揭开招聘过程的神秘面纱

　　你是否想知道当你申请一份工作时，招聘幕后发生的事情？尽管招聘程序会因行业、公司、甚至部门而异，结果却是一样的：众多应聘者中只有一个会拿到聘书。

　　对于那些未被聘用的人来说，可能很难搞清楚招聘过程中自己作为应聘者出了什么问题。并非每家公司都会通知应聘者他们被拒了，告诉你被拒原因的更是少之又少。不过，明白招聘过程背后的秘密可能会使求职者在找工作时获得有利地位。

　　Bruce Macpherson很多雇主在开始招聘高管以下级别人员时，会利用一个招聘小组或人力资源团队来剔除未能满足工作基本要求的应聘者。西雅图一家小型电子商务公司Onlineshoes.com首席营销长里奇（Peter Leech）说，他们应该只是排除那些明显不合格的人选。

　　筛选的方式、时间长短和进入下一轮选拔的应聘者人数会因公司而异，不过也有一定的模式可寻。有些进行初选的招聘人员会把所有的申请都一一过目，而有些则会在申请中找某些关键词。同样，有些人会在进行评估时看附在简历前的求职信，有些则会忽视求职信。职业专家建议，宁可过于谨慎也不要粗心。每份申请都要提供一份认真撰写的求职信，并键入关键词，也就是通常能够在招聘广告中找到的资格要求。

　　新罕布什尔州职业策略师奥唐纳（J.T. O'Donnell）说，如果你担心自己的申请无法送达，等上五天，然后给雇主打电话确认他们是否收到了。

　　位于明尼阿波利斯的General Mills Inc.副总裁、首席招聘长莱勒克（Stephanie Lilak）说，公司只向在网上填写了某个职位申请表的求职者发电子邮件确认收到申请。她说，此外招聘人员只会看那些根据筛选标准满足工作基本要求的应聘者的申请。

　　不过很多公司常常会有这样的特例：由员工或其他可靠来源推荐的应聘者。一位受到推荐的人选可能会立刻获得注意，有可能会加快他们进入面试阶段的过程。43岁的法斯克兹（Michelle Vasquez）说，她上个月获得了应聘一份高级营销职位的电话面试，这要多亏了招聘经理的一个朋友推荐了她。法斯克兹后来受邀接受数位高级经理的面试，不过她后来没有得到这份工作。她说，我不用填写网上申请表，直接就进入了面试阶段。

　　下一步常常是让人力资源人员、招聘经理或二者一起把申请人的范围缩小到那些技能和工作经历与职位描述非常接近的人。如果他们不能确定，可能会发邮件或打电话了解更多情况。最后，他们往往会得出一个人选名单，通常不超过20人进入面试程序。

　　经常是人力资源人员，不过偶尔会是招聘经理，将首先对应聘者进行电话面试。密苏里州堪萨斯城保险经纪商Lockton Cos. LLC高级副总裁、人力资源人士盖斯汀（Jo-Ann Gastin）说，一般来讲，电话面试的目的是确保候选人了解职位的要求，并且符合他们的工资预期。她说，如果不符合，就没有进一步面试的必要了，不过偶尔对期望工资高于职位最高工资的人选会有例外。她说，他们的表现必须让我们刮目相看才行。

　　电话面试可以被用来帮助确定候选人是否是非常合适的人选。应聘者的沟通技能也可能受到评估。以盖斯汀为例，她说，我们希望看到他们是否能在电话面试中表现出亲和力，因为我们是一家客服公司。

　　招聘经理有时会在安排现场面试之前，再进行一次电话面试，以便深入了解更多情况。一些公司要求候选人完成性格或能力测试，测试是根据雇主认为一个特定职位所需的关键特点而制定的。

　　一些公司会在评估了应聘者的申请之后，马上让候选人来公司进行面试。波士顿咨询（Boston Consulting Group）就是这样一家公司，公司合伙人、美洲招聘负责人沃夫冈（Mel Wolfgang）说，它主要聘用应届大学毕业生或学历更高的毕业生。该公司指定最多由三人组成的小组来评估来自30多所美国学校的求职者。沃夫冈说，我们要找的是全面发展的人才，他们的兴趣和生活经历能证明他们拥有良好的适应力。

　　每个职位会有至多六位应聘者得到第一轮面试的机会，包括接受两位公司顾问的面试，每位顾问的面试时间约为40分钟。在这些候选人中，约有一半的人会进入与四位合伙人的第二轮面试。在面试期间，候选人会被问及他们的工作经历、职业目标和其他相关话题，另外他们还可能会参加角色扮演活动。

　　大部分公司，一旦面试完成，招聘经理就会与参加最后一轮面试的同事开碰头会，了解他们认为谁应该获得这份工作。Onlineshoes.com的里奇说，不过最后，决定权仍在招聘经理手中。这个决定常常取决于应聘者的适合程度和热情度。他说，你要确保你选的人对这份工作充满激情。

　　Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes when you apply for a job？While the recruiting process varies by industry,company and even department,the result is the same:One person out of many receives an offer.

　　For those who aren't hired,understanding what happened to their candidacy along the way can be a mystery. Not every firm notifies applicants they've been rejected，and few say why. But knowing what goes on in the hiring process may give prospects the inside track for a job.

　　Many employers start filling vacancies below the executive level by using a team of recruiters or human-resources personnel to weed out applications that fail to meet a job's basic qualifications. 'They should only be removing candidates who are a clear miss，says Peter Leech,chief marketing officer for Onlineshoes.com,a small Seattle e-commerce company.

　　How this is done,the time it takes,and the number of applicants selected to go on to the next step varies,but there are some patterns. Some screeners eyeball every submission that comes in,while others search for certain keywords among applications. Likewise,there are screeners who consider cover letters in their evaluations and those who ignore them. Career experts suggest erring on the side of caution. Submit a carefully written cover letter and insert keywords —— must-have qualifications usually found in the job posting —— with every application.

　　If you're worried that your application never arrived， wait five days and call the employer to ask for confirmation,suggests J.T. O'Donnell,a career strategist in North Hampton,N.H.

　　General Mills Inc. sends email confirmations only to job hunters who complete an online application for a specific opening at the Minneapolis-based company,says Stephanie Lilak,vice president,chief staffing officer. What's more, recruiters will only review applications that show a person meets a job's basic qualifications,based on screening questions,she says.

　　One common exception many firms make:A job hunter who is referred by an employee or other trusted source. A referred candidate may be given immediate attention,potentially speeding them to the interview stage. Michelle Vasquez,43 says she landed a phone interview for a senior marketing job last month thanks to a referral from a friend of the hiring manager. Ms. Vasquez was later invited to interview with several senior managers,though she later found out she didn't get the job. "I didn't have out to fill an online application", she says. "I went straight into the interview pool."

　　The next step is often to have human-resources staff,hiring managers —— or both —— narrow down applicants to those whose skills and work histories closely match the job description. If they're unsure,they might email or phone to learn more. In the end,they'll typically have a list of candidates,usually no more than 20 to interview.

　　Often human-resources personnel,but occasionally hiring managers,will first interview candidates over the phone. In general,the purpose of the phone interview is to make sure candidates understand the job and that it lines up with their salary expectations,says Jo-Ann Gastin,senior vice president,human resources,for Lockton Cos. LLC,an insurance brokerage firm in Kansas City,Mo. If it doesn't 'there's no point in going any further,she says,though on rare occasions exceptions may be made for candidates who name salaries above the maximum for a job. "They'd have to wow us,"she says.

　　Phone interviews may be used to help determine if the person is a strong fit. Candidates also may be evaluated on their communication skills. In Ms. Gastin's case,'We look to see if they can establish rapport on the phone because we are a customer-service company,' she says.

　　Sometimes hiring managers will reach out to candidates for a second call before scheduling an on-site meeting to dig deeper. And some firms require candidates to complete personality or competency tests benchmarked according to what an employer considers to be key traits for a particular role.

　　Some firms do bring candidates in for face-to-face meetings right after reviewing their applications. Among them is Boston Consulting Group,which mostly hires upcoming college and advanced-degree graduates,says Mel Wolfgang,partner and head of Americas recruiting. The firm assigns teams of up to three recruiters to assess applicants from more than 30 U.S. schools. "We look for well-rounded individuals whose interests and life experiences suggest that they would adapt well,"says Mr. Wolfgang.

　　Up to six applicants are typically granted first-round interviews per opening,which involve meeting with two company consultants for about 40 minutes each. Of these,about half go on to second-round interviews with up to four partners. During the meetings,candidates are asked about their work history,career goals and other relevant topics, plus they are expected to participate in role-playing exercises.

　　At most firms,once interviews are done,hiring managers will convene with colleagues who met the finalists to get their opinions on who should get an offer. 'But in the end,it's still the hiring manager's call,"says Mr. Leech of Onlineshoes.com. That decision often comes down to fit and level of enthusiasm. "You're making sure that you pick someone who is pumped up about the role"he says.