Next Steps in Hiring

Have you ever seen a room of high quality, desperate people, all trying to fool applicant tracking  systems and pre employment assessment?  I did - I was recently asked to present to a local job search group, so I was the expert from HR. 

It is always interesting to get a view from the other side of the desk...especially if you interview applicants in these modern times.  I was impressed with how much they knew of two things - the power of the internet to find out A LOT about the organizations that they were interviewing with, and that current trends in interviewing questions were favoring a lot of behavioral questions.  Therefore, they were well-rehearsed in their answers to any interview questions that began with "Give me an example of a time when..."

They are using new tools to outflank you - try this link -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYqI0mAp2AY

Straightforward advice, right?  Generic, right?

Well, they have done specific training videos for most positions.  Here is one for pharmaceutical sales representative -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-IhZJOq3U

When I say that the "arms race" is on for the upper hand in hiring, these are the tools that I see applicants using.  Savvy organizations are moving to screening methods that are not as easily fooled - Applicant tracking software aimed at producing job fit, employee assessments used as a part of hiring, and good human capital management policies are the best weapons...