Candidate reduction strategies

Human Resources Managers are attempting to administer civil service selecti on systems to effectively meet the often competing needs of job seekers, ta xpayers, hiring supervisors, and the many requirements of the legal, social and professional environments. As jobs become scarce and applicants more p lentiful, the debate intensifies over whether to take steps to reduce the n umber of candidates who participate in examinations. The various stakeholde rs have widely polarized viewpoints on this subject. While acknowledging th e unresolved philosophical issue, this paper explores available strategies for applicant reduction, which do not unfairly discriminate against any leg ally protected group. These strategies should be thoroughly evaluated and i ncorporated into an agency's selection procedures only after careful consid eration of their impact on the overall objectives of the agency's civil ser vice system.