- Interviewing & Hiring
- Hiring Compliance Issues Resources
- Interview Worksheet
- Onboarding Best Practices & Case Histories
Interviewing & Hiring
“Hiring talented individuals is critical to an organization’s success. But in order to hire the most talented, you must first recruit them, but acquiring the right talent can be a challenge. Recruiters working with limited resources must decide whom to target, what message to convey and how to staff the recruitment efforts. Based on peer-reviewed research, this new SHRM Foundation report offers specific recommendations on developing an effective external recruiting program.”
“This article offers our best thinking about the most effective way to hire top-level managers, based on a combination of our own and established research about the relationship between recruiting and long-term corporate performance (see the research sidebar). The following is, to our knowledge, the first time that an end-to-end set of best practices has been put forward in one place. Our compendium comprises seven steps, which cover the full recruitment spectrum: anticipating the need for new hires, specifying the job, developing a pool of candidates, assessing the candidates, closing the deal, integrating the newcomer, and reviewing the effectiveness of the hiring process.”
Ensuring that all employees involved in recruitment, hiring and promotion decisions understand their responsibilities may help prevent discrimination.
“Want to recruit and hire a superior workforce? This checklist for hiring employees will help you systematize your process for hiring, whether it’s your first employee or one of many employees that you are hiring. This checklist helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts.”
“A lot of employers have multiple people interviewing job candidates. But is that really the right way to go about hiring people? Here’s the answer employers have been seeking. According to a new study, the more people you have interviewing candidates — and reviewing their responses — the better your odds will be of selecting the best job candidate. In other words, there’s no point of diminishing returns when it comes to selecting how many people to put in front of a job candidate — at least in terms of upping your ability to make the right call. The more, the merrier.”
“In recent years, surveys have found employers taking longer to fill open positions. New data from the Talent Board, however, finds many companies cutting down on the number of interviews they conduct before selecting a candidate. Are hiring processes about to pick up speed?”
“How does hiring a toxic employee compare to hiring a superstar? Minor and Housman found that one toxic employee wipes out the gains for more than two superstars. In fact, a superstar, defined as the top 1% of workers in terms of productivity, adds about $5,000 per year to the company’s profit, while a toxic worker costs about $12,000 per year. The real difference could even be greater if you factor in other potential costs, such as the spread of the toxicity, litigation fees, lower employee morale, and upset customers.”
“To avoid that, when we make hires, we screen candidates using a list of personal characteristics we call the Non-Negotiables. First there were four. Ultimately, we’ve expanded the list to seven. These are the characteristics that have become the primary criteria for hiring decisions — things we value even more than skills and background. When we add people to our nearly 100-person company, these criteria are non-negotiable.
The seven Non-Negotiables are Respect, Belief, Loyalty, Commitment, Trust, Courage and Gratitude.”
“Some employees can have toxic effects in the workplace. Careful hiring procedures can help organizations limit the damage.
Unfortunately, detecting an applicant’s psychopathic tendencies is easier said than done. Psychopaths, by nature, are charming, engaging individuals who know how to say the right things to impress the person or people conducting the interview, says Spangler. They won’t hesitate to lie or omit pertinent information and have no qualms about taking credit for other peoples’ accomplishments. Fortunately, experts say, this smokescreen can be dissolved with a combination of strategic interviewing, reference checking and psychometric testing.”
“Want job interview tips to help you select the most qualified employees? These tips will help you assess the skills, experience, and cultural fit of your potential employees. The job interview is a powerful factor in the employee selection process in most organizations. While it may not deserve all of the attention that it receives, the interview is still a powerful force in hiring.”
“Unfortunately, assessing whether a candidate is a strategic thinker is far from easy. Most people tell you that they are one if you ask, and most assessments give you false positives. The job interview is often the best opportunity to accurately separate out people who have this relatively rare talent from the high volume of candidates that only have tactical capabilities.
Don’t rely on your job applicant to tell you whether they are strategic. Instead, use one of these six interview approaches.”
“Throughout the past year, via in-depth research and conversations with HR Morning readers, we discovered a variety of fine-tuned interview questions top employers are relying on to vet their job candidates. Here, we’ve compiled the best of the best from the past year.”
Excellent resource with sample legal interview questions on various topics.
This e-book offers guidance on conducting interviews.
“Many times, hiring managers — in an innocent attempt to make an interviewee more comfortable — ask questions that could put the company in legal peril down the line.
Here are some not-so-obvious questions that could get your company in trouble, and alternate language that will get you the information you need.”
11 Questions That You Don’t Want to Ask During an Interview
HR Web Café – Just for fun – tales of job interviews that ran off the rails.
“Background checking is the process of authenticating the information supplied to a potential employer by a job applicant in his or her resume, application, and interviews. In most application processes, lying about background and credentials will keep the employer from hiring the applicant. Background checking ensures the employer that the candidate has the background and experience claimed. Additionally, if it is determined at a later date through a background check, that an employee lied about credentials, qualifications, experience, education and so forth, the employer may fire the employee.”
“Does your organization conduct background checks as part of the hiring process? Many organizations do, but the type of background check—and the extent of it—varies considerably. Let’s take a look at some of the most pertinent reasons so many businesses opt to perform some type of background check on any potential new employee.”
“You think you’ve found the right candidate to fill your open position and now it’s time to check references. What’s the best way to get the information you need? Should you ask each person the same questions? What do you read—if anything—into the tone of their voice? And how do you overcome the fact that so many companies only allow you to talk to HR and confirm the most basic information?”
“Reference checking is often relegated to Human Resources in organizations. In my mind, that’s not who should own reference checking. The manager of the position should check the employment references.
He or she has the most to lose if the needed skills and cultural fit don’t work out. The manager’s feel for the viability of the candidate is also key for the person’s eventual success as an employee.”
Hiring Compliance Issues Resources
Department of Labor’s principal statutes most commonly applicable to businesses, job seekers, workers, retirees, contractors and grantees
The elaws Advisors help employees and employers learn their rights and responsibilities under Federal employment laws.
Guidance on Recruiting, Hiring, Retention, Accommodation & more
The FirstStep Poster Advisor is designed to help employers comply with the poster requirements of several laws administered by the Department of Labor (DOL). These laws require employers to display official DOL posters where employees can readily observe them. DOL provides the posters at no cost to employers.
Helps employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under USERRA.
Online resource that helps employers and HR professionals make their eRecruiting technologies accessible to all job seekers—including those with disabilities. U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy Created by ODEP’s Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology, TalentWorks provides general background on accessibility and e-Recruiting, as well as practical tip sheets for making online job applications, digital interviews, pre-employment tests and resume upload programs accessible.
“You’re hiring — congrats on growing your business! Keep the employee hiring process smooth by sticking to this compliance checklist.”
“The interview and hiring process can be a breeding ground for employment law violations. State and federal anti-discrimination laws prohibit the use of certain characteristics as hiring criterion, such as age, gender, and race. How you phrase a seemingly harmless interview question can create serious legal ramifications for your organization. It is important for counsel and employees conducting interviews to understand the boundaries of these laws and the potential for violations during the hiring process.”
“Smart employers use an employment application that is filled out by every candidate for a particular job. Employers world wide use the employment application to gather consistent data about prospective employees. While the format for resumes and cover letters changes from person-to-person, the employment application collects consistent information in a uniform format from every applicant.
The employment application provides a regular format with the same questions that must be answered by each person who applies for your open position. This allows employers to compare applicant credentials that are listed in the same order on a form, impartially. The employer is able to compare credentials without regard for formatting, presentation, exaggeration, and hyperbole.”
“Texting is becoming an important part of the recruiting process. However, companies must be aware of potential legal issues.”
Includes links to resources as well as interview Do’s and Don’ts for successful interviewing and avoiding legal trouble.
“Many times, hiring managers — in an innocent attempt to make an interviewee more comfortable — ask questions that could put the company in legal peril down the line.
Here are some not-so-obvious questions that could get your company in trouble, and alternate language that will get you the information you need.”
11 Questions That You Don’t Want to Ask During an Interview
“A new lesson in hiring from the EEOC: You can’t get away with discriminating against a specific group of applicants by improperly structuring your training program. ”
Interview Worksheet (PDF)
Onboarding Best Practices & Case Histories
“When a new hire is brought on board, it feels like there are a million things to do. Beyond the obvious things like completing all the necessary paperwork and informing the employee of the basics (like when and where to show up!), there are a lot of onboarding activities that are crucial to long-term success and retention.
Taking the time to create effective and efficient onboarding programs will help employers in several ways. First and foremost, there are onboarding tasks that must be completed in order to be legally compliant, such as requiring employees to complete I-9 paperwork. Next, proper onboarding allows employees to understand their role and what the employer expects of them in that role, helping both parties get on the same page quickly. Onboarding also introduces the employee to the company culture and working environment. It is the first opportunity for employees to get to know their colleagues and who they should turn to for assistance.”
“Lack of onboarding or a process that doesn’t go smoothly can leave employees feeling overwhelmed, confused, and unsupported in their new roles. Even worse, it can mean losing employees because they never find their places in the company. According to HR consulting firm the Wynhurst Group, 22% of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment. The firm also found that new employees who go through a structured onboarding process are 58% more likely to stay with the company for more than three years. Clearly this is not something that happens on its own.”
Few would disagree that relationships matter. However, when onboarding new employees, many organizations don’t do enough to help them make connections or foster a sense of belonging.
Related: Onboarding New Employees: Best Practices Checklist for Fostering Connection
“However, companies with great onboarding programs can expect to retain their employees for some time. Consider the following from TalentWise:
91% of employees stick around for at least a year when organizations have efficient onboarding processes
69% of them stick around for at least three years when companies have well-structured onboarding programs
How much attention are you paying to your company’s own onboarding program? Taking a look at how three well-known companies approach onboarding may inspire you to make some improvements.”
“Two years ago, the company was celebrating its fifth year anniversary, and, Hester said, was gaining the momentum that required the hiring of new employees at a faster rate than in the past. During this time, Hester noticed that the new employees coming into LAN Systems seemed to look and act “lost” at times during the early months of their employment.
The CEO knew that she had to find a method to onboard new employees more quickly or risk losing them. So, she decided to create and institute LAN Systems’ Sherpa Program.
The program was designed to help new employees settle in; adjust to their new workplace and culture; and make them feel part of the team sooner. Ultimately, it was hoped, they could then become fully productive team members more quickly than they had in the past.”
“Onboarding is one of the least measured aspects of human resources. And as a result of that lack of metrics, most organizations can only guess as to which of their onboarding features make a measurable difference. However, Google’s analytics team led the way in trying closely measured experiments in order to discover which factors have the highest positive impact on getting new hires up to minimum productivity levels faster.”
“New employee orientation is the process you use for welcoming a new employee into your organization. The goal of new employee orientation is to help the new employee feel welcomed, integrated into the organization, and performing the new job successfully as quickly as possible.
In organizations, a core of information exists that you need to share with every new employee. But, depending on the level of the job, the responsibilities of the job, and the experience of the new employee, components will vary.”
“Roughly one-third (31%) of the U.S. workforce has quit a job after less than six months, according to recent research.
One of the main culprits? Poor onboarding. Some employees were just never able to settle in — and it’s not always their fault.”
“What types of challenges are employers facing when it comes to engaging Millennial and Generation Z new hires in the onboarding process? These younger generations of new hires have grown up in a digital world, and that is presenting new challenges for employers in terms of engaging new hires in the onboarding process and retaining them for the long term, says Doug Stephen, senior vice president of CGS’s Learning Group.”