How to Improve Your Screening Process for New Employees

One of the common problems faced by every startup is finding a team of dedicated employees who can help get your business off the ground. Rather than picking up a random person off the side of the road, you want to take your time to find the perfect candidate to grow your company. This isn’t just for startups, either. It’s essential for all companies to thoroughly screen new employees to ensure they provide value to their business.

Whether you’re a small business owner or are a recruiter at a large corporation, take a look at these tips on how to improve your screening process for new employees.

Host pre-interviews

As they say, time is money. You don’t want to waste your time bringing candidates in for in-person interviews just to find they’re not a good match for the position. One way to save time and still learn about applicants is by hosting pre-interviews in the form of phone interviews or video interviews.

Phone and video interviews can serve as a preliminary round where you give applicants the opportunity to expand on their resume and cover letter. It also gives you the opportunity to ask more in-depth questions to see what each candidate brings to the table. Once you’ve conducted a round of pre-interviews, you’ll be able to narrow your candidate pool and bring in the remaining applicants for in-person interviews.

Conduct background checks

An interview may go perfect, and you’re ready to send an official offer letter. But before you do that, make sure part of your screening process includes a background check. Why? Because not everyone is who they say they are. Sure, their resume may look amazing, and they may have convinced you in-person that they’re perfect for the job, but a background check will reveal certain information that they may have been hiding. A background check will reveal:

• Criminal history
• Employment history
• Previous addresses
• Education history
• Social Security verification
• Credit report

The last thing you want is to hire a new driver for your fleet, only to find they have multiple DUIs and reckless driving tickets on their record. So, how long does a background check take for a job? The time it takes varies depending on how in-depth of a report you want. However, you can expect results in a few days to a few weeks. This may sound like a long time if you need employees fast, but being patient can save you time, money, and headaches in the future.

Assign projects or tasks

Another way to improve your screening process for new employees is by assigning candidates to complete a project or task at some point during the interview rounds. This is one element that can help in the success of your company, in that it will give you the opportunity to gauge whether a candidate has the skills required for their role.

For example, if you’re looking to hire a content writer for your digital marketing company, ask applicants to send in a writing sample on a specific subject with a required word count, or to send their writing portfolio. Then, have members of the content team review the sample and provide feedback. Or, if you’re the principal of a school, ask candidates to send in lesson plans or video demonstrations of themselves teaching.

Ask for team feedback

If you’re the CEO or owner of a business, you’re most likely in your office dealing with clients, finances, and other aspects of your business rather than on the floor with your employees. This means you may not have a full grasp on your company’s culture or what specific teams are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

When screening for new employees, allow current employees to partake in the interview process. Team members will be able to ask more detailed questions on the open position and will be able to tell you whether or not they think a candidate will fit in with their department. Plus, giving employees a stake in the interview process will establish a sense of trust and respect.

Key takeaways

One area of business planning that should never be overlooked is screening new employees. You may think anyone can fill a role, when in fact, one bad employee can cause a host of problems. To protect your business from employees that are unproductive, unqualified, or fraudulent, beef up your screening process. From conducting background checks to requiring pre-hire projects, these tips on improving your screening process will help you create the perfect team.

Featured image source: Freepik