Is shortlisting candidates on a percentage basis the right approach?

Shortlisting candidates on the basis of their marks is a conventional form of talent sourcing that recruiters follow. Even though the scores of a candidate are an important determining factor, selecting or rejecting a candidate on the basis of his academic prowess alone can be rather impulsive (and shortsighted) decision.

If you are a recruiter gearing up for your 2020 recruitment, shortlisting candidates based on percentage alone will not help you find the right talent. Also, the chance of missing out on top performers or overlooking other  much better candidates is high. To ensure that you shortlist the right guy for the right job keep an eye on other aspects such as extracurricular activities, communication skills, and more.

Here are a few things to consider while shortlisting students during your 2020 recruitment for a particular job profile:

• Check for inconsistencies: Candidates can have gaps in their education or may include way too many skills in their profile to make their resumes look strong. Even if those students have impeccable academic records, a truth told or a misrepresentation should raise an immediate red flag in the minds of the recruiter.  It is important to probe deeper to unearth such discrepancies before shortlisting such students.
• Check for skills that match the job description: You should have a clear list of skills to evaluate candidates in your 2020 recruitment and should check for the same while screening resumes. Filter out students who do not match your skill requirement and shortlist only those who do.
• Evaluate their overall performance: Before taking a final call, check for the overall performance of each of the final set of candidates. Select those who have  a good academic track record, desirable skills, and those who have done well in the assessment tests as well as the interviews.  
• Ask the right questions: The interview round can be an eye-opener for you as a recruiter if you ask the right questions. You will be able to evaluate their attitude, interest, communication skills, and other skills in a better way and decide whether the individual is the right fit or not.
• Pay attention to the resumes: The resume of a candidate speaks volumes about the skills, approach, merit, and sincerity of the individual. A poorly created resume is not a very promising sign when you’re screening candidates. Pay special attention to the way the resume reads, as it is the first step in zeroing in on the right person.

Screening candidates for a job profile is tough, especially when as a recruiter, you have to take a number of aspects into consideration to hire only the top talent who can add value to your company. In order to plan and execute your 2020 recruitment strategy well, you can take the aid of Pod.ai to help you conduct a successful campus drive and also hire desire number of candidates. Visit us at https://pod.ai/employers to learn more about our services.