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Chapter 6
not hire the best person for the engineering position, and the mistake might damage
Fitter’s competitiveness as well as its reputation.
Keeping the applicant’s data on a paper form means that retrieving the applicant data
and using it to evaluate candidates is also challenging. To generate a list of potential
candidates, Human Resources evaluates the résumés and applications it receives in
response to a job posting; it also reviews applications that have been on file for less than a
year. These résumés and applications must be photocopied and then circulated through
the department making the job request. Frequently, more than one person in the
162 requesting department reviews the applications, and because the applicant data are on
paper, managers review the applicant files sequentially, slowing the review process.

The Interviewing and Hiring Process
At Fitter, the requesting department develops a short list of candidates for the position by
selecting up to three applicants, based on the data provided by the Human Resources
Department. Human Resources contacts the candidates on the short list, schedules
interviews, and creates a file for each candidate. A candidate’s file includes a form that
shows when the application was received, the position(s) applied for by the candidate, and
the date and time of any interviews. If this is not the first time the candidate has applied
for a job with the company, the form indicates the more recent status of the candidate:
whether the candidate was interviewed and rejected, whether the candidate rejected a job
offer, and so on.
If a candidate accepts the interview offer, the Human Resources Department makes
the arrangements for the job candidate, including travel arrangements and a schedule of
interview activities. A representative from the Human Resources Department conducts an
interview that includes a discussion of the applicant’s experience and questions relevant to
the position for which the candidate has applied. The supervisor of the department in
which the position exists also interviews the candidate, and other employees in the
department are usually given time to talk to the candidate as well. For most professional
positions at Fitter, the candidate is interviewed by the plant manager and, frequently, the
company president.
After the initial interview process, a Human Resources’ staff member updates the
candidate’s file to indicate whether he or she is still a possibility for hire. In some cases, a
second interview is scheduled. Once someone in Human Resources has interviewed all the
candidates on the short list, a representative of the Human Resources Department and the
supervisor of the requesting department rank the candidates on the short list. If there is an
acceptable candidate, the Human Resources employee makes that person a verbal job
offer over the phone. If the candidate accepts the verbal offer, a written offer letter is sent,
which the candidate must sign and return. Once the candidate formally accepts the
written offer, his or her file is again updated, showing that the candidate has accepted the
offer. The Human Resources person then schedules a background check and drug test for
the candidate, determines the employee’s start date and makes plans for the new
employee’s orientation session.
If no acceptable candidates were found, or if none of them accepts the job offer, then
the process must be repeated, which at a minimum will require the development of a new
short list but may involve starting over with a new job posting.
Many of Fitter’s problems in the interviewing and hiring process have to do with
information flow and communication. Fitter does not have group appointment calendar

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