Type of Realistic Job Preview: Pre-application Screening
Adapted with permission from materials developed by Susan O’Nell, Sherri Larson, Amy Hewitt, John Sauer from the University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration.
Pre-application screening (pre-screening) is conducted when a person calls an agency or asks for an application. It is usually brief and designed to determine whether the prospective employee meets minimal criteria. Prescreens can be adapted to include basic RJP information, including pay scale and benefits, generic responsibilities and job requirements, and hours or locations of jobs.
Development Considerations
Pre-application screenings should be consistent for each applicant. An agency should come to a consensus concerning the information that should be gathered and shared at this point. As with other RJPs, prescreen questions should be based on what has been identified by current and newly hiredstaff as the most important things they wish they had known before being hired.
Implementation Considerations
A pre-application screening checklist and a limit on the number of people who do the prescreening will help maintain consistency. Prescreening alone should not serve as an agency’s only RJP.
Cost Effectiveness
Pre-screenings can save time and resources for both the potential applicant and the agency If they are brief and to the point. Pre-screenings can identify those who are ineligible or not interested in the job.
Pros
Prescreening:
- Is helpful for quickly screening out ineligible people or those who were not aware of the job requirements and decide to self select out of the process.
Cons
Prescreening:
- Is not comprehensive.
- Provides information through a supervisor or human resources representative, rather than through staff currently in the position, or, if it a client-centered position, a consumer. This makes it potentially less convincing.
Go to Chapter: