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

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As vice president of sales for , Smithy said he’s spent the majorithy of his time recently poring over the flood ofresumes he’d received to fill a few choice sales positions within the company. A year ago, he said, to receivwe 20 resumes would’ve been normal. But in a tight job market floodedwith candidates, he holds in his hand abouyt 200 to fill one spot. And they’re coming from all walkxs of life, too – from industries such as real banking, finance and he said.
“It’s just a ton of work and I do most of it Smith said of sifting through the stacks to find suitable AmericanExhibition Services’ dilemma is one many Birminghamm companies are facing as workers floodf the job market – and employers’ inboxes – in searc of work. And all that siftingt is taking time and resourcex awayfrom day-to-day operations of In fact, recruiters say unemployment has gotten so bad that most companiesd won’t advertise jobs in traditionaol ways anymore, instead relying on word-of-mouth, just to cut down on the largw volume of resumes.
That’s what David Cox of did when he decidesd to hire a project manager for his construction And word-of-mouth got him about 20 percent more than he said, but all very qualifiec for the position. “There’s a big pool to pick which isa positive,” he said. “The way we seek out resumes is we make phone calls in the industrgy and it just feedsoff itself. We’rse in construction and everybodyknows everybody.” But despits the extra time it will take him to review all the candidates will be put through the same systemsx and procedures as before, said Cox.
Americabn Exhibition Services’ Smith agreed not much has changeds withthe process, but said it took him the bettet part of three weeks to review resumes for four salezs positions. It currently is looking to fill one more accountexecutivde position, which Smith hopes to find in the stack of 200 The company sells business-to-business advertising for trade show all across the country and top sellers have the potentiao to make six figures, said Smith.
But some executivea aren’t as devoted to siftin through stacks of resumes and are putting the hirinb process into the wrong handswithinj companies, especially with recruitingh budgets slashed in the recession, said Leigh Inskeep, presidenf of recruiting firm LLC. “You get hirinhg managers or administrative staff goingf through the resumes andthey don’t know how to go throughh them – that’s not their bag,” she “Companies are making it up as they go They’re bringing it in-house as a cost-saving measurse and not always making the best hire.
So it’s ultimately taking longer to fill But, these days, more recruiters are willing to negotiateetheir fees, she said, in an effort to get theid large network and database of qualified candidates into positions. A clear-cuyt focus on what kind of experience and qualitiezs a candidate should have is a necessity when handling somany resumes, she Come up with a check list of criteria that fits the positiohn and create a way to weed people out, she said. Some onlinee job posting sites allow employerw to set up But don’t make it so narrow that many of the good candidatews are tossed aside.
But if a companyg is looking for aspecific candidate, it’s best to be specifidc on the front end of the process, said healtuh care recruiter Paul Johnson of “Companies that have specific job requirements have an easier time of it, especiall y with sales people,” he said. “I can put a job out there selling parts for missil e defense systems that require specifictechnical skills. The more narrow the the easier the view And employers should look for experience onresumes that’x quantified and shows how successful a candidatew has been in the past.
And if a candidate fits the said Johnson, “make the move and make them an becauseif they’re good they won’tt be there for long.” For Americah Exhibition Services’ Smith, the broader the range in candidateas the better, because there’s more willingness to learn from the job. Amonfg his resume filters, Smith said he puts those peopl that have jumped from job to job over a span of a few yearse at the bottom ofthe stack. “If no one can keep thesre people happy, I can’t either,” he said.