The applicant screening is part of the recruiting process. It describes the interview, review and analysis of all documents provided by the applicant by the recruiter. The applicant screening aims to get to know the applicant as well as possible in order to be able to decide afterwards whether a candidate is suitable for an advertised position.
Table of contents
Sources for applicant screening
What legal requirements must be observed?
What questions are possible as part of the screening process?
Sources for applicant screening
1. Application documents submitted by the applicant (curriculum vitae, letter of motivation, job references, references, other evidence)
2. Social and professional networks such as XING, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc.
3. Consultation with previous employers
4. Assessment
5. A certificate of conduct
6. Job interview
7. And much more.
What legal requirements must be observed?
At no stage will violation of personal rights or the data protection regulations happen in the context of an applicants screening. Furthermore, employers are not entitled to ask questions and conduct research that has nothing to do with the job.
What questions are possible as part of the screening process?
Questions about previous convictions or ongoing investigations can only be asked if the information is actually decisive for the performance of the job. Cashiers, for example, may be asked about property offences; drivers, for example, may be asked about road traffic offences.
Previous salary: The employer may only ask about previous salaries if the applicant mentions it of their own accord.
Questions of physical and psychological nature: Health questions may only be asked if the new job requires a certain skill-set that is required for the job.
Political and religious inclination: This question may await you if you are applying for a position in a political or religious institution.