Using Web-based Technology to Hire Better People Faster

Using Web-Based 

Technology to Hire Better 

People Faster 

By Charles J. Cosentino, Ph.D., and 

William C. Byham, Ph.D. 

Every organization knows that hiring talented people, 

particularly for sales and technical professionals, is 

challenging. Ten years of record growth has created 

more jobs than there are people to fill them. The 

demand for qualified individuals is tremendous. There 

is, as McKinsey & Co . has dubbed it, a “war for talent.” 

To win the war organizations are trying all kinds 

of things including hiring bonuses, stock options, and 

allowing employees to work at home. But many are 

missing obvious tactics that will help them win the 

war, such as: 

Vastly speeding up the selection process so good 

candidates don’t get away. 

Organizing the selection process so people involved 

in hiring make a positive impression on the 

candidate. 

Quickly screening out poor candidates so interviewer 

time can be spent on high-potential candidates. 

To learn more, call your local DDI office or contact: 

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In today’s tight labor markets, organizations can’t afford 

to let good candidates get away, yet the number that 

do is much higher than most organizations realize. 

Organizations often take weeks responding to candidate 

resumes and screening candidates before scheduling 

interviews. It’s not unusual for a month to pass. Will 

highly desirable applicants wait? No way! The company 

that can make the quick decision will win the skirmish 

for that candidate. 

Recruiting on the Web means the selection process 

will get tougher. Today, there are millions of resumes 

on more than 30,000 Web job boards. The job boards 

allow candidates to put their resumes in play and wait 

for something to happen. Job boards have helped build 

haystacks of candidates, but they leave “finding the 

needle” up to the hiring organization—and key word 

search engines aren’t much help. For example, a key 

word search for any resumes that mention electrical 

engineer can result in thousands of hits. 

What do you do next? Most organizations assign 

recruiters to sift through the resumes, contacting people 

whose resumes fit the need. This takes up a lot of 

recruitment time, and the process is highly inaccurate. 

This is understandable because the data provided by 

the resumes is consistent in the type and depth of 

information provided, but clinical data is often lacking. 

So much time is needed for processing that the good 

candidate—the one you want—often has already taken 

a position with another organization. 

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Winning the War for 

Talent with Web-Screen ® 

To address all these issues, Development Dimensions 

International has developed a screening system called 

Web-Screen. It combines web-based technology with 

more than 30 years of proven practices in employee 

screening and selection. It cuts the response time to 

hours, makes a positive impression on applicants 

through the interaction they have with the Web site, 

and quickly and accurately screens out unqualified 

applicants. At the same time, Web-Screen encourages 

qualified applicants to immediately schedule a final job 

interview or the next phase in the selection system. 

Take a moment to step into a real-life depiction of 

Web-Screen at work, viewing it from the eyes of 

both the hiring organization and the job candidate. 

A Day in the Life of a Web-Enabled Assessment 

The Company’s Experience 

fast net 

international 

The company captures essential contact 

information up front so that continued 

feedback and encouragement can be 

delivered to applicants via e-mail. 

The company can portray itself in 

an attractive, compelling, and 

consistent manner to all potential 

job candidates visiting the site. Also, 

the site gives the company a hightech, 

leading-edge image. This not 

only excites candidates about job 

opportunities, but also encourages 

them to continue through the online 

application process. 

■ Jay has been thinking about his future. Things aren’t working out 

as well as he had hoped with his current job. After reading an article 

about a growing company called FastNet, he decides to visit their 

Web site. 

The Candidate’s Experience 

■ Jay logs on to their site, giving only a user name and his e-mail 

address. The e-mail address is optional (to provide the confidentiality 

of visitors), but Jay decides to provide it to see if and how the com- 

pany might use it. FastNet’s engaging and colorful Web site is full 

of interesting information about the organization and its products and 

services. He reads it over and clicks on the “Hot Jobs at FastNet” 

button. It lists open positions in their offices around the world. 

Because the site is fully self-directed Jay can search for the 

information that most interests him. He becomes particularly interested 

when he learns that FastNet has operations in Chicago, where he 

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Using Web-Based Technology to Hire Better People Faster


Initial questions are designed to address 

the most essential requirements of the 

job, instantly screening out unqualified 

applicants. 

By offering encouragement, high-quality 

candidates are motivated to complete the 

application process. 

The candidate’s motivations (such as a 

need for independence or job status) 

are assessed, giving the company a 

more accurate picture of how satisfied 

a candidate will be in the job for which 

he or she is applying. 


has many relatives. Also, he finds that there are several new sales 

opportunities in Europe—a place he has always longed to live. Jay 

is also impressed by FastNet’s commitment to public service. He 

finds that many of the company’s employees have volunteered to 

help build houses for Habitat for Humanity. Based on his increasing 

good feeling about FastNet and the interesting job opportunities 

detailed on their Web site, he decides to apply. 

■ A click on an icon leads him to some questions about his back- 

ground, but not the questions he expects (e.g., about his education 

and past jobs). Instead, these initial questions deal with willingness 

to travel, where he would prefer to live, his years of education, and 

so on. At this point he doesn’t have to fill out where he went to 

college or provide details on past jobs. 

■ To his surprise, within seconds a screen comes up which informs 

him that his qualifications are a good match with the requirements 

of the job for which he’s applying. He’s encouraged to provide 

some more data, this time about his interests and motivations. He 

answers a series of questions and is rewarded with a screen that 

3 



By asking these hypothetical situational 

questions, the company will get an 

instant, accurate assessment of the 

candidate’s ability to handle various 

sales situations. 

The software assesses candidates’ skills 

and competencies by measuring them 

against job requirements. Now, in addition 

to motivational fit and sales knowledge, 

the organization is able to get a 

preliminary reading on actual skills. 

Again, saving the company valuable time 

by further narrowing the field of worthy 

candidates. 

shows how well his profile fits the motivational profile of successful 

people who have a similar job. Based on this information, Jay is 

encouraged to continue. However, he does note some areas he will 

want to follow up on when he is interviewed—if he gets that far. 

■ Jay then finds questions that ask how he would conduct himself 

in various sales situations. He explains not only how he would handle 

the situation but also why he chose to handle the situation in that 

particular way. Jay smiles when he sees that his answers are similar 

to those given by successful incumbents. 

■ He is then asked to describe experiences relative to areas such 

as presentation skills and planning. He is encouraged to go beyond 

work experiences and describe the skills he uses off the job. He 

tells of a situation in which he convinced the school board to hire a 

crossing guard. 


■ Again, he is encouraged relative to his fit with position require- 

ments and he is starting to feel very positive about himself. Maybe 

this would be a match after all. He thinks, “I’m sure I can sell their 

stuff. They seem first rate. And, there seems to be a good chance 

I can learn something about management. I’d really like that. I’d 

like to be a manager someday. And they seem to think I would be 

4 



By keeping those individuals actively 

engaged and interested, the company 

gains a distinct advantage over other 

firms competing for the same talent. 

The company is able to contact high 

potential candidates, keeping them 

motivated and impressed by injecting 

a human touch into the process. They 

also have the option to fast track highpotential 

candidates. 

The automated self-scheduling capability 

over the Web eliminates unnecessary 

delays and administrative time. 

successful!” He’s feeling really good and is just about ready to go 

onto the last phase of the process when his four-year-old daughter 

asks him to read her a bedtime story. So he logs off. 

■ Upon returning to the site the next day, Jay is surprised to find 

an e-mail from a FastNet recruiter commenting on the information 

he provided and encouraging him to complete the application form. 

Logging back on Jay realizes, “Gee, you know they never asked me 

for more than my name and e-mail address. I’ve been able to get all 

this information about the job and my probability of success before 

giving them any real contact information.” Then he thinks, “I like that. 

They’re letting me make the decision about whether to proceed—and 

they won’t be hassling me if I don’t like what I see.” 

■ So Jay logs back on to FastNet’s Web site and picks up right 

where he left off. He notes that if he wants to he can review the 

information he’s provided. A question prompts him to describe 

how he has handled unhappy customers and other difficult sales 

situations. He is impressed by how the Web site prompts him to 

fill in details that he might have forgotten. Jay carefully provides 

all of the information requested and continues to receive positive 

reinforcement. Suddenly, up pops a screen that allows him to schedule 

a phone interview. 


5 



The system’s automatic record-keeping 

feature allows for instant matching with 

all vacancies with similar qualifications 

within the company, thereby capitalizing 

on all of the candidate’s data. By asking 

for more detailed contact information at 

the end of the application process, the 

company can offer candidates complete 

confidentiality, thus earning their respect 

and trust. It also puts the more time-consuming 

parts of the application process 

after the candidate has bought into the 

opportunity provided. 

The company’s efficiency and speed-tohire 

are increased because the candidates’ 

and hiring staff’s schedule are 

instantly matched. Hiring managers are 

better able to focus on the more essential 

functions of their job. 

The Web-based screening system 

even summarizes candidate data for 

the interviewer and suggests interview 

questions appropriate for areas that may 

be a cause for concern. 

This Web-based screening process 

has enabled the company to beat the 

competition for a top-notch person by 

getting the information it needs while 

making a positive impression on the 

candidate—all in a matter of hours. 

In today’s competitive business 

environment, speed counts. 


■ At the same time, he is informed of two other positions that he 

is qualified for—one in London, the other in Houston. Jay thinks, 

“Wow! This is pretty cool.” He’s very excited now. So he makes 

an appointment for a phone interview the next day at 8 pm. He 

also downloads some information he needs to review and complete 

before the interview. Finally, he enters information about his 

education and past jobs. 

■ After a very enjoyable telephone conversation with a well- 

informed FastNet interviewer, Jay is invited to a nearby field office 

for a visit. Jay goes back to FastNet’s Web site to schedule a visit 

at one of the company’s regional sales offices. He chooses Chicago, 

where he would like to live. Once again, he’s in a hurry so he 

arranges the meeting for a day later that week. 

■ The field office interview goes well. It’s not rushed, and the 

interviewer is very well prepared. Jay is particularly impressed when 

the interviewer mentions information that he provided on their Web 

site when he applied for the job. The interviewer follows up on the 

areas that seem to be unclear. Before leaving FastNet’s offices, 

Jay is offered a job. 

■ The whole process has taken one week. 

6 


Let us examine in greater detail some of the key 

advantages a firm such as FastNet realizes by using 

Web-Screen. 

Improved Quality. First and foremost, organizations 

that deploy Web-Screen benefit from a significant 

improvement in the quality of their applicants. The 

tested assessment methodologies used by this system 

come from decades of psychological research. It is 

these science-based screening practices that ensure 

reliable, more accurate results. 

Speed. Firms can process candidates much more 

quickly. Screening is done instantaneously. The automated 

scheduling feature moves job prospects from 

one selection phase to the next very rapidly. In the 

end, organizations are able to reduce their cycle time 

from months to days—allowing the hiring staff to 

focus on more strategic human resource activities. Not 

only that, the speed by which qualified candidates are 

processed helps companies leap-frog ahead of the 

competition in attracting and hiring the most talented 

professionals. 

Flexibility. Web-Screen is also totally modular— 

companies can pick and choose the elements of the 

system they wish to use. Competencies and motivations, 

as well as the selection methodologies used to 

assess candidates, are tailored to each organization’s 

unique needs. The application process can be altered 

to include more screening steps or fewer. Companies 

can even dictate when human contact is injected 

into the process. Also, when and how a firm uses 

recruitment tactics (e.g., an e-mail with words of 

encouragement, a screen that conveys a good fit, 

etc.) can be customized—and changed on the fly. 

7 

Using Web-Based Technology to Hire Better People Faster 

Best of all, Web-Screen can seamlessly integrate 

with any screening and selection tools and software 

that might already be in place, such as SAP ® and 

PeopleSoft ® . 

Cost. In addition to all this flexibility and reliability, 

companies can realize tremendous cost savings. The 

return on an investment in Web-Screen is typically 

realized in four to five months as opposed to a year 

or two with more traditional screening and selection 

systems. Just consider the savings in time hiring 

managers and HR staffs no longer have to weed 

through piles of resumes or interview non-qualified 

candidates. Managers can spend more time leading, 

and HR efforts are spent on courting only the best 

candidates. Ultimately, this increased organizational 

efficiency translates into dollars saved. 

Web-based screening systems have been widely 

embraced by surfing candidates, citing ease of use and 

speed as their main benefits. Consider the experience of 

a large pharmaceutical firm that deployed Web-Screen 

in early 1999 to hire its salespeople. This organization 

found that: 

Screening cycle times were reduced by one-third. 

A full 95 percent of their candidates were satisfied 

with the online assessment process. 

Ninety-five percent of candidates also found the 

Web-based system very easy to access and use, and 

they completed the assessment.

Eighty-three percent of their candidates preferred the 

Web-based system to traditional screening and 

assessment methods such as mail, fax, and phone. 

As Web-based screening and assessment systems, 

which are essentially databases, become more sophisticated, 

they will begin to manage long-term electronic 

relationships between prospective job candidates and 

employers. Experience and competency-based systems 

will offer candidates regular updates on open positions 

and customized information about those positions that 

are best suited for them. Employers, in turn, will 

gather more and more pertinent data on more and 

more candidates over time. Also, new job openings 

will be filled faster because the organization will have 

MKTSEWP02-0MA 

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Using Web-Based Technology to Hire Better People Faster 

a database of pre-screened candidates. This candidatespecific 

data can then be used in the latter stages of the 

hiring process to further probe individuals’ strengths 

and areas of weakness. Thus, candidate pools will not 

only continue to increase in size, but also in quality. 

Web-Screen has significantly changed the way 

professional and leadership positions are sought after 

and filled. It is also revolutionizing the recruitment 

business. In the end, the winners are the qualified 

candidates who quickly find the jobs they are seeking 

and the companies who save time and money while 

quickly identifying and selecting those candidates as 

being both qualified and a good fit. 

Printed on recycled paper. 

© Development Dimensions 

International, Inc., MM. 

All rights reserved.

Using Web-based Technology to Hire Better People Faster

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