Candidate Screening Guide With Step-by-Step Process

The rise of remote and hybrid work enables organizations to access wider talent pools outside their direct geographic areas, even across the globe. Forward-thinking companies are also embracing more diverse workforce models that include a mix of both full-time, in-house workers, and independent professionals through freelance marketplaces like Upwork.

As you expand your talent reach and receive more job applications, seamless and effective candidate screening is essential to identifying best-fit candidates for each open position. In this guide, learn about the importance of candidate screening, steps to a successful process, common mistakes to avoid, and how integrated tools and features on Upwork can help you effectively screen independent professionals.

Candidate screening basics

Candidate screening is the process of reviewing and evaluating job applicants to determine the most qualified candidates for a specific role or project at an organization. The screening process involves assessing prospective team members based on a range of criteria, including their experience, hard and soft skills, and work samples, to ensure they meet the requirements outlined in the job description.

Benefits of effective candidate screening include:

• Improved hiring quality
• Decreased hiring time and costs
• Stronger team fit
• Enhanced diversity and inclusion
• Reduced turnover
• Lower training and talent development costs
• Heightened risk mitigation

Sample candidate screening process

Successful companies take a thoughtful, step-by-step process to candidate screening and understand the importance of diversifying their potential talent pool when adding new roles to their team. Bringing in a new team member doesn’t necessarily mean you need a full-time hire. An independent professional with specialized skills may be the right fit for a particular job or project.

Whether you’re hiring a full-time worker or engaging independent talent, a thorough candidate screening process can help you select the right talent for your specific business needs.

Steps include:

1. Filter for resume criteria
2. Review cover letters for important features
3. Conduct an initial interview
4. Review relevant portfolios
5. Have one-on-one interviews with the hiring manager
6. Check references and social media profiles
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1. Filter for resume criteria

Many hiring solutions, such as applicant tracking systems, recruitment platforms, and human resource information systems, include resume parsing capabilities to automatically filter proposals or resumes based on the candidates’ specific skills and experience. Resume parsing uses machine learning algorithms to scan resumes and identify keywords most relevant to the job description, role, and required skills.  

As artificial intelligence (AI) has seen widespread adoption in recent years, dedicated AI recruiting tools are also available to streamline candidate sourcing, resume parsing, and other hiring steps even further. A survey of 1,688 HR professionals conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) found that 85% of HR professionals who use AI to support recruitment and hiring say it saves time or increases efficiency.

Automated resume screening can help your team avoid manually reviewing every resume, automatically weed out candidates who aren’t a fit, and spend more time evaluating and building relationships with the most qualified candidates.

2. Review cover letters for important features

Asking candidates to include cover letters with their applications can help you learn more about their experience and communication skills. Cover letters also enable you to understand more about each candidate’s passion for the role and interest in joining your team. When multiple candidates have similar backgrounds and experience, a compelling cover letter can help one stand out from the rest.

In addition to resume parsing, some AI recruiting tools also include features to automatically screen cover letters, which can help you narrow down the list of top applicants. However, including a step for a member of your team to review cover letters for the most qualified candidates is important, as this step helps you get to know individuals on a personal level before scheduling an interview.

If you’re hiring independent talent, Upwork includes options for candidates to add a cover letter and answer screening questions as part of their proposal. Screening questions may include, “Why do you think you’re a strong candidate for the project or role?” or “Can you describe your proudest accomplishment or project?”  Responses to screening questions can help you determine whether individuals pay attention to detail and are truly interested in your job.

3. Conduct an initial interview

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of candidates based on their skill sets and cover letters, the next step is conducting a screening interview. You can use this initial interview to better understand the candidate’s experience and qualifications, get a feel for their fit with the team, see how well they understand your organization’s priorities, and answer any questions around pay or other issues.

A member of your recruitment or hiring team will likely conduct the initial interview before scheduling a follow-up with the hiring manager. If you’re engaging an independent professional for a short-term project, the hiring manager may lead the initial interview directly. While many organizations schedule phone interviews for initial screening, you may find video interviews helpful, as they give you the opportunity to see candidates face-to-face during your initial conversations.

Develop a list of standardized interview questions and consider creating an interview scorecard to ensure a seamless process and evaluate all candidates on a consistent scale.

Initial interview questions may include:

• Can you share additional details about your background and how you ended up where you are in your career?
• How do your skills and experience align with the role?
• What interested you about the position and our company?
• How do you communicate and collaborate with team members in a remote or hybrid work environment?

4. Review relevant portfolios

To further narrow down job applicants and gauge their work experience, request a portfolio or work samples. Portfolios can provide a firsthand glimpse into individuals’ direct work experience and industry knowledge.

Portfolios and work samples will vary depending on the role you’re looking to fill. Examples include:

• Web developer. Websites, web applications, and code samples
• Graphic designer. Website mockups, logo designs, and branding materials.
• Writer or copywriter. Published articles, case studies, and marketing copy
• UX/UI designer. Wireframes, prototypes, and user interface designs
• Data analyst. Statistical modeling reports, dashboard designs, and data visualization projects.

5. Have one-on-one interviews with the hiring manager

After you identify a list of top candidates following the initial screening interview and portfolio review, schedule one-on-one interviews with the hiring manager for the role. During this stage, the hiring manager should consider top priorities for the open role and any factors that may impact the final hiring decision.  

Relevant interview questions can help your hiring manager gain additional insight into each candidate’s potential to thrive in the open position and effectively collaborate with the team.

Hiring manager interview questions may include:

• Can you walk me through one of your most successful projects? What goals did you set out to achieve and how did you approach the project?
• Can you describe a challenging project or work situation you faced and how you overcame it?
• If a previous team member were asked about your most valuable contributions, what would they say?
• How do you handle constructive criticism or feedback on your work?
• How do you manage your time or prioritize your work when juggling multiple deadlines?

6. Check references and social media profiles

A final step in evaluating top candidates is verifying their work experience by checking candidate references and reviewing professional profiles, such as LinkedIn and Upwork. The goal of this step is to confirm the individual’s past roles and experience and determine whether or not the candidate will be a good fit for your team both in terms of their skill set, work ethic, and communication and collaboration skills.

Best practices for reference checks include:

• Developing a standard list of open-ended questions. Whether you choose to email or call references, share a standard list of open-ended questions that you use for all applicants. Some sample questions include, “How long did you work with the candidate?,” “What are some strengths that made the individual an asset to your team?,” and “Would you be open to working with the candidate again?”
• Providing a brief job description to the reference. Sharing a job description or overview enables the reference to better understand the role you’re looking to fill and share details related to whether they believe the candidate will be successful with the position.
• Respecting each reference’s time. If you send an email questionnaire, keep the list brief to avoid taking up too much of the reference’s time. For phone references, consider scheduling a 15-minute call and joining each call on time and prepared to show you’re respectful of the reference’s time. Also be flexible with rescheduling the call if necessary, in case a more pressing priority comes up for the reference contact.
• Leveraging automated reference check tools. To streamline the process, consider using reference check tools or platforms. With these tools, candidates enter each reference’s contact information and questions are automatically sent to the reference. Once the questions are answered, you’ll receive a notification that the reference check is complete.  

Common mistakes to avoid

While candidate screening is essential to an effective hiring process and engaging candidate experience, many companies have room for improvement. In fact, a survey of 500 job seekers conducted by CareerPlug found that 52% of respondents have declined a job offer because of a poor experience during the hiring process.

Top mistakes to avoid during candidate screening include:

• Completing all screening steps manually. Candidate screening can take a significant amount of time and resources. Leveraging recruitment technology throughout the process can help you save time while screening candidates and enable your team to focus their resources on the best-fit individuals for the role.
• Following an inconsistent process. Develop and implement a standardized screening and hiring process so you evaluate all candidates on a consistent, objective scale. An inconsistent process can lead to wasted time, increased costs, a frustrating candidate experience, and misalignment when it comes time to make final hiring decisions.
• Failing to communicate effectively with candidates. Keep candidates updated each step of the way during the screening process and let them know when to expect next steps. Also close the loop with any individuals who aren’t moving forward with the hiring process. Consider leveraging communication tools such as chatbots on your hiring page, automated emails, and candidate text messaging to support an engaging candidate experience. ‍
• Overlooking soft skills. In addition to technical skills and experience, soft skills can help you determine how well individuals are likely to collaborate and communicate with your team. Ask questions during interviews and reference checks that can help you learn more about each candidate’s soft skills.

Tools and resources

While candidate screening may seem like a complex process, if you’re looking to engage freelancers on Upwork, integrated tools and features are available to simplify the screening process and help you bring in skilled talent quicker than a traditional hiring process for a full-time worker.

Available tools and resources on Upwork include:  

• Detailed freelancer profiles. Skilled independent professionals create in-depth Upwork profiles that highlight their background and experience. Profile details include each individual’s background, employment history, client ratings and reviews, portfolio samples, and Job Success Score, among other information. Top independent professionals on Upwork also receive Talent Badges, including Rising Talent, Top Rated, Top Rated Plus, and Expert-Vetted, which can help you identify proven successful individuals on the platform.
• Integrated communication tools. Upwork Messaging creates a new thread of messages, known as a message room, each time you connect with a new professional or start a new project through the platform. Messaging capabilities include text-based messages, file sharing, automated interview scheduling, and seamless interviews via an Upwork video or voice call, Zoom meeting, or internet phone call, among other features.
• Proposals and screening questions. When independent professionals apply to your open jobs on Upwork by submitting proposals, you have the option to request a cover letter and answers to required screening questions. This feature can help you learn more about how prospective candidates are qualified and why they’re interested in your open job. ‍
• Quick invites. Searching for the qualified workers and creating a shortlist of top talent can take time. With quick invites, after you post a new job, you’ll instantly receive a list of the top eight best-fit freelance profiles based on the job details. You can then select the profiles that align with your needs and invite them to submit a proposal. Consider including a brief message to personalize the invite and include additional details about the job.  

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• Candidate evaluations powered by Uma, Upwork’s Mindful AI. Uma evaluates proposals to help you find and hire the right fit for your open job faster. After evaluating proposals, Uma shares a comparison of candidates, showing how their skills and experience align with your job post.

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• Best Match insights. When you receive an influx of proposals for an open job on Upwork, choosing the best one requires time and thoughtful consideration. Best Match insights (beta), powered by Uma, automatically highlights the top three proposals as a Best Match. You’ll also receive a summary for each individual along with relevant client reviews (if available).

Summary

A thorough candidate screening process can help you hire the most qualified individual for each role and project, while saving your team time and resources. By following a standardized, step-by-step process, you can evaluate all candidates on an objective scale and engage workers who will collaborate well with existing team members.

Understanding and avoiding common mistakes can help you support an engaging candidate experience and ensure key candidate screening steps don’t get overlooked.

Find great candidates on Upwork

Simplify the candidate screening process with support from Upwork. Experienced independent recruiters can help you review resumes, evaluate portfolios, conduct initial interviews, and oversee other candidate screening and hiring steps.

You can also engage skilled professionals across specialties on Talent Marketplace™ and leverage Upwork’s integrated tools to streamline screening. Diverse, experienced independent talent is available, with more than 10,000 skills, to help your team quickly fill skills gaps and scale up and down as needed, while saving time and reducing operational costs. Get started—search for talent today.