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Guidelines for establishing job requirements, identifying essential functions, and screening applicants based on competencies. It covers topics such as reviewing job results, identifying major job duties, recruiting sources, and various methods for screening applicants, including questionnaires, work samples, and background checks. The document also emphasizes the importance of avoiding interview bias and respecting applicant privacy.
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Originally distributed June 2000
Revised February 2005 Revised January 2006 Revised December 2006 Revised December 2007 Revised January 2008
Applicant Screening Manual Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise Revised January, 2008 Page i
Applicant Screening Manual Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise Revised January, 2008 Page iii
Applicant Screening Manual Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise Revised January, 2008 Page iv
Applicant Screening Manual Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise Revised January, 2008 Page vi
Applicant Screening Manual Chapter 1
Revised January, 2008 Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise Page 1
General System Requirements
Although the employment system has undergone major changes in recent years to improve the delivery of services and be more customer-focused, it must be remembered that the employment system remains a merit -based system. This means that it must be fair, equitable, and based on hiring the most qualified applicants available. Hiring applicants based on their merit (job-related qualifications) is still a cornerstone for making appointments.
Hiring based on merit requires comparing the job-related competence of one applicant against the job-related competence of other applicants. It is the intent of this manual to provide assistance to staff working in the human resources area and to supervisors in making hiring decisions based on the relative merit of applicants within the State’s employment system.
Employment Practice Standards
The following basic standards apply to all processes used to screen applicants in order to ensure that the applicants are fairly compared:
Applicant Screening Manual Chapter 2
Revised January, 2008 Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise Page 3
Department
Class Title and Code
Division/Bureau/Section
Immediate Supervisor
Task 1 Reviewed and revised, if necessary, Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ). The PDQ must include essential functions of the job. An updated PDQ should be maintained in the department’s personnel files. Check each of the following review steps as completed.
The latest version of the form can be found at:
http://das.hre.iowa.gov/rtfs/MS_manual/552-0094_position_description_questionnaire.dot
Date Completed:
Purpose
The purpose for this position has been reviewed and revised, as necessary.
Results/Outputs (not part of PDQ but critical to understanding job requirements)
Reviewed and revised, as necessary, the results/outputs that this position is expected to produce.
Reviewed and revised, as necessary, the methods used to produce these outputs/results.
Essential Functions
Reviewed or established essential functions.
Wrote the essential functions in terms of producing critical or important results/outputs.
Assured there is supporting evidence that the essential functions are truly essential.
Duties
The duties listed on the PDQ for the position are still current or have been revised, as necessary.
Competencies
Identified the competencies required to perform the duties that produce the essential functions of this position.
The screening process to be used is job-related, as it measures the identified competencies.
The competencies being measured are likely to identify the applicants most able to succeed on the job.
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Education and Experience Requirements
Reviewed the education and experience requirements for the job class in which this position is classified.
Identified additional selective requirements needed to perform the essential functions of this position.
Included these requirements in the vacancy posting.
Task 2 Posted the vacancy for contract transfer (with required selective requirements, if needed).
Date Completed:
Task 3 Submitted Vacancy Requisition Form (job req.)
Date Completed:
Included the length of time the position to be posted. (Must be posted a minimum of 10 calendar days.)
Identified if applicants desired from only own department, any department, or all applicants.
Identified major job duties and responsibilities, required competencies, minimum qualifications (education and experience requirements) and any position-specific selective certification requirements.
Task 4 Cleared/processed recall list.
Date Completed:
Task 5 Developed screening plan.
Date Completed:
Identified the types of screening options to be used.
Identified completion times for each step.
Task 6 Developed a standardized interview.
Date Completed:
Established/trained interview team (team recommended where possible).
Developed written questions.
Established how question answers will be ranked/scored.
Reviewed recommended interview procedures (See Chapters 17-19 in this manual).
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Task 15 Notified unsuccessful applicants by letter (See Examples on pages 138-141 in Chapter 21).
Date Completed:
Task 16 Assembled and retained interview records (3 years – See Chapter 21).
Date Completed:
Task 17 Electronically returned list of applicant status codes and date of hire to DAS-HRE.
Date Completed:
(Signature) (Date)
Applicant Screening Manual Chapter 3
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What is legal protection for use of screening methods?
Legal protection when using a screening method involves the gathering of information that can be used to successfully withstand lawsuits that allege discrimination or other illegal hiring practices.
There is one primary legal protection that is most practical when applying screening tools for specific positions. That protection requires documentation that the screening method used is job- related and a business necessity.
Being job-related means that it can be demonstrated through a documented review of the position that the competencies measured in the screening method are required to successfully perform the job.
Being a business necessity means that the requirement being measured is truly essential, that is, it is directly related to performing an essential function of the job.
Why be concerned about legal protections?
How do I develop adequate information to provide legal protection?
Adequate protection can be developed by following the procedure for establishing job requirements that is included in this manual. Other similar procedures may also provide information that would meet legal requirements. Since so much is at stake, when deciding to use another procedure, it is suggested that a department discuss the procedure with their assigned Personnel Officer before committing to its use.
Applicant Screening Manual Chapter 4
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Note: This chapter was initially intended as a description of how to complete the State of Iowa Vacancy Announcement, but as the information was examined within the context of the entire hiring process, it became clear that this subject area was part of the larger topic of recruitment. Although the recruitment process precedes applicant screening, it is so integrally related, it was decided to include it in this manual. The reader who is seeking specific information about the State of Iowa Vacancy Announcement will find it discussed on Pages 15-17. The rest of this chapter, however, deals with recruitment from a broader perspective.
The term “appointing authority” refers to the agency as a whole, also referred to as the “organization.” The “selecting authority” refers to the individual supervisor who is filling the vacancy.
Introduction
Recruitment is a key strategy for ensuring that the organization’s workforce is made up of the best talent. Finding high quality talent is proactive, especially in recent years as the competition for talent has grown. Successful recruitment is not passive, i.e., letting the talent find the employer or waiting for highly qualified people to show up on the list of applicants.
Recruitment involves at least two diverse activities: finding qualified talent and attracting it. The finding part is more analytical and data-based, although it also involves a degree of creativity in identifying potential places to seek applicants as well as establishing and maintaining a network for spreading the word about hiring opportunities. The attracting part is directed more to marketing and customer relations as the recruiter strives to convince potential applicants to apply for particular jobs.
A suggested list of basic steps in the recruitment process can be found at the end of this chapter.
Preliminary Actions: Before Finding and Attracting
Job Design
Long before vacancy announcements are distributed, the recruitment process starts with determining what the appointing authority wants the position to do. This is referred to as Job Design (writing a new or updating the current Position Description Questionnaire, PDQ). Skipping over this step will most likely return to haunt the appointing authority later, if adequate time isn’t allowed to articulate the organization’s needs. Determining the appropriate job class for the position is also a necessary step.
Competencies and Minimum Qualifications
Once the job duties and responsibilities have been determined through Job Design, the knowledges, abilities, skills and behaviors needed to perform those duties and responsibilities, referred to collectively as Competencies, needs to be developed. The competencies are the foundation of the recruitment process. They describe to the applicant what they must be able to do or what they must know to do the job. They also suggest to the appointing authority the types of background, education or experience the successful candidate should possess.
Before moving ahead with the recruitment process, the minimum qualifications for the job class should be reviewed to make sure they are the most likely sources for providing the skills and abilities (competencies) being sought. The appointing authority has two options if they don’t believe the minimum qualifications will attract the type of applicant needed: consider a different job class or, in extreme cases, request the minimum qualifications be changed. If unsure about the minimum qualifications, it may make sense to proceed using the current job class and see what type of applicant is attracted.
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Finding Qualified Applicants
Building Potential Source Lists
The minimum qualifications and competencies provide clues about where to seek potential applicants. For instance, consider this somewhat simplistic example. If the minimum qualifications require a four-year degree in wildlife biology, colleges and universities are a prime source of names and a good resource for announcing the vacancy. These colleges and universities should be offering some type of degree in wildlife biology in order for the appointing authority to zero in on a qualified talent pool. If this type of degree is not offered, these schools aren’t likely to generate the type of applicants needed.
In the example above, the required background in wildlife biology also suggests additional sources to tap, i.e., any organization or entity that has a direct relationship to wildlife biology. For instance, professional organizations for wildlife biologists could also be tapped; however, expanding the network to include all scientists may be too general. Further research about such organizations is necessary in order to make that determination. Recreational organizations that involve wildlife might also be considered as potential recruitment sources.
Once recruitment sources to attract applicants start to be identified, the appointing authority has embarked on the route of targeted recruitment as opposed to the more traditional “request a list and wait” method.
Other ways to develop recruitment sources
The following list is covered in more detail on the DAS-HRE Affirmative Action website, “Low- Cost Recruitment Strategies Including Targeted Recruitment of Minorities,” at: http://das.hre.iowa.gov/pdfs/AAEEO/low_cost_recruitment_stratagies.pdf.
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on a 24-7 basis, as many times as they want, but again, it is up to the potential applicant to take the initiative to find the announcement. Hard copy postings are also available for potential applicants to see whenever they choose during the business hours of the recruitment source.
Academic recruitment sources
College, university, community college and trade schools approach placement in their own unique ways. A little time spent prior to active recruitment getting to know how those to be tapped operate may turn out to be a wise investment. Schools want the appointing authority’s business, because they want to show results placing their students and graduates in attractive jobs. That’s how they continue to attract more students. So even though each may have its own procedures, registration requirements and processes for letting others know about a particular job vacancy, they will attempt to accommodate the appointing authority’s needs.
A list of the websites for employers desiring to post job vacancies with public and private colleges and universities in Iowa and surrounding states is included at the end of this chapter.
Some of the other steps to be take in learning how each of these placement offices work include:
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become actively involved in filling vacancies, or do they simply post and distribute information? f. When appropriate, the appointing authority should separate key schools into regions or groupings that work best for their recruitment operations (surrounding states, Midwest, rest of USA, North America, international, etc.).
Attracting Qualified Applicants
Targeting the most effective sources of applicants is just the first step. Next, the better qualified candidates in the talent pool have to be convinced to apply for the job. This involves more than simply “announcing” the vacancy and waiting for the applicants to line up for it. In a competitive labor market, it requires marketing and promotion, both of the position and the organization.
The Vacancy Announcement (This section treats vacancy announcements in a generic sense; more specific information about the State of Iowa Vacancy Announcement can be found on pages 15 through 17.)
The first marketing strategy is to consider the vacancy announcement itself. Its content, wording, and layout all contribute to raising interest in the position by the type of applicant being sought. The vacancy announcement plays multiple roles in shaping the recruitment process:
It describes the job. In order to net the most qualified applicants, they need to fully understand what the job involves. This doesn’t require lengthy detail or that the entire job description be copied, but it should cover the primary purpose of the job and the assigned job duties and responsibilities. A realistic job description helps the applicants know what will be expected of them. It lists the essential functions and the major competencies needed to perform the job. This is setting the stage for the screening criteria that will be used later in the hiring process. There shouldn’t be any surprises at that point; the vacancy announcement should inform all potential applicants what the screening criteria will be. Moreover, it actually serves as the first screen in the hiring process in that it is a self-screen. Based on the way the announcement is worded, the applicant decides whether or not to apply for the position. Ideally, if the job is described accurately, people who aren’t qualified or who would not be good matches for the job won’t apply and good candidates will. The way the announcement is worded is critical to establishing an effective and appropriate self-screen.
