HR has never been more important to the success of their companies

In today’s litigious society, it is critical the selection of the best candidate for any position be completely objective. That includes selection of candidates for hire, promotion, transfer and training. Applicant Management Systems (AMS) are the newest tools in a company’s arsenal and will prove invaluable to HR and management. The right AMS system will reduce and quite possibly completely mitigate any charges of discrimination, or violations of federal compliance guidelines in the workplace. The recent passage of federal legislation such the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act of 2009 has placed the burden of objective hiring practices and accurate record keeping directly in the lap of HR. Defending wage and salary practices, the Family Leave Medical Act, disparate pay, unconscious bias, EEOC and OFCCP compliance, hiring discrimination and sexual harassment are all at the top of the HR list of issues to be avoided, accurately monitored and reported. Objectivity in hiring and accuracy in record keeping and reporting are the watchwords for HR. OBJECTIVITY Hiring procedures must be objectively structured. This means the implementation of a computer-based system either in-house or online. However, using an objective and structured process in candidate selection strikes fear in the hearts of many in HR. The fear is that an objective process will minimize the importance of HR and minimize the role of HR. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many in HR currently spend countless hours performing non-productive activities such as follow-up to applicants for missing information on applications, manually tabulating and recording information for reports and data archiving. The proper Applicant Management System will eliminate all of these time-consuming and labor-intense activities. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY Employing an Applicant Management System (AMS) will allow HR to concentrate on more productive activities to identify the best candidates for open positions. In the process, HR will have more time to counsel employees, assist managers, and increase accuracy in required record keeping and reporting. The right Applicant Management System will more than pay for itself in a relative short period of time. In fact, some systems have created a profit center for the company by monitoring new hires in order to take advantage of tax credit opportunities. (The national average for qualifying new hire tax credits is $1,300 per hire.) APPLICANT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS However, in the selection of an efficient and effective Applicant Management System the HR Department must choose wisely and select a custom-designed AMS that will serve HR and the company’s management. A good AMS system will have numerous benefits, three of which are: 1. The collection and maintenance of all AAP, EEOC and/or OFCCP data required for compliance. 2. Automation of an employer’s candidate selection processes in hiring, promotion, training and transfer. 3. The use of objective criteria in the selection of candidates. An important requirement of an Applicant Management System is that the system be custom-designed for the specific and unique needs and requirements of the company and its HR department. The wrong off-the-shelf AMS system will prove inefficient, ineffective and costly to an employer. An off-the-shelf solution can also result in a tremendous liability by providing insufficient, inaccurate record keeping and reporting to the EEOC and/or OFCCP. HR BENEFITS Choosing an appropriate Applicant Management System will increase efficiency in HR by eliminating wasted activities, streamlining the company’s hiring process and objectively identifying the most-qualified candidates. Possibly the greatest benefit to HR is the implementation of an AMS system that will provide archiving of critical data and reporting that will prevent audits for possible AAP, EEOC and OFCCP compliance violations. Tom Thoms is a contractor with Candidate Resources, Inc. (http://www.CRIW.com). CRI specializes in the design, construction, and implementation of custom, web-based, applicant management systems. CRI’s online systems perform all applicant screening, tracking and data management required to comply with all federal guidelines. CRI systems, meet, or exceed, all AAP, EEOC and OFCCP compliance guidelines, reporting and record archiving. (http://www.applicantmanagement.biz/) Tom is also the principal of CareerDirection.com (http://www.CareerDirection.com). CareerDirection.com is the home of the Career Direction, a web-based, career identification tool. Career Direction is 100% objective and 90% accurate in identifying careers in which an individual has the greatest opportunity for success.