To Ask or Not to Ask: Improving Application Forms and Interviews

Assignment Instructions: Below is an overview of the case. Read the case description and materials below, and then answer the case assignment questions (in the

"Assignment 3 Questions" document).

Case 3: Acacia Coffeehouse and Bakery

Madeline Combs is the owner and General Manager of Acacia Coffeehouse and Bakery, commonly referred to as "Acacia" by its employees and customers. Acacia started as a small caf in Riverton, Arizona in 2002 offering an assortment of coffee-based drinks, smoothies, and bakery goods, but has since expanded to 8 additional locations across the city. The original caf continues its operations in a stand-alone building near downtown Riverton, while the other 8 cafes are located within hospitals and health clinics, serving primarily the medical staff and patients at those locations. Each caf keeps its equipment and inventory for drinks and smoothies, but the bakery and other food items are created by the bakery team at the Riverton location and then delivered every morning to the other locations before the start of the first shifts.

The bakery team is comprised of four full-time bakers. Madeline's many roles and responsibilities include acting as the supervisor over the bakery operations and employees, but with the continuing expansions, she has decided that she needs to hire a full-time Bakery Manager so that she can focus her time and energy on managing the more general operations of the company.

Madeline is hoping to find a promising candidate who is capable of managing the full-time bakers and all bakery-related operations, including tracking and updating inventory, completing store orders as needed, scheduling, and general supervision of the bakery team. In the event that Acacia continues its trajectory of expanding to new locations, she expects a need in the near future to hire additional full-time bakers to help with the workload, and she would expect the Bakery Manager to provide training to new hires as well.

As with any managerial work, this job position requires a variety of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other traits. Based on preliminary research into similar companies' job descriptions and specifications, combined with her own experience managing the bakery, Madeline has provided you with the "core" characteristics and job responsibilities required for this position:

Primary Responsibilities

Tracking, maintaining, and updating food and equipment inventories

Tracking food orders from external caf locations and daily food deliveries

Preparing and updating employee schedules and delivery schedules

Investigating and resolving customer complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations

Communicating with, and training (as needed), all bakery employees

Ensuring compliance with all health, food preparation, and fire regulations

General Areas of Expertise

Scheduling, planning, and organization

Employee management

Customer service

Food preparation and sanitation

Important Characteristics

Dependability: can be relied upon to show up on time and get things done

Attention to detail: gets things done efficiently but accurately

Cooperation: works well with others and maintains a positive attitude

Stress tolerance: accepts criticism and reacts calmly to stressful situations

Self-control: maintains composure, keeps emotions in check, and avoids aggressive behavior even in difficult situations

Leadership: willing to take charge and offer opinions and direction to others

None of the current bakery employees have shown interest in a promotion to a management position, so Madeline must look outside of the company to hire for this position. She has come up with a general plan and has asked for your feedback.

Madeline noted that, although she hopes to make an accurate and efficient decision on who to hire for this position, she also runs a relatively small business and cannot afford to invest a significant amount of funds into a full suite of hiring procedures for this one position. She has forwarded you the following materials that she plans to use:

• Application form (pp. 3 - 5)
• Reference request letter (p. 6) and form (p. 7)
• List of potential interview questions (p. 8)

The application form and reference request documents are standard forms that the company has used for all employee positions across the company. The company has not traditionally used a formal interview process - for front-line employees, the local caf supervisor typically has an informal conversation before offering the job. Given the importance of this new Bakery Manager position, however, Madeline wants to ensure that she hires the right person for the job, so she has come up with a list of questions she thinks would be helpful. If all goes well, she would consider using a more formal interview process for other positions across the company in the future.

Employment Application

We are an equal opportunity employer dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis, including race, color, age, sex, religion, or national origin.

Applicant Information

Full Name: Date:

Preferred prefix:

Address:

Street Address Apartment/Unit #

City State ZIP Code

for:

company?

Have you ever been arrested?

Education

High School: Address:

Date of

YES NOgraduation

From: To: Did you graduate? :

College: Address:

From: To: Did you graduate?

Other: Address:

YES NO

From: To: Did you graduate? Degree:

References

Please list three professional references.

Phone:

Previous Employment

Company: Phone:

Address: Supervisor:

Job Title: Starting Salary:$ Ending Salary:$

Responsibilities:

From:

Address:

Job Title:

Responsibilities:

From:

Address:

Job Title:

Responsibilities:

From:

Military Service

Branch: From: To:

Type of Discharge:

If other than honorable, explain:

General Information

Special areas of expertise:

Do you have any physical

disabilities? If yes, please explain:

What foreign languages do you speak fluently, if any?

Does your religion prevent you from working on weekends?

Disclaimer and Signature

I certify that my answers are true and complete to the best of my knowledge.

If this application leads to employment, I understand that false or misleading information in my application or interview may result in my release.

Signature: Date:

Reference Request Letter

Dear Sir/Madam:

Re: [Name of Job Applicant]

The person named above has applied to join Acacia Coffeehouse and Bakery as a [Job Title] and has provided your name as a reference. I would be grateful if you would complete the attached form and return it to me as soon as possible.

If you have any concerns about this person's suitability for this position, I would appreciate it if you would contact me directly to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Madeline Combs

Owner, Acacia Coffeehouse and Bakery

Reference Request Form

1. Please indicate your evaluation of the candidate for the following questions, and briefly explain your reason for each evaluation:

Able to meet deadlines? Able to work under pressure? Friendly? Reliable? Easy-going? Able to use technology? Professional appearance?	YES YES YES YES YES YES YES	NO NO NO NO NO NO NO	Reason:
Reason:
Reason:
Reason:
Reason:
Reason:
Reason:

1. Would you re-employ this person in your organization in the future? (If no, please provide details on a separate sheet.)

YES NO

3. Do you have any doubts about this person's suitability for the job? (If yes, please provide details on a separate sheet.)

YES NO

4. Please confirm your contact information and relationship to the candidate:

Your name:

Your company:

Your job title:

How do you know the candidate? ___________________________________

Interview Questions

1. Why do you want to work at Acacia?
2. Have you ever supervised employees before?
3. How well did you get along with your coworkers in your past jobs?
4. Would you describe yourself as a very organized "by-the-book" type of person or a more laid-back "go-with-the-flow" kind of person?
5. The community and customers that Acacia serves are very diverse. If you were hired for this position, how would you contribute to this diversity?
6. What are your hobbies and interests?
7. Have you ever had to fire someone?
8. How would you describe your overall health? Do you have any allergies or conditions that we should know about?

To begin the assignment, review the information in the case,To Ask or Not to Ask: Improving Application Forms and Interviews. Then, address the questions below.

1. Among the materials that Madeline Combs provided to you for your feedback is an application form. Evaluate the application form and discuss whether items should be re-worded or eliminated. Be sure to explain to Madeline, who is not an HR expert, the reasons for your recommendations. Are there any items on the form that may be considered illegal or otherwise inappropriate? Should the item(s) be re-worded or eliminated?
2. Acacia also uses a reference request letter and reference request form for various positions in the company. Evaluate the reference request letter and form:
   1. Are there any items, questions, or phrases that could be problematic and/or inappropriate in the letter and/or form? Please briefly explain why or why not.
   2. What suggestions do you have to improve the reference request form? Specifically, are there any items or wording you would change, remove, and/or add to the form? Please explain.
3. Madeline Combs has also provided you with a list of potential interview questions, admitting that she has not used formal interviewing in the past. Review the interview questions and address the following questions:
   1. What is your overall assessment as to whether the interview questions have face validity(i.e., appear to measure what they are supposed to measure)?
   2. Are there any interview questions on this list that may be considered illegal, inappropriate, or otherwise potentially lead to negative reactions from the interviewee? Please explain.
   3. Take a look at the "Primary Responsibilities, General Areas of Expertise, and Important Characteristics" tables that Madeline provided to you regarding this job position (pp. 1-2 of the case). Based on this information and your recommendations above, design a new/modified set of interview questions that would be more valid and appropriate for this position. Madeline has indicated a preference for around 8 to 12 interview questions but this is flexible. The set of questions should assess the most important aspects of the job, based on your professional opinion. You can generate all new questions, modify or edit the original questions, or use a combination of some of the original questions, modified questions, and/or new questions- whatever you deem most appropriate.
4. Finally, given Madeline's lack of experience creating and administering formal interviews, please give your recommendations concerning the following:
   1. Would it be better for the interviews to be conducted in person or over the phone in this case? Please explain your reasoning.
   2. Who should conduct the interviews? Do you recommend a one-on-one interview between Madeline and each job applicant, a panel interview consisting of Madeline and the full-time bakers (whom the Bakery Manager would supervise), or some other method of interviewing? Please explain.