• Interview Exchange integrates with HigherEdJobs.com
• Interview Exchange integrates JobTarget OneClick "Job Posting Distribution Interface"
• Interview Exchange Launches Employee Referral Portal
• New solutions reduce recordkeeping expense, while finding better applicants
• "The CRM model for HR"
• Weddle's selects IE as one of the best employment-related resources available online

Our April newsletter carried a story on the HR impact of new EEOC rules defining 'job applicant' in the age of job boards and other web-based media. More recently, Michael Harris, PhD, 1 wrote thoughtfully on the possible adverse impacts of the new guidelines, particularly in the area of applicant tracking.

First, Harris raises concern that companies will now have to gather too much information. Since companies must maintain records for gender, race and ethnicity of all applicants, "…more financial resources may be required on the part of companies to comply [with the new rules]," he contends.

Further, Harris predicts, "…the greatest burden will fall on companies that continue to use informal, un-standardized, Internet-based recruitment systems (e.g., where the company permits applicants to simply email their resumes to a company representative)."

Second, Harris sees the definition of an applicant as "…overly encompassing." He points out that SHRM and other employer groups would have favored a definition that excluded unqualified candidates.

He concludes, "That the provisions do not require someone to meet even the most basic job requirements in order to be counted as an applicant means that the door is wide open for legal challenges."

Either of the possible negative effects that Harris observes - one financial, the other legal - offers ample reason to consider ways to manage the flow of applicants. Taken together, they present a forceful case for exploring solutions sooner rather than later that can reduce your recordkeeping expense and your legal exposure, while helping you find better applicants.

Here is yet another application of Interview Exchange applicant screening. Our COREquisites™ applicant questionnaire achieves a deceptively simple goal: identifying job seekers who possess the minimum requirements for the job, requirements specified by the employer for each position, while discouraging marginally qualified job seekers from applying in the first place - and keeping you in the good graces of the EEOC.

Here's how it works. Job seekers come to know about the open position through traditional channels - job boards, your corporate website, print ads, etc. When they click the "Apply" button, the system transfers them directly to the Interview Exchange website.

The site informs them that your company is working with us to make sure all applications receive full consideration. We then invite them to complete the application process. This step includes the COREquisites applicant questionnaire. It consists of up to 10 Yes/No response questions that address the minimum requirements for the job and other applicant qualifications you may specify. Immediately, the job seeker gains a solid understanding of whether he or she is under-, over- or well-qualified for the position.

All this requires less than 30 seconds of the job seeker's time. Best of all, it takes place BEFORE the job seeker completes the application process, which limits the number of 'applicants' you need to track for EEOC reporting. Further, the system lets you avoid dealing with the often hundreds of resumes from unqualified individuals.

The COREquisites tool enables job seekers to self-select into or out of the applicant pool based on their own perception of their chances of being hired. From a corporate branding perspective, this applicant-friendly experience can only aid your cause.

From a staffing perspective, the COREquisites process generates a ShortList™ of applicants who you know match most if not all of your job requirements and applicant qualifications. As a result, you save significant time in this stage of the recruiting cycle, enabling you and your team to spend more time attracting the top applicants - efforts that can directly improve the bottom line.

In fact, Interview Exchange clients report spending up to 90% less time - up to 34 hours per job - compared with traditional recruiting methods. Imagine the things your and your team could do with nearly a week's extra time for every position you need to fill!

So now, rather than worrying about the adverse implications of the new EEOC rules, you can have the best of all worlds: fewer and better-qualified applicants, more time to spend on high-value aspects of your job, and reduced recordkeeping and lawyers' fees.

For more information or to schedule a demo, contact us at 508.836.3800 or office@interviewexchange.com.

1 Michael Harris, PhD (mharris@easiconsult.com) is vice president of litigation support services at EASI*Consult, LLC, a management consulting firm that provides expert assessment solutions and litigation support.