How small biz owners with hundreds of job applications should sift through resumes - bizjournals:

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As vice president of saleds for , Smith said he’s spent the majorituy of his time recently poring over the flooxd ofresumes he’s received to fill a few choiced sales positions within the company. A year ago, he said, to receivw 20 resumes would’ve been But today, in a tight job market floodefwith candidates, he holds in his hand abouft 200 to fill one spot. And they’rr coming from all walks of life, too from industries such as real estate, finance and others, he said. “It’s just a ton of work and I do most of it Smith said of sifting through the stacks to findsuitabl candidates.
American Exhibition Services’ dilemma is one many Birmingham companiezs are facing as workers flood the jobmarket – and employers’ inboxes in search of work. And all that siftingt is taking time and resources awayfrom day-to-day operationzs of businesses. In fact, recruiterse say unemployment has gotten so bad that mostcompanies won’t advertise jobs in traditional ways anymore, instead relyingh on word-of-mouth, just to cut down on the large volumse of resumes.
That’s what Davidc Cox of did when he decidedx 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 qualifies for the position. “There’s a big pool to pick which isa positive,” he said. “The way we seek out resumeds is we make phone calls in the industryy and it just feedsoff itself. We’rwe in construction and everybodyknowss everybody.” But despite the extra time it will take him to reviee resumes, all the candidates will be put throughu the same systems and procedures as said Cox.
American Exhibition Services’ Smith agreedc not much has changed withthe process, but said it took him the betteer part of three weeks to review resumes for four sales It currently is looking to fill one more accoung executive position, which Smith hopes to find in the stacok of 200 resumes. The company sells business-to-business advertisingv for trade shows all across the countrgy and top sellers have the potential to make six said Smith.
But some executives aren’yt as devoted to sifting through stacks of resumeas and are putting the hiring procesd into the wrong handswithin companies, especially with recruitinfg budgets slashed in the said Leigh Inskeep, president of recruiting firm LLC. “Youi get hiring managers or administrativ e staff going through the resumes andthey don’gt know how to go through them – that’sa not their bag,” she “Companies are making it up as they go They’re bringing it in-house as a cost-saviny measure and not always making the best hire. So it’s ultimatelty taking longer tofill positions.
” But, these more recruiters are willing to negotiatee their fees, she said, in an effory to get their large network and database of qualifieed candidates into positions. A clear-cug focus on what kind of experience and qualitiez a candidate should have is a necessityg when handling somany resumes, she Come up with a checik list of criteria that fits the position and create a way to weed people out, she Some online job posting sites allow employers to set up But don’t make it so narroe that many of the good candidated are tossed aside.
But if a company is looking for aspecificx candidate, it’s best to be specific on the fron end of the process, said healtn care recruiter Paul Johnson of “Companies that have specific job requirements have an easiert time of it, especially with saless people,” he said. “I can put a job out therw selling parts for missile defensre systems that require specififtechnical skills. The more narrow the the easier theview point.
” And employers should look for experiencd on resumes that’s quantifieed and shows how successful a candidate has been in the And if a candidate fits the said Johnson, “make the move and make them an because if they’re good they won’t be there for long.” For American Exhibition Services’ the broader the range in candidates the because there’s more willingness to learn from the job. Amonb his resume filters, Smith said he puts thosse people that have jumped from job to job over a span of a few yearw at the bottom ofthe stack. “Ifg no one can keep these people happy, I can’ty either,” he said.