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Testing

No private ‘do-over’ if applicant flunks test

01/28/2011
Do you use standardized tests to determine if applicants meet the minimum requirements for a job? If so, remember this: An applicant who fails a fairly administered test (after receiving a conditional offer of employment) can’t go out and take the test privately and then demand reconsideration.

EEOC’s final GINA regs emphasize employee notification

12/21/2010
The EEOC has issued final regulations implementing the employment provisions of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), clarifying employer compliance issues and offering model language to help employees understand their rights under the law.

2 Vikings know what their post-season won’t include

11/22/2010
Barring an unlikely change of fortune, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t going to Dallas for the Super Bowl this year. Two Vikings players—defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams—also know they’re not going to Washington after the regular season ends.

EEOC: U.S. Steel blew it with random alcohol testing policy

11/15/2010
The EEOC has sued U.S. Steel—with Illinois operations in Granite City—because the company’s policy of randomly testing probationary employees for alcohol allegedly violates the ADA.

EEOC: U.S. Steel blew it with random alcohol testing policy

11/11/2010
The EEOC has sued U.S. Steel—with Minnesota operations in Hibbing, Ishpeming, Keewatin and Mountain Iron—because the company’s policy of randomly testing probationary employees for alcohol allegedly violates the ADA.

Drugs at work: Cocaine use declines again, but use of prescription opiates rises sharply

11/08/2010
Use of prescription opiates (hydrocondone, oxycondone, etc.) by employees and applicants rose 18% in the past year and has grown 40% since 2005, according to 5 million drug tests done by testing firm Quest. The report also says cocaine use among workers continues to decline (down 29% from 2008 to 2009).

Bloomberg, court lock horns over firefighter hiring

10/07/2010
A Brooklyn court has extended an injunction preventing New York City from hiring new firefighters because existing hiring tests discriminate against minorities. The court proposed five alternative hiring plans that would bypass continued use of tests, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg claims all five require the city to use illegal quotas.

You can’t hide behind your vendor! Before relying on tests, be sure they’re valid

09/24/2010

Are you considering using personality or other screening tests to decide which job applicants to hire? If so, make sure you fully understand what you are doing and how those tests work. There are plenty of companies eager to sell you tests and assessments that they say will take some of the work out of the screening processes. But if those tests aren’t valid and end up screening out members of a protected class, you may be buying more than a test.

Is dyslexia an ADA disability?

09/24/2010
Q. Is dyslexia considered a disability under the ADA? Can we legally screen potential employees for it through our pre-employment tests?

13 applicants you don’t want to hire (plus 7 tips for decoding resumes)

09/21/2010

Desperate times mean job-seekers are resorting to desperate measures to make their résumés stand out in a crowd. Alas, many of those strategies backfire. Witness these résumé bloopers recently uncovered in a nationwide survey of hiring managers. Then check out our sure-fire advice for smoking out résumé untruths and exaggerations.