Google at the job fair: Ethical hiring in a changing world, part 2
From the October 2008 issue of Ceridian Connection
Even traditional methods of employee recruitment can present ethical dilemmas for HR professionals. Part two of our special series Google at the job fair: Ethical hiring in a changing world examines employment background checks, resume qualification and more. Support the ethical and social responsibilities of your business.
In part one of this series on ethical hiring, we examined the challenges that arise from using the Internet to augment resume qualification in an employment background check. Part two takes a look at responsible practices for more traditional methods of employee recruitment. These include licensed staffing agencies, criminal background checks, diagnostic aptitude, personality testing and personal interviews.
Licensed staffing agencies
The right staffing agency can make all the difference in your effort to attract the very best workers. But once you have signed on with an outside provider, how do you know their processes are reliable, consistent and ethical?
John Higgins, senior director of talent acquisition at Ceridian, encourages an attention to the process. "One general concern when you're selecting a staffing agency," he says, "is that their recruitment process might be different from your own. If processes differ, you might not be aware that your company's ethical hiring philosophy is not being honored."
Agreements should clearly outline your process steps. "Look for processes that mirror your own most closely," Higgins says. "After all, people who are brought in through staffing agencies are often hired by the company. You do not want to discover in the eleventh hour during your own process that the individual does not pass muster."
Background checks
Lisa Hart and Whitney Wolfe know a lot about background checks and ethical hiring. Hart is the Ceridian product manager for talent acquisition and management. Wolfe is business implementation manager for Sterling InfoSystems, Ceridian's partner for background screening of prospective hires.
"The foundation of ethical hiring begins with the employer. Clearly inform applicants that you routinely perform background screening or other research," Hart says.
Consider setting policies for background screening that reflect the realities of your workplace -- and your budget. Wolfe and Hart agree that the best outsourcing partners are those that can provide both a history of excellence and the flexibility to create programs that meet the priorities of your specific organization.
"You can choose to run credit reports, criminal background checks, driving records, Social Security traces and verifications of education and employment history," Wolfe says. "But you might choose one set of screens for a truck driver and another set for an executive hire. Decide what works best, document your processes, and then take steps to ensure reliable, consistent application of the policies you have set forth."
John Higgins agrees. "When you're doing a seven-year background check," he says, "you might discover a 20-year-old crime in someone's background. It is important to clearly understand ahead of time your organization's policy behind that type of crime. You must know how you will or will not respond to issues outside the time parameter of the check you are running. Be clear on who makes the final decision when negative information is uncovered. No one should wonder what to do if they make a discovery on a database. Decide before this happens, rather than as it is happening."
Diagnostic aptitude and personality testing
Assessment testing helps reveal whether candidates have the knowledge, skills and aptitude to perform well. Personality assessments help determine cultural fit. Even in this part of the hiring process, however, HR professionals wrestle with the tenets of responsible, ethical behavior.
"Lots of companies use assessment as part of the hiring process," Higgins says. "But the important word here is 'part.' If testing is truly used as part of the process -- if it is objective, not something used as a screen-in or screen-out -- then you can consider yourself well on the way to appropriate use. Incorporate testing into the overall hiring decision. Balance test scores with other points of data from the interview process. If you can correlate information from different areas, that is an indication that you have a reliable predictor."
Once testing is in place at your organization, regularly and consistently review assessment data compared to the performance of employees who have been hired using that data. "And as your company grows and changes," Higgins says, "recalibrate your assessment testing to make sure it is still aligned with the priorities of your business."
The personal interview
When it comes to candidate interviews, fairness springs from consistency in process. "One of the more challenging issues," Higgins says, "is that interviewers sometimes shoot from the hip. That does not support fairness -- and it can put your organization at risk."
Ceridian leverages a behavioral based process. Questions encourage the candidate to provide examples of how they have handled past situations, illustrate what they did, and report on how they did. "Since past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior," Higgins says, "it is important to elicit this information. And even more insight comes when you do not take every answer at face value. Rather, dig in. Get to the bottom of every answer, especially in competency areas that are critical to success in that particular job."
Higgins suggests another way to support ethical hiring practices and processes. "Be sure to outline who manages which piece of the process," he says. "Determine who handles the technical questions, who handles the competency-based questions, who handles the organizational and cultural questions. Success factors are tied to all these areas, so a debriefing session -- where everyone gets together to discuss the candidate -- can be very beneficial."
From conducting employment interviews to Googling job candidates, HR professionals face many tough ethical decisions. Count on Ceridian to help you navigate with confidence through this challenging environment with Recruitment, Screening Services & RPO that strengthen compliance, support ethical hiring practices and help you engage top-level talent.
Even traditional methods of employee recruitment can present ethical dilemmas for HR professionals. Part two of our special series Google at the job fair: Ethical hiring in a changing world examines employment background checks, resume qualification and more. Support the ethical and social responsibilities of your business.
In part one of this series on ethical hiring, we examined the challenges that arise from using the Internet to augment resume qualification in an employment background check. Part two takes a look at responsible practices for more traditional methods of employee recruitment. These include licensed staffing agencies, criminal background checks, diagnostic aptitude, personality testing and personal interviews.
Licensed staffing agencies
The right staffing agency can make all the difference in your effort to attract the very best workers. But once you have signed on with an outside provider, how do you know their processes are reliable, consistent and ethical?
John Higgins, senior director of talent acquisition at Ceridian, encourages an attention to the process. "One general concern when you're selecting a staffing agency," he says, "is that their recruitment process might be different from your own. If processes differ, you might not be aware that your company's ethical hiring philosophy is not being honored."
Agreements should clearly outline your process steps. "Look for processes that mirror your own most closely," Higgins says. "After all, people who are brought in through staffing agencies are often hired by the company. You do not want to discover in the eleventh hour during your own process that the individual does not pass muster."
Background checks
Lisa Hart and Whitney Wolfe know a lot about background checks and ethical hiring. Hart is the Ceridian product manager for talent acquisition and management. Wolfe is business implementation manager for Sterling InfoSystems, Ceridian's partner for background screening of prospective hires.
"The foundation of ethical hiring begins with the employer. Clearly inform applicants that you routinely perform background screening or other research," Hart says.
Consider setting policies for background screening that reflect the realities of your workplace -- and your budget. Wolfe and Hart agree that the best outsourcing partners are those that can provide both a history of excellence and the flexibility to create programs that meet the priorities of your specific organization.
"You can choose to run credit reports, criminal background checks, driving records, Social Security traces and verifications of education and employment history," Wolfe says. "But you might choose one set of screens for a truck driver and another set for an executive hire. Decide what works best, document your processes, and then take steps to ensure reliable, consistent application of the policies you have set forth."
John Higgins agrees. "When you're doing a seven-year background check," he says, "you might discover a 20-year-old crime in someone's background. It is important to clearly understand ahead of time your organization's policy behind that type of crime. You must know how you will or will not respond to issues outside the time parameter of the check you are running. Be clear on who makes the final decision when negative information is uncovered. No one should wonder what to do if they make a discovery on a database. Decide before this happens, rather than as it is happening."
Diagnostic aptitude and personality testing
Assessment testing helps reveal whether candidates have the knowledge, skills and aptitude to perform well. Personality assessments help determine cultural fit. Even in this part of the hiring process, however, HR professionals wrestle with the tenets of responsible, ethical behavior.
"Lots of companies use assessment as part of the hiring process," Higgins says. "But the important word here is 'part.' If testing is truly used as part of the process -- if it is objective, not something used as a screen-in or screen-out -- then you can consider yourself well on the way to appropriate use. Incorporate testing into the overall hiring decision. Balance test scores with other points of data from the interview process. If you can correlate information from different areas, that is an indication that you have a reliable predictor."
Once testing is in place at your organization, regularly and consistently review assessment data compared to the performance of employees who have been hired using that data. "And as your company grows and changes," Higgins says, "recalibrate your assessment testing to make sure it is still aligned with the priorities of your business."
The personal interview
When it comes to candidate interviews, fairness springs from consistency in process. "One of the more challenging issues," Higgins says, "is that interviewers sometimes shoot from the hip. That does not support fairness -- and it can put your organization at risk."
Ceridian leverages a behavioral based process. Questions encourage the candidate to provide examples of how they have handled past situations, illustrate what they did, and report on how they did. "Since past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior," Higgins says, "it is important to elicit this information. And even more insight comes when you do not take every answer at face value. Rather, dig in. Get to the bottom of every answer, especially in competency areas that are critical to success in that particular job."
Higgins suggests another way to support ethical hiring practices and processes. "Be sure to outline who manages which piece of the process," he says. "Determine who handles the technical questions, who handles the competency-based questions, who handles the organizational and cultural questions. Success factors are tied to all these areas, so a debriefing session -- where everyone gets together to discuss the candidate -- can be very beneficial."
From conducting employment interviews to Googling job candidates, HR professionals face many tough ethical decisions. Count on Ceridian to help you navigate with confidence through this challenging environment with Recruitment, Screening Services & RPO that strengthen compliance, support ethical hiring practices and help you engage top-level talent.
