A couple of suggestions: First have some neutral party go through the CVs and redact names and physical addresses. You can use a coding or numbering system to identify them later. (maybe someone at the agency could do this for you). Second, create a rubric for scoring 4-5 qualities or traits and 4-5 hard and soft skills that you ideally want for the role. Third, do a few quick reviews just focusing on formatting and grammar issues, place those in the bottom of the stack (Again, the agency may have already removed these or you could request it). Then do a second read through and roughly rank them by placing your "favorites" on the top based on your overall impression of the candidate's CV. Finally, when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, you can do another read through, this time scoring with your rubric and try to find 5-10 that you would like to invite for an initial phone interview (even pre-covid I always did a phone interview before anything on video or in person, but it would be up to you). Keep working through the stack of CVs until you have 3-5 candidates you would like to invite for a follow up interview. Now all you need to worry about is how to interview them!

Hi Meghan, I would start with asking if they could share a navigator profile or 2, this way the agency will show whether they are on the right track for meeting the requirements of the role you are recruiting. Then I would refine your top 3-5 key things that are actually critical to the role and what would be nice to haves but are not essential and can actually be learned on the job ( when going through the CV's). I would also limit how many the agency send, if they understand your requirements I would advise them to send no more than 3-5 of their strongest candidates. Also, to note as a Recruiter and seeing how the landscape has changed ( in the Uk for instance), you may see candidates who were previously in temp work of contractors looking for permanent work, as long as the agency has done there work any of those CV's will have been questioned and ensured they really do want to move permanent and happy with whatever the salary band is! - This will help save you time and effort of moving through a process and then for a candidate to withdraw. Finally to add, I would ask ( if this is not a standard process with your chosen agency) for a summary/cover sheet - of the suitability after the agency recruiter has screened them. I hope this helps along with the other responses you have had.

Whether or not you’ve created a formal job description, now is the time! Use that to list the essential qualifications and your preferences. Then set up a spreadsheet to track how well applicants fit your description and apply a points system so that you can auto-sum applications to find your top candidates. Return to those resumes and cover letters and select those you’d like to interview first. Add the interview results to the scores. Then you’re ready to share impressions and make recommendations, and it’s easy to defend your decisions.

Sent requirements in letter/response to help you narrow down the pool for those that are paying attention & qualified e.g. simple things about you / company & then scale to a VA to handle first responses & then meetings & then you. I use Efficise & love to scale roles all the time!

Agree with the above comments. Even if you don't have a written job description at this point, write down the most important personal characteristics, skills & experiences you are looking for, and skim the resumes for a match to these. Discard any that are poorly written and then go back and re-read the smaller pile, looking for a closer match to your job requirements. This process should help you develop a written job description too - I agree with the comments above that you absolutely need this, to avoid wasting your time, the time of you agency, and the time of the job applicants.

Metrics of accomplishments are key (increased registration by 30%) and not just tasks (managed registration). The cover letter should be short and sweet and something should grab you to want to look at the resume...then, the resume should be clear and concise and give you the feeling that you want to at least have a conversation. I feel really strongly that you must develop a written job description for the position first!! How will candidates know what might be expected of them.

I look for a combination of good metrics in the resume and some sign of enthusiasm or personal engagement with the company in a cover letter. The two together can help you identify candidates for interviews that meet the the required qualifications and experience you need with the attitude you want.

Rightly or wrongly a deal breaker for me is poor spelling, punctuation, or grammar.

I always find specific metrics ("increased ROI by 30%", "managed a $200k budget", "trained 10 incoming team members") and specified knowledge of industry standard software or practices can provide a quick snapshot of an applicant's fit for the job. I would also look at longevity of times at other jobs, and at least have some questions on that front. Good luck!

What is the most common task or skill you would expect this direct report to be responsible for on a weekly basis? Is there a software program or training that would support this that could be a filter for reviewing?