How can you screen resumes for niche industries?

To screen resumes for niche industries: -Utilize Specific Keywords -Focus on Relevant Experience -Education and Certifications

I completely agree that a detailed JD along with the detailed KRA would be the first step before the hiring process is getting started. We are living in a VUCA world and we need smart AI tools to help us the recruitment and selection. In the pandemic I came across this powerful AI tool called test Gorilla and it turned out as the most easy and accurate tool when it comes to doing first level selection. It not only suggest nice assessments but helps you to curate your own assessment along with personality assessment. The first level screening can be done virtually for a mindful investment in the PI and the smart AI helps us monitor the candidates location and time frame of the completion of the assessment as well.

Research the Industry: Dive deep into the specific industry's jargon, key skills, major players, and essential qualifications to fully understand the niche. Consult with Hiring Managers: Engage directly with hiring managers or team leads to grasp the exact qualifications, experiences, and characteristics they value most in candidates. Join Industry Networks: Become a member of industry-specific LinkedIn groups, forums, or associations to gain insights, stay updated on trends, and establish initial connections.

It's important to incorporate considerations for underrepresented groups in your criteria when they meet the minimum qualifications for the job. By actively including and acknowledging the skills, experiences, and potential of individuals from diverse backgrounds, you create a more inclusive and equitable hiring process. This not only enriches your candidate pool but also contributes to a more diverse and dynamic work environment, fostering innovation and varied perspectives within the team.

I understand the need for this in some situations, but if one has available time it is better to communicate the needs and be open to different backgrounds having aquired the necessary abilities to succeed.

It's important and super time-saving to use ATS platforms or screening software to help to filter more aligned profiles, but as Recruiter, we need to remember we're analyzing humans. Unless it's a skill we cannot afford not to have, it's important to reconsider, to see if this person has space to grow, to be trained. This is a valuable lesson to improve diversity in the pipeline.

💡Sharing a couple of ideas/learnings from my time recruiting for "niche industries". 🔹Time/Effort Day 3 recruiting for a "Niche Industry/role" will be better than Day 1.By Day 3 with time & effort, you will have learnt more about the industry / mapped the talent market, learnt about skills/certifications etc. This probably won't happen on Day 1. 🔹Ideal CV/Candidate Sometime during the search, you will identify an Ideal CV/candidate, who ticks all the boxes. Identifying this No.1 candidate can make your job of comparing & identifying Candidate 2 & 3 much easier. 🔹Iteration with Hiring Manager Following an iterative process with Hiring Manager-to gain insights / feedback to align the search is key while hiring for Niche Industries.

I still remember a client coming back on a CV saying the candidate had no 'wireless' experience, but their resume was full of 'wifi'. Keyword searches are useless if you don't consider variations of the word spelling and abbreviations where relevant.

Keywords and titles are a good place to start. But the gold dust information about a candidate is usually hidden. It's about asking yourself the right questions. When reading the resume ask yourself: 1) Have they applied their skills in the real world? 2) What work have they been credited for? +why? 3) Have they taken ownership of a project? That's how you dig deeper.

Customized screening questions have been a huge game changer for me! I am a legal recruiter and each of our roles are very niche. I use both the "must haves" and "preferred" job experience to create my customized questions. It also allows the candidate to evaluate if they are a good fit for the role. The customized screening questions allow me to screen the candidates much quicker and move forward with setting up calls/video calls.

You get very short time to express more and gather more information in your screening questions from your candidate, hence, Make it crisp and effective. Make sure your Screening questions answer: - The intent of candidate's job hunt reasons - What are the top 3 Priorities for candidate as must haves for him/her to look into

Test the mental bandwidth of the candidate by setting up a scenario that is realistic in the role and assess their ability to quickly draft an action plan and expected results.

In technical niche recruitment, the 1st expert you usually encounter is the candidate. Candidates are truly a great source of knowledge. They understand that we are recruiters, not engineers and are willing to explain and teach a lot of what they're doing. Be curious, go deeper than the basics.

Recruiters are not always the best when screening, nor are hiring managers. So it takes a combination of both parties' skillsets to make screening accurate

A subject matter expert can be a hiring manager, co-worker, or LinkedIn connection. You've got to start somewhere to understand your niche, and there are tons of people out there willing to help!

When working with a new niche industry, it's all about doing your research before you dive into those resumes. Get to know the players in the field and the competition, and figure out what kind of skills and tech are they using. Also, make sure you're clear on what's a must-have for the hiring manager and what can be learned on the job. When you're sifting through those resumes, pay close attention to how much experience the candidate has, how long they've been at it, and what were their core responsibility and achievements. For instance, most Business analysts use Jira to track stories but if the role requires them to work as an administrator you have to dig deeper into the screening to know the full extent of their abilities.

Begin by thoroughly understanding the specific niche industry you are hiring for. Learn about the terminology, skill sets, certifications, and qualifications that are crucial in that field. For creative and technical fields, prioritize reviewing portfolios and projects to gauge candidates' abilities. Leverage your network and industry connections; referrals from professionals in the niche industry can be a valuable source of well-suited candidates. In niche industries, critical problem-solving skills and creativity might not be apparent in resumes. Seek expert help in crafting specialized interview questions and exercises to evaluate candidates' practical problem-solving abilities in the field.

Screening resumes for niche industries requires a tailored approach. Firstly,need to familiarize with industry-specific keywords, certifications, and skills. Look for relevant experience and accomplishments, and assess how well candidates align with the unique demands of the niche. Additionally, consider leveraging industry networks or seeking input from professionals within that niche for a more clear evaluation.