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Application During Interview? Yes or No?
Recruiting & Staffing
Application During Interview? Yes or No?
Exchange ideas about sourcing, screening, interviewing, finding passive candidates, measuring your results, and more.
What is the general rule of thumb in terms of whether a company should require an applicant to fill out an application on the day of an interview? I am trying to implement this policy at my company an
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Forums » Topic Forums » Recruiting & Staffing » Application During Interview? Yes or No?
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Application During Interview? Yes or No?
posted at 8/26/2007 4:04 PM EDT
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Posts: 3870
First: 2/12/2002 Last: 11/2/2009 |
Certainly an application serves any number of useful purposes, including gathering of EEO data, authorization to verify data, consequences for misrepresentation, employment at will statements, etc.
However, I do agree with ndfuller and Everett that applications aren't necessary until you're further along in the process for professional and management employees. In the organizations with which I've been associated, not asking for an application until you're ready to do background checks for these types of employees is pretty standard. An application, IMO, should always be done for non-exempts up front for many of the reasons that HRPro and others have articulated. |
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Application During Interview? Yes or No?
posted at 8/27/2007 3:53 AM EDT
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Posts: 3
First: 10/3/2006 Last: 8/27/2007 |
In ndfullers defense, I agree that an application is not necessary for your first conversation. You don't go to a job fair and have students fill out applications. You talk to them, get them interested in your company, tell them what a great place it is to work. As an HR professional or manager, you should always be recruiting. You don't do it with a briefcase or backpack full of employment applications. |
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Application During Interview? Yes or No?
posted at 8/27/2007 4:44 AM EDT
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Posts: 1103
First: 3/16/2007 Last: 8/19/2011 |
I don't know deleo1, I've done or lead hundreds of job fairs at colleges and in technical areas (developers, engineers etc) and we created a mini-resume as well as had a couple of PC's connected to our website career center. yes we chatted with people at those but anyone who wanted a follow-up contact at a minimum completed the mini-app. Quite a few completed on-line applications via the link. Some left resumes but even those completed the mini-app.
If we use the tools we have effectively, and not push them away because initially they are "inconvenient", we become more effective. As I alluded to somewhere else on this board - I have a strong track record of significant improvements to recruiting processes in multiple industries. That didn't happen by endorsing shortcuts (although I admit those have their place too) and "customary" practices. That doesn't make anyone who doesn't do it that way wrong..I'll just hold that it may not make them as productive as they could be. |
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Application During Interview? Yes or No?
posted at 8/27/2007 6:49 AM EDT
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Posts: 6
First: 2/25/2002 Last: 10/11/2007 |
I think HRPro and NDFuller both have valid points/issues. As an HR professional for close to 30 years, I too have done countless interviews and job fairs, discussing job openings in healthcare, manufacturing, IT,and retail for some of the largest employers in this country. I've revised my earlier beaurocratic thinking--in times of low unemployment as we have experienced in the last 3+ years, we are frequently searching for the candidates who are not looking. Our job is to sell the company, the opportunity, growth & challenge of our positions--even if they are entry level!
Get candidates in the door is your top priority, then you can pare them down into your top 3-5. Put together some brief information for the candidate--summary of benefits, brief job description, summary of the company--give that to an applicant along with a mini-application (name, address, last 2 jobs & education). It's something on which to base your interview. Then when you get to the final interviews, maybe with the dept. head or senior manager, have them come to HR & complete a full application. Best of both worlds. Present that to your senior mgrs or department heads--I think they may see the value of giving out information to the candidate during the interview process that both sends the message that we believe the information is important for a candidate to have and that we need some information in turn to complete an appropriate interview. |
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