Make a list of key skills for the position. Include intangibles such as good communications, ability to work long hours or weekends, as well as the hard-facts such as technical skill set, training or education. Time spent organizing key elements will be richly returned during the entire hiring process.

If you do not have such a well-thought through list you will waste time wandering through cover letters and resumes and be inconsistent in your evaluation. Do not fantasize that you have it "in your head" and do not need a list. That is your ego talking and it is giving you bad advice. Put that thought aside and do the work to make a practical and useful list.

Seek guidance about employment law. Check with the HR department if there is one, or someone in authority within the company. If there is no guidance, get on the Web and pro-actively make yourself aware of the law.

Read each cover letter and resume and check for evidence of the needed skills. Is the material well-organized, well-written, and business-focused? Look to the cover letter for pointers. Has care been taken to write a cover letter that is relevant to the position you need to fill? Candidates who do some of the work for you by highlighting what is relevant to your job have very good, and very valuable skills.

Circle the positive information to make it easier to find on your subsequent review.

However, beware of making a choice on the strength of skills alone. Remember that skills can be taught, but attitude and commitment are the real drivers to success. Look for these key qualities among the words in the cover letter, and hidden in the resume. No matter what the job function, the ability to communicate is also an essential component of success.

If there is a reasonably good match with the skills list, then put a "plus" on the top and move the resume to the "plus" pile for immediate follow-up. If there is not a good match, then put a "minus" on the top and move the resume to the "minus" pile for later re-evaluation. If there is some potential but not a strong match write "pos" for possible on the top and move the resume to the "possible" pile for second-tier evaluation.

Once you are practiced you should be able to do this overview evaluation in 30 to 90 seconds per resume.

With this method, you avoid the pitfall of being overwhelmed until you have "time" to properly read and evaluate the ever-growing pile of resumes. By the time you find that "time" it may be too late. Remember, the older the resume becomes the less likely the candidate may be interested in you and your company. In a competitive marketplace speed does count.

Copyright © 1998, 1999 by D.E. Summerville. All rights reserved.

The advice and suggestions in the Women in Business column are solely those of the author. DC Web Women assumes no responsibility for its content.

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