The pre-employment screening of potential prospects is a fundamental component of the hiring process. With job applicants submitting a multitude of applications round-the-clock, you can end up with a slew of candidates and a minuscule amount of time to review their apps with apex detail. If you’re not hiring friends, family, or acquaintances for your small business or start-up, pre-screening will become immensely operative as a hiring strategy.
In-depth pre-employment screening is unequivocally beneficial to ensure smart hiring decisions. Onboarding the right people for your business can remain the make-or-break difference between success as a company and struggling to keep afloat. Let’s take a look at the following tips for an effective pre-employment screening process you should keep in mind as you put your team together.
Utilize Screening Questions on the Job Application
Creating a reliable screening strategy is the key to quickly identifying the right kind of candidates, wasting a minimal amount of time, and not expending your valuable budget more than necessary. A part of this strategy should be a short questionnaire that supplements a resumé, cover letter, and basic job application.
The inclusion of screening questions promptly indicates if a candidate meets the minimum set of requirements or not. Proportionate to a traditional phone screening, specific questions relevant to the job position will provide answers about one’s potential. This valuable insight streamlines the entire process.
Stay Current on Any Applicable Laws
Background checks are commonplace in today’s modern workforce. Being aware of a potential employee’s history is paramount for employers of any shape or size and their business operations. However, ensure you are up-to-date on applicable laws relating to background screenings based on your state or local jurisdictions. As one of the top tips for an effective pre-employment screening process, be mindful of the fact that these laws can fluctuate over time.
Current US law requires that employers must ask for a candidate’s permission prior to running a background check. After the screening, employers must directly notify the candidate of their intentions—that is, if they will reject them based on the results of the report. Utilize caution throughout the stages, as nobody desires any discrimination claims as an end result.
Leverage Testing, but Look Out for Grey Areas
Pre-employment testing, in a wide array of forms, is something you can truly leverage to your best advantage. Whether skill-based, personality-based, or aptitude-based, pre-employment testing can assist you in your search to determine the talent and performance of applicants in the flowing pool of candidates. However, be aware that the validity and legality of some of these tests have previously been questioned.
Conversely, another form of testing that is popularly utilized today is pre-employment drug screening. The most common of these tests are 5-panel drug tests. Screening for illegal substance use is a purposeful test that is administered near the end of the hiring process to validate any interview evaluations. Drug testing is simply about ensuring the safety, security, and efficiency of a workplace, especially as it related to how an employee can impact a small business in the future. It’s simply best to leave no stone unturned.
