We’ve all heard about the importance of first impressions. The make-or-break minutes before you find favor or you’re pushed to the side.

Whether or not you believe these moments matter, you may not get a second chance … and when it comes to recruitment, applicant screening can ensure you or your members will never need it.

Online screening is quickly becoming a standard best practice for recruitment and offers an opportunity for hospitality employers to efficiently weed out job seekers who make the wrong impression from the beginning.

Screening products come in various shapes and sizes, but ERE.net claims their benefits are universal.

“Screening is an essential part of the online hiring process …,” the recruitment resource states, saying it:

• Provides an easy way to remove unqualified applicants.
• Offers candidate information beyond what’s on a resume.
• Reduces guesswork.
• Provides crucial hiring metrics.

Back in 2001, more than 60% of companies ERE surveyed planned to utilize online screening. Considering today’s economy, there’s even more reason to do so. The U.S. unemployment rate still continues to waiver, falling to 9.7% in May but rising from 9.4% a year earlier.

Once you decide to jump in, it comes down to screening the screening tools. Many sites may make that easier by offering products that complement your members’ existing hiring practices. For example, Hcareers is launching a Screening and Ranking product in July that adds questions about a job seeker’s availability and background to existing posting packages.

So how do you maximize whichever solution you choose?

“I would recommend to consultants that they really need to think a little bit about the questions they ask. They should not be asking questions for the sake of asking questions, but they should ask questions to make it a meaningful part of the process.”  For example, ‘Do you have the right to work in the UK?,’ employment resource Onrec.com asks.

The site also suggests using questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no and sticking to five or fewer questions for each job application.

“An open-ended question will give you the ability to collect a bit more information, make it not a threatening process for the candidate, and at the end of the day, save time on both sides,” Onrec states.

From association offices to the front desk or back of the house, your organization and your members’ employees are making a first impression on clients and guests. And with applicant screening, it’s more likely to be a favorable one.