HANNAFORD TO RECRUIT VIA PHONE, INTERNET

LINDA PURPURA

SCARBOROUGH, Maine -- Hannaford Bros. here will begin testing computer-assisted job applicant screening technology via the telephone with an eye on also using the Internet for recruitment of college students for management positions.

An automated screening and scheduling program to be implemented in the retailer's Southeast division this year will enable prospective employees to submit applications over the telephone.

The automated telephone program will serve as a prescreening of applicants, primarily entry-level clerks, for employment in the company's Southeast region, which is opening new stores, according to Karen Koulovatos, employment and development specialist.

She said applicants calling into the system will have to answer a series of questions, some of which will be about availability and the hours and days they can work.

"These are standard fact-gathering questions," Koulovatos said. "If the applicant is within our guidelines -- their availability is OK -- then the phone will actually schedule them to come into our hiring office and take a computer-assisted interview. From there, we determine whether they will continue in the process with a face-to-face interview."

Next year, the chain will begin collecting, via the Internet, job applications and resumes from college students interested in Hannaford's retail-management training program.

"We go to the campus ourselves to recruit but what we plan to do is to send out a multimedia disc that includes a computer-assisted interview along with information about Hannaford" for college students, Koulovatos said. "If they're interested, they complete a brief multiple-choice basic qualification interview and send that back to us with their resume via the Internet."

Hannaford progressed to these new hiring approaches because it has been successful with computer-assisted interviews for the past three years. The chain found computer-assisted interviews to be particularly effective when opening a new store, for example, because many entry-level associates are needed at once. In this case, it sets up a bank of computers with computer-assisted interview software to gather information from up to two dozen applicants at once.

The retailer uses computer-assisted interview systems as a tool to lower turnover and save labor in its personnel department. The company predicts its total savings, including elimination of the initial personnel coordinator face-to-face interview and previous assessment tools, at $315,000 over five years.

Hannaford, whose front-end staff turnover is about 60% per year, seeks to reduce turnover by 35%. Koulovatos declined to disclose results but did say computer-assisted interviews have improved staff retention.

Based on a model from the software provider, Aspen Tree Software, Laramie, Wyo., Hannaford could potentially exceed its goals and reduce staff turnover by 42% using the technology.

Labor hours related to the interview process have also been reduced at Hannaford. In the Northeast region, for example, personnel coordinators interviewed 3,586 job applicants from June 1994 to August 1996, and cut 30 minutes off each interview by using the computer-assisted interview.

Previously, the personnel coordinator conducted a 30-minute face-to-face interview with the applicant. If the person was a viable candidate, he or she went through a second 30-minute face-to-face interview with a hiring manager. Now "the first initial interview is gone," Koulovatos said.

Hannaford's interview process currently involves a prospective employee filling out a standard paper application. If the person satisfies basic qualifications, Hannaford calls the person to schedule time to take the computer-assisted interview. After reviewing responses to the computer-assisted interview, which consists of approximately 100 to 120 questions, it determines whether to move forward with the employee in the interview process.

Each of Hannaford's 140 stores has a multimedia personal computer on site. Videos are incorporated within the computer-assisted interview and help the store judge a potential new hire's customer service skills. For example, one simulated scenario might feature a customer asking an applicant for information about where to find a product.

In general, potential employees' answers to specific questions can provide accurate predictions about job longevity.

"With our data we have found there are 15 questions within the interview portion that successful new hires and nonsuccessful new hires answer significantly differently. These 15 are weighted questions," Koulovatos said.

Hannaford defines a successful hire as someone who has been in its employ for more than 75 days and nonsuccessful hires as people who terminate within 75 days, which can be involuntary or voluntary.

"Based on the way they answer these 15 questions a score comes out, which is just a recommendation, not a definitive hire. There are still another 100 questions or so we need to look at to make our determination whether the applicant continues in the hiring process."