A Suggested Model for a Selection Process

This is a suggested selection system that will work for almost any position in any business, large or small. It is economical and it is efficient. Such a system will increase the effectiveness of most recruiting processes.

Initial Quick Screening
This can be done by reviewing resumes, by telephone, or by e-mail. If the job requires a particular certification, a particular set of experience, a particular preexisting skill, a particular schedule, definite degrees of flexibility, specific travel demands, particular transportation, or something else that is essential and specific, confirm that the candidate meets that qualification before spending any more time or money.

Brief Interview
This is a 5 - 15 minute face-to-face greeting. This may also be a brief telephone interview in some cases, where appropriate. With a high volume of candidates, it should be done by administrative staff after obtaining the necessary application paperwork from the candidate. With more select positions, this would be done by the initial decision maker for the hiring. This might be the owner in a small business or a personnel staff member in a large company or anyone in between. The purpose of this brief meeting is simply to verify that the candidate¹s initial attitude, grooming, and verbal skills are acceptable to the existing company standards for that job. Specific experience can be explored but in depth questions should be held until later.

Quick Job Match Assessment
If the Brief Interview is satisfactory, the next step in the process is for the candidate to complete a quick job fit assessment to evaluate how well their behavioral traits match those required by the job. HermanCheckStart requires about 15 minutes and has an effective cost of about $20 per use. It accurately assesses core behavioral traits relative to various jobs and also measures the candidate's reasoning speed. Since it requires no special training or expert interpretation, CheckStart's information allows you to assess whether the candidate is a good match for your particular job. HermanCheckStart also provides a unique Summary Sheet enabling the employer to organize information from different parts of the selection process

Drug Testing & Integrity Testing
If appropriate for the jobs in question, these should be done at this point. This is because these are usually the next least expensive and accurate part of the process. Also, since a positive drug test or a poor score on an honesty/integrity test will usually cause an exit from the candidate pool, expensive interview time should not be invested until those issues are settled. Integrity testing normally requires 15 - 20 minutes and costs $20. Drug testing varies according to the type of test. There are inexpensive and simple options, such as chemical strips, that allow for quick reads while a candidate is on site. More detailed results can be acquired if necessary, after conditional job offers are made.

Special Note
When companies are faced with low unemployment rates and strong competition for skilled workers, they are sometimes challenged to find enough candidates of any quality to fill the open positions. The concept of screening out any of them may seem unwise. However, the liabilities posed by employees who fail to meet minimal standards are potentially huge. It is important to temper the urgent need to fill positions with a conservative caution to protect the overall business.

Behavioral Event-Based Interview
At this point in the process, the focus changes from screening out unsatisfactory candidates to selecting the best candidate from those that remain. If few candidates are available, this process focuses on understanding how best to use the employees that are hired. This includes understanding how to compensate for those behaviors that may not match the demands of the job.

Interviews should always be planned in advance. HermanCheckStart provides behavioral interview questions that are tailored to each candidate and to the job. This saves the interviewer from having to prepare questions and standardizes the process for each candidate.

Comprehensive Job Fit Assessment
Depending upon the nature of the position being filled, it may be desirable to obtain a deeper level of information about candidates for key jobs. This may be because the jobs are at a high level; because they have high salaries; because they involve complex responsibilities; or because they are critical to the profitable operation of the business. The recommended procedure for candidates at this point, is to administer a more sophisticated assessment instrument that is designed for this purpose. These kinds of instruments have detailed cognitive scales of measurement, which can reveal the candidate's ability to think strategically; think tactically; solve problems quickly; express ideas at an executive level; think creatively; deal with abstract concepts; visualize data flows; and more. The TotalView Assessment is excellent for this purpose.

In-Depth Interview for Key Positions
At this point, all remaining candidates should be acceptable for the job, although each may possess a different set of strengths and weaknesses. It is the purpose of this stage of interviewing to determine which set of strengths and weaknesses, coupled with different sets of skills and experience, is best matched to the immediate needs of the business.

Contingent Job Offer
If a job offer is made at this point, it should be contingent upon Background Checks, Reference Checks, Driving Record Checks, and/or Drug Testing Results.

Background Check & Reference Checks
For any job that involves customer contact, driving company vehicles, safety issues, handling money or valuables, or critical functions of any kind within the company, background checks are absolutely necessary. Failure to conduct background checks can be deemed to be a negligent practice in some cases. The cost is minimal compared to the liability. All references should be verified also.

Once this assessment information is available, an in-depth interview is advised. The focus now centers on how the candidates various talents, abilities, experience, and behavioral competencies can be used within the company. It should also be the forum for exploring the candidate's own understanding of particular weaknesses and how those weaknesses could be handled constructively in the position in question.

Contingent Job Offer
As mentioned earlier, if a job offer is made at this point, it should be contingent upon Background Checks, Reference Checks, Driving Record Checks, and/or Drug Testing Results.

This Selection Process is a general recommendation. Each company should consider its own particular needs and its own situation when devising its Selection Process. It is important to secure the advice of professional legal counsel when making these decisions.