拿I Love Rewards这家咨询公司来说。这家公司位于马萨诸塞州以及多伦多，现有38名员工，主要为那些希望实施员工福利和基于业绩的薪酬的公司提供咨询。最近该公司的9个职位空缺接到了1200份求职申请。

　　Paula Kwan I Love Rewards的员工们在快速面试中向应聘者提问。I Love Rewards并没有浏览每份简历，而是向每位求助者发送了一封电子邮件，对求职者有意谋求公司职位表示感谢，并请他们参加在多伦多的一次开放参观活动。结果只有400名求职者到场。该公司创始人兼首席执行长苏勒曼（Razor Suleman）说，这等于让他们自己筛选。求职者到处申请职位很容易，但有800人都没有迈出第一步，这缩短了筛选程序。

　　在几个小时内，苏勒曼和手下31名员工对他们两层高的办公楼进行了布置，第一层被安排为求职者可以和公司员工见面的区域。第二层成为了所谓的速配区域，有希望的求职者和员工进行数分钟的一对一接触。

　　苏勒曼说，这种系统安排很完美，因为每个求职者都能得到一段时间。在5分钟内，我们问了他们一些问题，看看他们是否适合这个职位。这种做法与众不同，但却很有效率，因为你可以排除那些并不是非常热衷的求职者。到当天晚上结束的时候，该公司选出了前68位求职者，随后将给这些人打电话，请他们再来公司参加小组面试以及随后的单独面试。

　　招聘广告的费用、猎头费用，如果发现新招聘人员不适合之后寻找接替者，这些可能成为公司面临的一大财务负担；在各家公司都在密切关注成本的当下尤为如此。

　　会计师事务所Fisher,Herbst & Kemble PC的合伙人赫伯斯特（Bob Herbst）说，我们现在更加严格了，因为如果招聘者和工作岗位不适合，我们会浪费大量时间和精力。现在，这家事务所在招聘之前求助Mercer Systems制订的性格测试。

　　赫伯斯特说，此前数年，他和公司其他人在面试过程中都相信直觉，但这并不总是能招到最好的应聘者。现在他不再心存侥幸了，而是要求所有求职者完成15分钟的调查问卷；问卷意在预测人际交往风格、未来状况和激励因素等。

　　赫伯斯特说，我们以此避免招到不合适的人，这比简历或其他东西更为重要。

　　PCA Skin是亚利桑那州一家拥有100名雇员的公司，主要开发临床皮肤护理产品。该公司从6月份开始在招聘中使用性格测试。测试问卷是由Professional Dynametric Programs制订的，测试时间在10分钟左右，包括了数十项特征描述。

　　PCA Skin首席执行长林德（Richard Linder）说，我们让65位求职者进行了测试。他从6月份以来招募了17名新人。林德说，到目前为止我们使用这一测试工具招聘的每个人都很胜任。

　　其他公司则愿意支付更多前期费用，确保他们招到适合人选。新墨西哥州广告公司McKee Wallwork Cleveland的老板之一、创意总监克里夫兰（Bart Cleveland）就是这么做的。他没有使用性格测试对求职者进行行为评估，而是最近开始对应聘者进行为期数天的亲自考察。

　　他说，公司习惯了为求职者报销机票，因此租车和住宿产生的额外费用就不算什么。最近，在四天的时间内，一位申请产品开发职位的求职者不但了解了公司文化，甚至被允许参加一些公司会议。

　　自从招聘了这位开发人员之后，McKee Wallwork Cleveland还对其他两名求职者进行了类似的多天考察。克里夫兰说，对那些需要为了工作搬家的人来说，这个过程对双方都有利。

　　克里夫兰说，人们在结识新人的时候，总是表现出最好的行为，但当他们心态放松、做回自己的时候，你就会开始看到他们真实的一面。我们会在他们从众多应聘者中脱颍而出之前谨慎地筛选他们，一旦他们开始工作，精挑细选出来的人果然就大不一样。

　　Take,for instance,I Love Rewards Inc.,a 38-person consulting firm that advises companies that want to implement employee benefits and performance-based rewards. I Love Rewards,based in Wellesley,Mass.,and Toronto，recently received 1200 applications for nine job openings.

　　Instead of reading through each resume,the company sent an email to each applicant，thanking the candidates for their interest and asking them to attend an open house in Toronto. Only 400 showed up. 'That's self-selection' reasons Razor Suleman,the company's founder and chief executive. 'It's so easy to apply for anything but 800 didn't take the first step. That lowered the screening process.'

　　Over a few hours,Mr. Suleman and 31 of his employees arranged the two-story office so that the first floor was designated as an area where employees could mingle with the candidates. The second floor became a so-called speed-dating area,where the prospects had one-on-one contact with the employees for a few minutes.

　　'It was perfectly systematic because everyone had a time slot' says Mr. Suleman. 'And in five minutes,we'd ask a few questions and see if they were right for the role. It was different but so efficient because you could remove people who aren't wildly enthusiastic.' By the end of the evening,the team had found the top 68 candidates,who will be called back for group interviews and then individual interviews.

　　Especially in a time when firms are watching overhead closely,the cost of advertising the job,paying headhunter fees and finding a successor if a new hire doesn't work out can be a major financial setback.

　　'We are much more strict now because we waste a lot of time and energy when the hire is not a right match.' says Bob Herbst,a partner at the accounting firm of Fisher,Herbst & Kemble PC in San Antonio,which is now relying on personality tests by Mercer Systems Inc. before hiring candidates.

　　In years past,Mr. Herbst says he and others at the firm would trust their instincts during the interview process， but that didn't always produce the best hires. Now,he isn't taking any chances,making all candidates fill out 15-minute questionnaires designed to forecast behaviors such as interpersonal style,outlook and motivators.

　　'It's our defense [against] getting the wrong kind of people.' Mr. Herbst says. 'It's a much more important factor than a resume or anything else.'

　　Physician's Choice of Arizona,or PCA Skin Inc.,a 100-employee company in Scottsdale,Ariz.,that develops clinical skin-care products,started administering personality tests in June. Developed by Professional Dynametric Programs Inc,the test takes about 10 minutes and consists of dozens of trait descriptors.

　　'We have had about 65 candidates take the survey.' says PCA Skin Chief Executive Richard Linder,who has filled 17 positions since June. 'So far,every hire we have made in which we used the survey tool has resulted in a successful placement.'

　　Other firms are willing to spend more upfront to make sure they are hiring bulls-eye candidates. Such is the case with Bart Cleveland,creative director and co-owner of McKee Wallwork Cleveland,an ad agency in Albuquerque,N.M. Instead of assessing behavior through personality surveys,Mr. Cleveland recently has begun to evaluate the candidates in person over the course of several days.

　　The firm is accustomed to paying for candidates' flights,so the added expense of car rentals and lodging has been a relatively small sacrifice,he says. Over the course of four days,one recent candidate for a developer position was privy to the culture of the firm and was even allowed to attend some meetings.

　　Since hiring that developer,the firm has had similar multiday evaluations with two more candidates,which Mr. Cleveland says is mutually beneficial for those who would need to relocate for the job.

　　'Humans are on their best behavior when they meet new people,but you start to see who they really are when they are relaxed and are themselves.' Mr. Cleveland says. 'We are careful of screening them before they come out but once they get here it really makes a difference.'