Beyond Collecting Resumes, 5 Alternatives for Recruiting Candidates Harness other tools to learn about a job seeker's personality or behavior. This might prove useful, considering a new survey that found resume inaccuracy is rampant.
By Heather R. Huhman Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
With 58 percent of hiring managers detecting a lie on a resume, according to a new CareerBuilder survey, employers might be wise turn to other vehicles in their pursuit of top talent.
Although resumes are excellent for learning about a candidate's skills, experience and achievements, they might not help an employer learn about an individual's personality or behavior -- not to mention the inaccuracies.
Sifting through a stack of resumes can cause employers to overlook valuable talent in the intense focus on the schools a candidate graduated, the internships landed and the grade point average. By paying too much attention to these factors, recruiting managers drastically reduce their applicant pool.
Instead of just focusing on resumes during the hiring process, here are five alternatives employers could also turn to:
Related: Survey: College Degrees Still Matter. Sort Of.
1. Psychographics.
The study of lifestyles, personality, interests and attitudes of people is called psychographics. By collecting psychographic information, employers can learn about how a candidate might interact with others.
For example, to find out if a candidate is likely be an overachiever, ask questions during the interview about the individual's career goals and work ethic.
Another way employers can use psychographics to recruit top talent is by performing interviews, surveys and focus groups with current employees. According to a Gallup article, employers can survey their top performers to glean their opinions and attitudes toward their jobs and use this data to recruit candidates who are similar.
Related: Hire for Potential Not Experience by Asking These 5 Key Questions
2. Personality tests.
A great way to ensure that a candidate is a good match for company through examining the results of a personality test. A 2012 poll conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 71 percent of the HR professionals surveyed believed that personality tests can predict job-related behavior and performance.
3. Semantic analysis.
Drawing from the field of linguistics, semantic analysis involves looking at the meaning behind words, phrases, sentences and clauses that people use when writing. Use semantic analysis to learn about the online behaviors of candidates and create stronger online searches for candidates by using keywords.
Also, use semantic analysis to search resumes posted online to help hone in on desirable applicants. This can help employers find talent more quickly and easily.
Related: How Career Sushi Is Sprucing Up The Digital Job Hunt
4. A candidate's online brand.
Does the job seeker have a strong LinkedIn profile? Does he or she have a blog or online portfolio? Is the candidate creating valuable conversations on Twitter?
When assessing candidates as to whether they're a good fit with the company, pay attention to their online presence to determine if they're knowledgeable in their field and up-to-date on the latest trends.
5. Skills assessments.
By requiring candidates to perform a skills test, employers can gain a more concrete and accurate idea of their capabilities.
For example, when hiring a copywriter, have the person turn around an article within 24 hours. This can help determine whether the candidate has what it takes to be successful in the position.
What ways do you evaluate candidates aside from their resumes?
