Answer 4 for HRM 635 What pre-employment selection methods can be used to find the best candidate that fits the culture of the organization? 

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Sample 

It is important to ensure that a candidate fits into the culture of the organization. What pre-employment selection methods can be used to find the best candidate that fits the culture of the organization? What message is sent to candidates about the interview process and selection methods of an organization? Clarify how HR can ensure any pre-employment assessments used are not inherently biased.

Significant changes in technology over the past decade are having a profound impact on recruiting strategies, with staffing professionals increasingly using social networking sites to source, contact and screen both active and passive job candidates. This method uses different strategies, and tools to interview employees, in order to get the human resource talents, they are looking for. Why do organizations follow these patterns? The different organizations have their own vision, mission, and culture they want to pass onto the new members coming into the organizations. Therefore, (Dessler, 2013) had emphasized that organizations must also have a very clear description of the positions they are hiring for, in order to know what candidates, they will be hunting for, during the hiring process. Therefore, to find cultural fitment, organizations must screen candidates, based on psychometric tests and behavioral interview, role plays, and case studies.

The processes most employers use to find and select the best talent possible for an open position include the following:

  • Posting open positions on career sites to solicit resumes and employment applications.
  • Pre-screening to eliminate candidates who do not meet the basic requirements of the position.
  • Using a preliminary assessment to screen out those who lack the desired level of skills and competencies for the job.
  • Performing an in-depth assessment through interviews and job simulations to select candidates with the highest potential for job success.
  • Verifying candidates’ stated employment record and qualifications.

There are also other different ways candidates can be interviewed, and there are:

Applicant tracking and resume management: With the new applicant tracking systems, companies are increasingly moving their historically paper-based compliance forms online, creating a number of new efficiencies. When everything is done electronically, all the relevant information is already in the system, if there is an audit. This automation also results in cost and time savings by reducing the amount of paper contained in new-hire packets.

Pre-Screening of Candidates: The pre-screening process typically begins with the review of a candidate’s employment application and resume, followed by a telephone interview. A recent trend among some organizations is to use a candidate’s social networking profile as a tool in the screening process.

Telephone interviews: Phone interviews are a quick, lower-cost alternative to conducting a first-round interview in person. An initial phone conversation can give the employer a wealth of information about a candidate’s overall communication skills, sense of humor, ability to listen, attitude and professionalism. During the call, employers first try to determine if a candidate has the right education, experience and knowledge to do the job. They also focus on the prospect’s motivation for applying for a particular job to make sure he or she has realistic expectations.

As a general rule, state and federal equal opportunity laws prohibit pre-employment inquiries that disproportionately screen out members based on protected status unless some business purpose justifies the questions. The EEOC and state agencies take the position that the information obtained through pre-employment inquiries should be aimed solely at determining qualifications without regard to criteria based on irrelevant, non-job-related factors. Selection decisions should be well supported and based on a person’s qualifications for the position. Accordingly, agencies have viewed inquiries that reveal information bearing no relationship to the job qualifications (e.g., year of graduation from high school, child care arrangements, country of origin) as evidence of an employer’s discriminatory intent. Questions regarding criminal history may also be regulated.

Applicant tracking and resume management

Technology can reduce the time it takes busy hiring managers to screen job candidates. Many companies use an online application process that includes behavioral assessment tools that have been internally validated. The goal is to adopt a robust and efficient hiring system that saves managers time, results in improved quality of hire and drives cost savings through a reduction in paper.

With the new applicant tracking systems, companies are increasingly moving their historically paper-based compliance forms online, creating a number of new efficiencies. When everything is done electronically, all the relevant information is already in the system if there is an audit. This automation also results in cost and time savings by reducing the amount of paper contained in new-hire packets.

Pre-Screening of Candidates: The pre-screening process typically begins with the review of a candidate’s employment application and resume, followed by a telephone interview. A recent trend among some organizations is to use a candidate’s social networking profile as a tool in the screening process.

Telephone interviews

Phone interviews are a quick, lower-cost alternative to conducting a first-round interview in person. An initial phone conversation can give the employer a wealth of information about a candidate’s overall communication skills, sense of humor, ability to listen, attitude and professionalism. During the call, employers first try to determine if a candidate has the right education, experience and knowledge to do the job. They also focus on the prospect’s motivation for applying for a particular job to make sure he or she has realistic expectations.

Pre-employment testing

The purpose of employee testing is to help the employer predict how well an individual will perform on the job. Hiring the wrong people can be expensive, and selection errors can have a negative impact on employee morale and management time, waste valuable training and development dollars, and reduce employee productivity and a company’s profitability. According to the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures of 1978 issued by the EEOC, any employment requirement an employer uses is considered a “test.” As a result, there is the potential for litigation if a selection decision is challenged and determined to be discriminatory or in violation of state or federal regulations. Therefore, HR professionals must ensure that the selection process—and any procedures related to other employment decisions—are reliable, valid, equitable, legal and cost-effective.

Preliminary Assessment of Eligible Candidates

Preliminary assessment of candidates can be conducted through in-person interviews, structured panel interviews, video interviews or any combination of the three.

In-person interviews

The three key goals of employment interviews are to find out as much as possible about what the candidates know, to learn how they have applied and tested work skills, and to determine where their aptitudes lie, thereby defining the path of future growth and development. Ideally, each of the 10 to 12 questions interviewers ask during a typical one-hour interview, should provide the most insight on the candidates’ knowledge, skills and abilities. Scrutinizing interview questions before using them can help improve their strength and effectiveness and ensure that the interviewer and the candidate get the most out of their conversation.

Pre-employment testing

The purpose of employee testing is to help the employer predict how well an individual will perform on the job. Hiring the wrong people can be expensive, and selection errors can have a negative impact on employee morale and management time, waste valuable training and development dollars, and reduce employee productivity and a company’s profitability. According to the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures of 1978 issued by the EEOC, any employment requirement an employer uses is considered a “test.” As a result, there is the potential for litigation if a selection decision is challenged and determined to be discriminatory or in violation of state or federal regulations. Therefore, HR professionals must ensure that the selection process—and any procedures related to other employment decisions—are reliable, valid, equitable, legal and cost-effective.

Preliminary Assessment of Eligible Candidates

Preliminary assessment of candidates can be conducted through in-person interviews, structured panel interviews, video interviews or any combination of the three.

In-person interviews

The three key goals of employment interviews are to find out as much as possible about what the candidates know, to learn how they have applied and tested work skills, and to determine where their aptitudes lie, thereby defining the path of future growth and development. Ideally, each of the 10 to 12 questions interviewers ask during a typical one-hour interview should provide the most insight on the candidates’ knowledge, skills and abilities. Scrutinizing interview questions before using them can help improve their strength and effectiveness and ensure that the interviewer and the candidate get the most out of their conversation

Video interviews: Over the past decade, widespread technological advances in teleconferencing, video recording and streaming media have occurred. Video interviewing allows long-distance candidates to be more viable. Unlike conducting a phone interview or reading a resume, a video interview lets the employer observe candidates’ body language and how they answer questions; however, its key advantage is a reduction in travel costs and a more efficient use of time for both the recruiter and candidates, as we all had during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In-Depth Assessment: Depending on a particular position, in-depth assessment may be necessary to ensure the individual has the necessary skills and competencies to perform the job.

As a general rule, state and federal equal opportunity laws prohibit pre-employment inquiries that disproportionately screen out members based on protected status, unless some business purpose justifies the questions. The EEOC and state agencies take the position that any information obtained through pre-employment inquiries, should be aimed solely at determining qualifications without regard to criteria based on irrelevant, non-job-related factors. Selection decisions should be well supported and based on a person’s qualifications for the position. Accordingly, agencies have viewed inquiries that reveal information bearing no relationship to the job qualifications (e.g., year of graduation from high school, child care arrangements, country of origin) as evidence of an employer’s discriminatory intent. Questions regarding criminal history may also be regulated.

References:

Doll, J. L. (2017). Structured interviews: Developing interviewing skills in human resource management courses. Management Teaching Review, 3(1), 46-61.

https://doi.org/10.1177/2379298117722520

EEOC. (Feb. 4, 1987). EEOC Policy Statement on the Issue of Conviction Records under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (1982).

Dessler, G. (2016). Human resource management (15th ed.). Pearson/Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 9780134235455

Published by Henry