly. We are always hiring for-purpose people. If it’s not immediately clear that the candidate brings a head-and-heart approach to their career, we don’t move forward. This helps benchmark not only fit, but also EQ. – Emily Kane Miller, Ethos Giving
17. Ask About A Time The Candidate Learned A New Skill
When assessing a candidate, look at their progression within their current or past roles and their ability to learn, adapt and align with the organization. Consider asking the question, “Can you describe a time when you taught yourself a skill? How was the need identified and what did you do?” This offers them the opportunity to demonstrate their problem-solving skills, discernment and willingness to progress and grow. – Tatia Davenport, California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO)
18. Look For Something That Stands Out
Most resumes look the same, as candidates believe they have to fit the position, which results in them normalizing their applications and making them too plain. We look for things that are a little off but at the same time rich and diverse. Interests out of the core industry are always welcome, as we look for fresh perspectives all the time. – Alberto Levy, Poly Rewards
19. Use AI To Assess Personality Traits
We use AI that reads and assesses personality traits from the applicant’s resume and online profile language. If the applicants’ skill sets and experience are solid, we prioritize mindsets that are beneficial for the role and complimentary to the team. We hire very quickly, attrition is low, productivity is fantastic, talent pipelines just work and DEI happens naturally. – Karrie Sullivan, Culminate Strategy Group
20. Utilize A Tailored Scoring System
One option is utilizing a tailored scoring system that aligns with the specific skills and qualifications needed for the role and can swiftly identify top resumes. By ranking applications based on predetermined criteria, this method ensures an unbiased and efficient evaluation, highlighting the most promising candidates in a large set. You can also then update the criteria as the landscape changes. – Leigh Burgess, Bold Industries Group, Inc.
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