Screening Applications

Posting-specific screening questions can assist with screening out and ranking applications. Using screening questions can help the candidates qualify or disqualify their own KSAs during the screening process. Also, when creating the posting-specific questions, hiring managers can assign points to each closed-ended question. This will rank the applicants by points, allowing the hiring manager to screen applicants based on the highest points received when answering the questions.

Review KSAs of the applicants as well as their work records, resumes and cover letters as a total package. Careful review and elimination during the resume/application screening process reduces your probability of interviewing unqualified candidates.

Review all applications:

1. For a sense of overall skills and qualifications available in the applicant pool; and
2. To help estimate an “average” level of these traits among the candidates.
   • Is there direct evidence of skills, knowledge or experience? Don’t speculate. If it’s not there, don’t guess or assume. It’s the applicant’s responsibility to provide clear evidence of his/her qualifications for the job.

Questions to Ask

• Frequent job changes without career advancement – Ask why.
• Gaps in employment history (although should be explored, seldom sufficient to screen out a candidate) – Ask why.
• Years of experience can be misleading (after ten years some people are still performing as they did on the first month of the job). Explore depth of experience.

Tips

• Achievements and awards show motivation.
• Topical resumes organized by activities, not by chronology – carefully review.
• Well-crafted resume – difficult to know whether the candidate prepared it or not.
• Salary – do not eliminate someone based on salary unless you contact them first.

If distinguishing between levels is difficult, use a criterion chart. List the following types of information on the chart and use the ranking scale mentioned above.

1. Educational requirements
2. Years of experience requirements
3. Most important job duties or responsibilities of the position
4. Most critical technical skills or competencies required for the position
5. Most critical interpersonal or interactive skills required for the position
6. Professional affiliations

Online assessments provide you a way to screen candidates even further. Examples include analytical skills, customer service, technical - such as office products. Recruiting uses eSkill online assessments. Your recruiter can suggest test they feel may be appropriate for the position you are hiring for. 

You can also use written responses as a screening method. You can send out a set of questions electronically and review the written responses.

Once an applicant pool is determined (the pool must be at least two), the department can contact the applicants for interview. Preliminary phone interviews can be helpful in narrowing down a pool (of many candidates who may look good on paper) to a few top candidates. Also, phone interviews could save out-of-town candidates from unnecessary travel to and from interviews. Prepare a list of job-related questions for the phone interviews and use these questions for all applicants. Interview questions should never include anything that is related to hobbies, personal relationships, health, religion, etc. If the job requires heavy lifting, use of special equipment or clothing, safety devices, chemicals or weekend work, fully describe these requirements during the phone interview process.

Phone Interview Tips

• Short and direct questions help you assess qualifications.
• Discuss salary/budget if this is a concern or issue.
• Determine if the applicant can work during the times and days needed.
• Stay sharp during the phone interview to determine how well the person listens and responds to your questions and if he/she seems excited about the job.