Hiring and training is a drain on a budget in the best economic conditions so companies want to do it right the first time.

Candidates are in abundance right now so HR and management have an open field. It makes sense that there would be a vetting process to make sure a candidate is a good fit for the organization and brings the right talents to the position.

How much vetting is too much? Depending on the field and the position, a job seeker who is selected for the interview process is most likely facing multiple interviews and team interviews.

My clients have successfully made it through the resume review process to move on to the interview process even the recent years of dismal economic conditions.

Frequently the process starts with a phone interview, perhaps with HR or a recruiter, to determine if the candidate’s qualifications really match the job description. The initial phone interview can be followed with a second phone interview with either the same person or perhaps someone at a higher level in either HR or management.

Eventually, the chosen candidate will move on to an in-person interview with a team composed of HR, management, department staff leadership, or a future co-worker. Or perhaps, the candidate may interview with one or two members and then progress to a second or third interview in the same facility with different personnel.

Increasingly common in the vetting process is the use of assessments. Assessments such as Myers-Briggs, Strong Interest Inventory, Wonderlic Personnel Test, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, and others are prevalent as tools to learn more information about the potential employee.

Assessments using the DISC tool are also part of three of my resume packages. My clients love the additional insight about their communication and management styles that assessments provide and the enlightenment of learning more about their ideal work environment.

But if you are the chosen candidate who has been through six or more interviews and then sent a consulting group’s testing information which includes four or more of the assessments you need to complete prior to the interview with the consultant, does it start to be counter-productive?

How about when the questions candidates need to answer are ones like: “Have you ever lied?” Now think about that one...if you are interviewing for a position in financial services or a legal department who works with confidential trust accounts, the whole honesty issue is an important attribute.

Think hard on the question, “Have you EVER lied?” Did you EVER answer your mom when she asked if you ate a cookie before dinner with “No, Mom, I didn’t?” Yes, you lied. If you answer the question, have you ever lied, with a no, well...Catch-22?

How many interviews and how many assessments does it take before your best candidates either get disillusioned or befuddled? What do you think? How much is too much?