Screening Job Applicants
Once the word is out that you have a job opening, expect to get phone calls,
in-person visits, and resumes in the mail. But what do you do once the calls,
letters, and people start coming in?
- Determine
if the person is indeed an applicant. If you're hiring your first
employee, chances are that anyone who expresses interest in any way is an
applicant. If, however, you have 15 or more employees, the EEOC requires
that you keep all records of all applicants for a full year, so determining
who is an official applicant and who isn't becomes more important.
- Decide
how to respond to applicants. It's always a good practice to acknowledge
everyone who applies for your job, even if you decide that they aren't
suited for it.
- Decide
on the type of information that you are going to require from applicants
and how you are going to get it. Do you have an application you want them to
fill out or are you going to rely on resumes? Which other types of
application materials could you ask for?