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Pre Employment Testing

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Submitted By kimbaa40
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In Unit three we are required to address pre-employment testing as a means for i

improving the hiring process within our trucking company. Using pre-employment testing

eliminates bias in the interview and selection process it can also reduce costs in recruiting, hiring

and training candidates.

What tests are used depends on the company and the positions that are being hired for. In

this situation one of the tests that should be used would be a drug and alcohol test. This test is

important in that we are hiring for drivers and we want safe drivers and those that don’t have an

issue with drugs and alcohol. With that said another test that would be recommended is a

criminal background check. Along with the drug testing the criminal background would should

if the candidates have had an issues in the past regarding DUI’s, drug charges and how current

they are. We have to be careful when using this information in our hiring process. Another pre-

employement test would be a drivers test along with a DMV check to be sure that the candidate

is capable of operating the trucks that they will be using as well as legal to operate a motor

vehicle. I would also recommend a personality test; this test would assess a candidates

characteristics and how they would handle a particular situation. Lastly I would also require that

the candidate do a physical exam; doing this exam will give the company a great idea what type

of health issues the candidate may have such as heart problems, blood pressure issues etc.

In requiring pre-employment testing the company needs to be sure that the testing be job

Related; Ensure that the tests meet all EEO laws; if the tests are written the company needs to

avoid questions of an personal nature or that are considered offensive and do not rely solely on

test results to choose candidates

As with anything else there are pitfalls and legal issues with employment testing. Some

of these issues are that the tests can predict who will do well and this can get into a

discrimination situation. The tests if misused can violate federal employment laws if the

company uses them to discriminate or exclude individuals in a protected class such as not testing

a petite female because you don’t feel that she will be able to pass the test or handle the job at

hand.

In summary, doing pre-employment testing can be beneficial to any company if used

properly, but if not it can be the biggest nightmare or that company as well.

References

Arthur, Diane – Recruiting, interviewing, selecting & orienting new employees; 5th ed

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