How small biz owners with hundreds of job applications should sift through resumes - Memphis Business Journal:

stelauguqdinec.blogspot.com
As vice president of sales for , Smitb said he’s spent the majority of his time recentlhy poring over the flood ofresumes he’ s received to fill a few choice sale s positions within the company. A year ago, he to receive 20 resumes would’ve been normal. But in a tight job markef floodedwith candidates, he holds in his hand about 200 to fill one And they’re coming from all walksx of life, too – from industries such as real banking, finance and others, he “It’s just a ton of work and I do most of it Smith said of siftinh through the stacks to find suitable American Exhibition Services’ dilemma is one many Birminghamm companies are facing as workers flood the job market and employers’ inboxes – in search of work.
And all that siftinfg is taking time and resources awayfrom day-to-day operation s of businesses. In fact, recruiters say unemploymentr has gotten so bad that mostcompaniesz won’t advertise jobs in traditional ways anymore, instead relyingg on word-of-mouth, just to cut down on the largre volume of resumes. That’s what David Cox of did when he decide to hire a projecy manager for his construction And word-of-mouth got him about 20 percenf more than normal, he said, but all very qualifief for the position. “There’s a big pool to pick which isa positive,” he said.
“The way we seek out resume is we make phone calls in the industry and it just feedasoff itself. We’re in construction and everyboduknows everybody.” But despite the extra time it will take him to revieew resumes, all the candidates will be put through the same systemss and procedures as before, said Cox. American Exhibitioh Services’ Smith agreed not much has changed with the but said it took him the better part of three weeka to review resumes for four sales It currently is looking to fill one more accountexecutivee position, which Smith hopes to find in the stack of 200 The company sells business-to-businesds advertising for trade shows all acrossw the country and top sellerxs have the potential to make six said Smith.
But some executives aren’t as devoted to siftingb through stacks of resumes and are putting the hirintg process into the wrong hands within especially with recruiting budgets slasherd inthe recession, said Leigh Inskeep, president of recruitin g firm LLC. “You get hiring managers or administrative staff going throug the resumes andthey don’t know how to go througyh them – that’s not their bag,” she “Companies are making it up as they go They’re bringing it in-house as a cost-savingb measure and not always making the best hire. So it’sa ultimately taking longer tofill positions.
” But, thesw days, more recruiters are willing to negotiate theie fees, she said, in an effort to get theirr large network and database of qualified candidates into positions. A clear-cut focud on what kind of experience and qualities a candidate shoulds have is a necessity when handling somany resumes, she Come up with a check list of criteriqa that fits the position and create a way to weed peoplre out, she said. Some online job posting sitess allow employers to setup filters. But don’t make it so narroq that many of the good candidates aretosses aside.
But if a company is looking for aspecifidc candidate, it’s best to be specific on the front end of the said health care recruiter Paul Johnson of “Companiews that have specific job requirements have an easier time of it, especialluy with sales people,” he said. “I can put a job out there selling parts for missiler defense systems that require specifitechnical skills. The more narroe the specifications, the easiee the view point.” And employers should look for experience onresumess that’s quantified and shows how successfu a candidate has been in the past.
And if a candidatre fits the bill, said Johnson, “make the move and make them an becauseif they’re good they won’f be there for long.” For American Exhibitionm Services’ Smith, the broader the ranges in candidates the better, because there’s more willingneses to learn from the job. Among his resume filters, Smitn said he puts thoser people that have jumped from job to job over a span of a few yearse at the bottom ofthe stack. “If no one can keep thesd people happy, I can’t either,” he said.