The second highest priority for HR departments throughout 2010 according to a recent report on global assessment trends is external recruiting/hiring. But where do companies fail in their recruiting/hiring efforts? How do companies find and retain top talent or if you are using an outside recruiting/staffing agency, how do you effectively cull through the stacks of resumes to find those gems in the rough? Despite the economic downturn and a market flooded with eager job seekers, finding good candidates can be even more challenging than before. If you use job postings you may find your Inbox overrun with candidates as desperate job seekers fling their resumes at any open position remotely matching their skill sets.

Here are a few ways to maintain a healthy recruiting process.

Why should I work for you?
Many recruiters when sourcing for candidates are satisfied in posting advertisements for their open positions on the major job boards or in newspapers mainly because candidate response is high. As I mentioned above, desperate job seekers will apply to open positions remotely matching their skill set hoping to get an interview. The obvious drawback is that 90% of your candidates may be unqualified for the job and the remaining 10% might only look good when compared to the un-qualified. Recruiters and HR departments then push through a group of candidates skilled enough to do the job but not skilled enough to do the job exceptionally well. Job postings will always attract numerous resumes, but they must also be crafted to attract top talent. Too often HR/Recruiters list the responsibilities and requirements of the job believing incorrectly that candidates will screen out themselves. While this does work to an extent, listing only the requirements and not the benefits of working for your company, screens out top talent. Like with a professional athlete over whom many teams are competing, you too need to explain up-front, why a superstar should come work for your organization. Listing the unique benefits of working for your organization will give you an edge over your competitors.

Don’t be afraid to at least list a salary range. David Dickens, GM of Jobing.com mentions in his blog that listing the salary will screen out candidates overqualified for the position and hourly candidates who need not apply to a high-end exempt position.

Dr. John Sullivan, a well-known leader in HR, reveals in a 2009 article that many organizations are now employing video to demonstrate the “excitement and passion” at their firms. A few are using unscripted employee videos on their sites as well. One popular tool, Video-View, allows employers and candidates to interview themselves with a webcam. The interview is immediately recorded and a link to the video is provided. This tool enables organizations to screen candidates, but also allows hiring managers to interview and post video of themselves touting the exceptional benefits of working for their firm.

With video, hiring managers can show off their corporate enthusiasm but also reveal to the candidate a bit about themselves and their management style. This allows the candidate to consider if they might be a good behavioral fit to work hand in hand with the hiring manager.

Part II of my blog post “Pre-Screen, Pre-Screen, Pre-Screen” will be out soon! Until next time.