Pre-employment Screening

Essay by gailsturnerUniversity, Master'sA-, April 2002

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There are several methods used by employers to screen job applicants. All human resource departments screen job applicants differently; some use traditional methods such as structured interviewing and some use more up-to-date methods such as, situational interviewing and personality testing. Employers need to compare methods for screening job applicants so they can choose the method that best fits their company's needs. Employers need to be cautious in the methods they use because they could cost their company to loose money, because of turnover or security problems. Personality testing, situational interviewing and structured interviewing are the three methods of screening that are most popular.

The first method is the personality testing; this is a controversial way of screening applicants for a job. In the past, employers used personality testing to weed out the crazies, people who looked like they might be a danger to others or to them self.

Now employers use it more commonly to decide if you are the right person for the job. Employers believe that if they can match your personality to the job position then you should be successful in that job.

Some of the personality traits measured in these test are: empathy, the ability to sense the reactions of another person; ego-drive, the motivation to persuade; the ability to bounce back from rejection; assertiveness, sense of urgency, the need to get things done quickly; the ability to plan and organize one's own work and time. The basic job-matching concept is true if an individual's strengths and motivations match the requirements of the job.

Human resource recruiters believe the strength in using personality testing is that it helps them to match personalities to specific jobs. The personality testing is most accurate when used as one element of the selection; the recruiters need to use...