aPHR Recruitment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An employer posts a job ad stating 'recent college graduates preferred.' This language most likely constitutes:
- A legal preference based on qualifications
- Potential age discrimination under the ADEA (Correct answer)
- A valid BFOQ
- An acceptable diversity initiative
Correct answer: Potential age discrimination under the ADEA
Phrases like 'recent graduates' can discourage older applicants and may violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
Question 2: Which sourcing strategy is most effective for reaching passive candidates who are not actively job searching?
- Posting on general job boards
- Employee referral programs and LinkedIn outreach (Correct answer)
- Advertising in local newspapers
- Hosting walk-in interview days
Correct answer: Employee referral programs and LinkedIn outreach
Employee referrals and direct outreach via professional networks like LinkedIn are proven methods for engaging passive candidates.
Question 3: A structured interview differs from an unstructured interview primarily because it:
- Allows interviewers to ask follow-up questions freely
- Uses the same predetermined questions for all candidates (Correct answer)
- Focuses on candidates' personal backgrounds
- Relies on gut feeling to assess fit
Correct answer: Uses the same predetermined questions for all candidates
Structured interviews use a consistent set of job-related questions for every candidate, improving reliability and reducing bias.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?
- To conduct background checks on applicants
- To manage and streamline the recruiting workflow and candidate data (Correct answer)
- To administer pre-employment personality tests
- To verify employment eligibility using E-Verify
Correct answer: To manage and streamline the recruiting workflow and candidate data
An ATS automates and organizes the recruiting process by tracking applications, communications, and candidate status.
Question 5: Under the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP), adverse impact is typically indicated when the selection rate for a protected group is less than what fraction of the highest-scoring group?
- One-half (50%)
- Three-quarters (75%)
- Four-fifths (80%) (Correct answer)
- Two-thirds (67%)
Correct answer: Four-fifths (80%)
The four-fifths (4/5 or 80%) rule is the standard threshold used to assess adverse impact under the UGESP.
Question 6: When developing a recruitment budget, which cost is considered an indirect recruiting cost?
- Job board posting fees
- Recruiter salaries
- Lost productivity during vacancy (Correct answer)
- Background check fees
Correct answer: Lost productivity during vacancy
Lost productivity during an open vacancy is an indirect cost that is often overlooked but contributes significantly to the total cost of a vacancy.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes 'yield ratio' in recruitment?
- The percentage of candidates who accept job offers
- The ratio of applicants who pass each stage to those who entered that stage (Correct answer)
- The total number of hires divided by total applicants
- The cost per hire compared to industry benchmarks
Correct answer: The ratio of applicants who pass each stage to those who entered that stage
Yield ratio measures the percentage of candidates who move from one recruitment stage to the next, helping recruiters identify bottlenecks.
aPHR Recruitment 2
An employer posts a job ad stating 'recent college graduates preferred.' This language most likely constitutes: