190 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
data should be collected by the personnel offi ce and should not be used to
screen out applicants.
Most applications are generic and not tailored for any one position.
They usually provide limited space for applicants to provide detailed infor-
mation about relevant work or educational experience. A supplemental
questionnaire should be developed that asks questions related to the spe-
cifi c job to facilitate the screening process.
After individuals apply for a position, the applications need to be
screened to identify a list of qualifi ed applicants and eliminate unqualifi ed
applicants. This process is different for each position. It is not uncommon
for a large urban government that is recruiting for fi refi ghters to receive
hundreds of applications. Positions typically inundated by applicants use
multiple screening procedures to pare down the number of candidates.
The fi rst screen is to weed out applicants who do not meet the minimum
requirements, such as age (for example, law enforcement positions require
applicants to be at least twenty - one years old), level of education, or
required certifi cation. The second screen might eliminate applicants who
lack the requisite experience.
For administrative or professional positions, which usually have
more stringent education and experience requirements, there are likely
to be fewer applicants. To reduce the number of applicants to the most
qualifi ed, it is important to have preestablished criteria to facilitate the
screening. Requiring previous experience as a city planner or community
development specialist might be one standard. Previous fi nancial manage-
ment experience with a budget of two million dollars might be another.
To screen r é sum é s, an instrument such as a checklist might be developed
to keep track of the relevant experience and education required. Anybody
who has spent time reading many r é sum é s knows that after the fi rst ten
or so, fatigue sets in. You become less attentive as the review progresses. A
checklist keeps you focused on the salient KSAOCs.
Background investigations have become more common, and not only
for public safety and Homeland Security positions. Employees and volun-
teers working with children must undergo a background investigation and
have their fi ngerprints reviewed by law enforcement agencies to screen out
pedophiles or individuals with criminal histories. City managers and other
executives often have their backgrounds investigated. Employers are con-
cerned with the reliability of the applicant ’ s behavior, integrity, and per-
sonal adjustment. They may also be scrutinized by a consumer reporting
agency. The information may contain the applicant ’ s credit history, along
with employment history, income, driving record, arrests and convictions,