Don’t take my word for it – here’s a screenshot of the response to a single advert posted on one of the leading job boards on the 8th July - i paused it on the 10th July.

This isn’t unusual – actually, in the current economic climate it's probably about average. This one position was supposed to be open for 30 days, so one could easily expect over 1,000 applications.

It’s no wonder that HR & Recruitment Departments are left little option but to conduct an initial shortlisting phase by keyword matching the CV to the Job Description. So, what happens in the event of recruiting for a sales role, even more so for an entry level role? How do you keyword search that?

Most companies will have set criteria such as academic achievements and current location. Again, that’s just a method to weed out candidates from the mountain of CV’s and definitely doesn’t take into consideration what skills a candidate may have. If we look at it from a candidates perspective, how on earth do they get across to the employer that they have the right soft skills? So many times candidates are rejected from a process because of the lack of keywords on their CV.

(N.B. I’m not saying forget keyword searching. When a certain skill set is needed, for example a Doctor or an Architect, then of course, keyword searching is valuable in ensuring candidates with the necessary qualifications are considered)

So what are the options to ensure candidates skills are assessed?

1) Don’t advertise

There’s a strong argument for not advertising vacancies due to the sheer number of responses. However, this could be detrimental to the employers’ brand and there’s a significant chance of missing out on fresh talent.

2) Use an Applicant Tracking System with integrated Application Forms

Application forms can be a great method to start the filtering process. However, this depends on how they are set up. Too much unstructured data (free text boxes) will only lead to more work; too many tick boxes can be easily abused.

3) Outsource to a 3rd party Agency

The majority of recruitment agencies will be able to offer you advert / response handling services. They will advertise on your behalf and do the short-listing for you. However, how do you know you’re not missing out on great talent? After all, they are only human and will use the same processes as many in-house teams. What’s more, you could be looking to pay anywhere from 8%-20% of the candidate’s annual remuneration as a fee.

4) Assess candidates using real world simulations

Imagine the relief and even joy of not having to review a single CV…...........

All candidates are invited to partake in a series of simulated assessments that will test various skills and attributes required for the role. Within a few days you receive a link to the top 5 candidates, or however many you wish. Contained within the link is a content rich profile that includes test results, video interviews and, in the case of a sales role, a chance to actually hear how candidates pitch a product or service.

By using assessments in the early stages of a campaign, HR & Recruitment departments will save hundreds of hours of wading through CV’s. This allows them to spend time, either focusing on the candidates at the bottom of the funnel, or to spend time searching for candidates to fill the funnel.

From a candidate’s perspective, they will know that they have been put through a fair, unbiased process and even those who don’t secure a role won’t walk away feeling hard done by.

At TalentintheCloud, we use a sophisticated assessment platform to shortlist candidates. We can process hundreds of candidates within a matter of hours and deliver a shortlist that is way more accurate and insightful than any information gained from a CV. We would love to show you how the system works and how we can offer this service to you for less than a premium job advert on leading job sites.