Application Optimization â€“ Ban the Box

One of my goals in 2014 is to spread the word about application optimization because I believe itâ€™s one of the key contributors to a flourishing applicant pool of qualified candidates for my clientsâ€™ job openings. While I could dedicate at least nine posts to this topic alone; today my focus centers around the latest developments in the â€œBan the Boxâ€ movement.

For those of you who donâ€™t know, itâ€™s a movement surrounding the elimination of requiring applicants to divulge information surrounding previous criminal history in the initial application phase.

A background check is not a mandatory piece in keeping you safeguarded from liability

According to bantheboxcampaign.org, after they teamed up with the EEOC in April 2012, it is considered structural discrimination â€“ a set of beliefs and opinions about a group of people that are passed down from generation to generation â€“ to ask about criminal history in the application portion of the hiring process. This is important for a number of reasons: the most important being that it is a violation of your applicantsâ€™ rights to equal opportunity and secondly, it has the tendency to put a damper on the number of applicants you get to apply for your open positions.

We all know that if youâ€™re looking for that diamond in the rough employee, you must first assemble a large pool of applicants in the beginning stages of the application process, use intuitive screening questions to filter out the candidates that are considered to be a poor fit for the job, and then (assuming your company requires it) conduct a background check after the candidate has been interviewed and has accepted the position. This not only ensures a large pool for you to choose from, it protects you from violating the EEOCâ€™s best practices and equal opportunity for hiring.

Since I donâ€™t want this post to get bogged down in legal-speak, Iâ€™ve skimmed over a lot of the technical details above; however, thereâ€™s one important point worth mentioning that keeps both you as an employer and the company protected from potential liability issues associated with â€œnegligent hiringâ€ when you adopt this approach. There are three things that Court precedent has found to shield employers: the first is that you use a written or electronic application, verify references, and lastly, that you conduct an interview. Ironically, a background check is not a mandatory piece in keeping you safeguarded from liability.

ApplicantPro helps over 2500 employers create a job ad and application process that keeps their job seekers engaged and encourages them to apply. We believe that the best method for hiring an individual who is a perfect fit for your openings starts with amassing a large pool of applicants and then using specific screening questions to narrow those candidates down into potential best fit future employees.