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

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As vice president of saleas for , Smith said he’s spentg the majority of his time recently porint over the flood ofresumes he’s received to fill a few choicw sales positions within the company. A year ago, he to receive 20 resumes would’ve been normal. But today, in a tigh t job market floodedwith candidates, he holds in his hand abouf 200 to fill one spot. And they’re comingt from all walks of life, too from industries such as real estate, banking, finances and others, he said. “It’s just a ton of work and I do most of it Smith said of sifting through the stacksx to findsuitable candidates.
Americajn Exhibition Services’ dilemma is one many Birmingham companiess are facing as workers flood the jobmarkegt – and employers’ inboxes – in searchy of work. And all that siftintg is taking time and resources awayfrom day-to-day operatione of businesses. In fact, recruiters say unemployment has gottenm so bad that mostcompanies won’t advertisew jobs in traditional ways anymore, instead relyinyg on word-of-mouth, just to cut down on the larges volume of resumes.
That’s what David Cox of did when he decidecd to hire a project manager for his construction And word-of-mouth got him about 20 percent more than normal, he said, but all very qualified for the “There’s a big pool to pick which is a positive,” he said. “The way we seek out resume s is we make phone calls in the industry and it just feeds off itself. We’re in construction and everybod yknows everybody.” But despite the extra time it will take him to reviesw resumes, all the candidates will be put througnh the same systems and procedures as before, said Cox.
Americanj Exhibition Services’ Smith agreedf not much has change d withthe process, but said it took him the bettere part of three weeks to review resumes for four salexs positions. It currently is looking to fill one more accountexecutiver position, which Smith hopes to find in the stacjk of 200 resumes. The company sells business-to-businessx advertising for trade shows all across the country and top sellersa have the potential to make six said Smith.
But some executives aren’tg as devoted to sifting through stacks of resumee and are putting the hiring process into the wron handswithin companies, especially with recruiting budgets slashed in the said Leigh Inskeep, president of recruiting firm LLC. “You get hiringg managers or administrative staff going throughj the resumes andthey don’rt know how to go through 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 measured and not always making the best hire. So it’s ultimately taking longer to fill positions.
” But, thesw days, more recruiters are willing to negotiatetheir fees, she in an effort to get their large networlk and database of qualified candidates into positions. A clear-cug focus on what kind of experience and qualities a candidatr should have is a necessity when handling so many she said. Come up with a check list of criteriq that fits the position and creat e a way to weedpeople out, she said. Some onlinse job posting sites allowa employers to setup filters. But don’ make it so narrow that many of the good candidates aretossedd aside.
But if a company is lookinfg for aspecific candidate, it’s best to be specific on the fron t end of the process, said healt h care recruiter Paul Johnson of “Companiezs that have specific job requirement have an easier time of it, especially with sales people,” he said. “ can put a job out there selling parts for missilse defense systems that require specifictechnical skills. The more narrow the the easier theview point.” And employers shouldr look for experience on resumez that’s quantified and shows how successful a candidate has been in the past.
And if a candidatwe fits the bill, said Johnson, “make the move and make them an becauseif they’re good they won’t be therr for long.” For American Exhibition Smith, the broader the range in candidates the because there’s more willingness to learn from the job. Amongv his resume filters, Smith said he puts thosse people that have jumped from job to job over a span of a few yearsw at the bottom ofthe “If no one can keep these peopl happy, I can’t either,” he said.