Scenario You are the HR Director for a large university. The college of business has recently been profiled in the local media for having the least diverse staff of any organization at the university. The college will need to hire a new office assistant, but they are concerned that their position description may have neutral requirements that in the past resulted in fewer applications from people of color. The knowledge, skills and abilities contained in the job description are as follows: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Three (3) to five (5) years’ experience in an office setting in a high-level clerical role. This incumbent in this position must have a high level of knowledge in university, division, and office policy and procedure to respond independently to people and situations with consistency and accuracy. Thorough knowledge of office procedures and techniques, with previous executive level office experience to effectively ascertain and predict the needs of the Dean and office are critical. Demonstrated team player, as exemplified by memberships in church or social groups. Outstanding organizational skills, problem solving, planning, scheduling, work accuracy, attention to detail, oral and written communication, human relations skills and the ability to work with a diverse population of faculty, staff and students are required. Ability to perform the essential job functions at a very high level with little or no training. You are asked by the President of the university to review these job requirements to determine if any of the neutral requirements could be resulting in adverse impact. He requests a memo from you with your findings.
Your Assignment Write a memo to the university President with your findings of which of the neutral job requirements could result in adverse impact. Explain why, and also explain what new requirements you would recommend to assess a candidate’s qualifications.