Live Chat

So Many Job Resumes, So Little Time!

February 13, 2012

By: Omnia Group

The job resumes keep flooding in...the pressure to hire the right person for the job amasses.  Suddenly the manager leaps over a desk and grabs the well-mannered job candidate by the collar. “CAN YOU DO THE JOB? WILL YOU GET ALONG WITH CO-WORKERS? DO YOU FOLLOW RULES? ARE YOU GOING TO COST ME BUSINESS?” he repeatedly asks, shouting uncontrollably and now shaking the interviewee so hard a cell phone crashes to the floor.

Or wait, is that an alarm clock?

Yes - just another bad dream experienced by another stressed employer who’ll soon be spending the whole day interviewing job applicants.

Unfortunately, the real, waking world of a new-hire search is almost as nightmarish as the bad dream. With the overflowing pool of eager and sometimes desperate job candidates, it’s difficult, as well as time-consuming, to try to assess who’s really right for your open positions. Some managers still rely exclusively on interviews, resumes, and references, but these usually tell only a small part of a much larger story. Trying to save time by trusting gut instincts about an applicant or, worse yet, simply hoping for the best, is often a big, costly mistake.

Statistics show that at least 30 to 40 percent of all job applications and resumes include false claims or inflated assertions. And there are plenty of sites easily accessed online that give would-be employees “helpful” tips on how to do this. That’s enough to give even the most confident, experienced employer nightmares.

So what’s the fastest way to get a clear picture of who’s really staring back at you during the interview? Consider using behavioral assessments. These valuable, insightful hiring tools can save time and the expense and frustration that come when the wrong person is brought onto the job.

Some even go a step further and offer additional decision-making information. For example, The Omnia Profile allows managers to compare potential new hires' traits to a target candidate or specific existing employees. Screening for promotability and leadership potential is also possible and a good way to uncover who to keep in mind for succession planning, senior management, and outside-the-box thinking.

And knowing who’s strong in back-office administration, for example, as opposed to sales or high-end management, lowers your risk of putting a service-oriented worker into a role that overtaxes him. Often, when a manager or salesperson struggles on the job, it’s because he or she is cautious by nature, disinclined to push an agenda, and worried about taking risks.

Today, given the false impressions the rush of applicants can paint themselves via web-enhanced resumes, social media, and online coaching, it’s more difficult than ever to know if he or she is anything like the last employee you terminated.

People can be so good at the interview and so nightmarish at the job.

Omnia Group

For over 30 years, we’ve helped organizations across the world improve and optimize their workforce operations and company cultures. While we take a unique, scientific approach to hiring, development and retention, we also believe every business is a people business. Our passionate advisors always put people first.

Related Posts

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram