HRM textbook

204 PART 2 RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT
nine different states. The federal government is tightening restrictions on hiring
undocumented workers. Realizing that many documents (such as Social Security
cards) are fakes, the government is putting the onus on employers to make sure whom
they re hiring. The Department of Homeland Security presses criminal charges
against suspected employer violators. 130
Employers can protect themselves in several ways. First, they can use E-Verify. Then,
systematic background checks are important. Preemployment testing should include
employment verification, criminal record checks, drug screens, and reference checks.You
can verify Social Security numbers by calling the Social Security Administration.
Employers can avoid accusations of discrimination by verifying the documents of all
applicants, not just those they may think suspicious. 131
AVOIDING DISCRIMINATION In any case, employers should not use the I-9
form to discriminate based on race or country of national origin. The requirement to
verify eligibility does not provide any basis to reject an applicant just because he or
she is a foreigner, not a U.S. citizen, or an alien residing in the United States, as long as
that person can prove his or her identity and employment eligibility. The latest I-9
forms contain a prominent antidiscrimination notice. 132
Improving Productivity Through HRIS
Using Automated Applicant Tracking and Screening Systems
The applicant tracking systems we introduced in Chapter 5 do more than compile
incoming Web-based résumés and track applicants during the hiring process. They
should also help with the testing and screening.
Thus, most employers also use their applicant tracking systems (ATS) to knock
out applicants who don t meet minimum, nonnegotiable job requirements, like
submitting to drug tests or holding driver s licenses.
Employers also use ATS to test and screen applicants online. This includes
skills testing (in accounting, for instance), cognitive skills testing (such as for mechanical
comprehension), and even psychological testing. For example, Recreation
Equipment, Inc., wanted to identify applicants who were team-oriented. Its applicant
tracking system helps it do that. 133
Finally, the newer systems don t just screen out candidates, but discover hidden
talents. Thanks to the Internet, applicants often send their résumés out hoping a
shotgun approach will help them hit a match. For most employers, this is a screening
nuisance. But a good ATS can identify required talents in the applicant that even the
applicant didn t know existed when he or she applied. 134
R E V I E W
MyManagementLab Now that you have finished this chapter, go back to www.mymanagementlab.com to
continue practicing and applying the concepts you ve learned.
CHAPTER SECTION SUMMARIES
1. Careful employee selection is important for several
reasons. Your own performance always depends on your
subordinates; it is costly to recruit and hire employees;
and mismanaging the hiring process has various legal
implications including equal employment, negligent
hiring, and defamation.
2. Whether you are administering tests or making decisions
based on test results, managers need to understand several
basic testing concepts. Reliability refers to a test s
consistency, while validity tells you whether the test is
measuring what you think it s supposed to be measuring.
Criterion validity means demonstrating that those who