Category: Human Resource

The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report shows the slight increase in jobs in the month of January 2012, yet again making our ascent out of this recession a slow and painful one.  There are still many displaced workers but the increase in economic stability is creating jobs. If you are one of the lucky employers who has the ability to hire employees in this market, the advice herein will be a refresher on how to weed out those with less than desirable histories, and how to spot those who may be omitting or including things that just may not be truthful – and cost you a lot of money in the end.

If you think that digging into prospective employees’ resumes, or even running a background check, is not necessary then you may want to think again. Recent stories of late with Executives who stated certain criteria that never existed makes you think, what else are people hiding? With more than half of all job applicants listing untruths on their resumes you may want to find out more about who you are considering for a hire and run a full background check, before you find out the hard way. Hopefully this infographic will help you improve your hiring process so that you can build the best workforce possible for your business.

About the Author:

The Business.com blog covers products, services and solutions to help grow a small business.

In recent years, the reference-checking landscape has changed dramatically for prospective employers and job seekers alike. The advent of social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook allow prospective employers to quickly research reference data on a prospective candidate, says professional reference checking company Allison & Taylor.

This is a boon from the hiring manager/recruiter perspective, as vast personal and professional networks can be accessed – the membership of LinkedIn alone exceeds 135 million members. Social media opens up the candidate pool; estimates suggest that a significant majority of hiring managers recruited through social networks in 2011- and that this trend will continue.

In addition, many hiring managers use social media such using as LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook (in addition to general Google searches) to check a potential candidate’s background. An employer can type in the candidate’s name, previous employers and dates of employment and might well come up with the names of a wide variety of current and former associates. What’s more, prospective employers can access the information on these sites even before a candidate is interviewed in person.

What are the ramifications for you, the job seeker? For one, a prospective employer might be able to access former references who are not those you would normally provide as references. Simply offering up the name of your former Human Resources representative, or of your immediate supervisor, might not be sufficient if an employer is able to utilize social media tools to access the names of your second-level supervisors or other key associates.

This being the case, what steps should you take now to ensure that your social media data isn’t used against you?

Consider these five proactive steps to manage your references in the Internet Age:

1. Take the time to research yourself online prior to beginning your interview process. (One example: “Google” yourself.) The odds are very high that your application, resume and credentials will be reviewed by prospective employers for inaccuracies – better that you identify them first, if they exist.

2. Consider expanding your reference list to prospective employers beyond simply an HR contact or supervisor. Associates like a supportive second-level supervisor or a matrix manager(s) can be key advocates in your behalf and might be more supportive than traditional references like immediate supervisors.

3. Find out what your references will say about you prior to beginning the interview process. Use a third-party reference verification firm to find out what references at your most recent places of employment (in particular) will actually say about you. Increasing the scope of your reference search (to second-level supervisors, etc.) may identify additional favorable references in senior positions whose names you may wish to invoke during the interview process.

4. When negative references are identified during a third-party search, consider taking remedial action intended to discourage such references from ever offering similar negative input to your future employers. Tools such as Cease & Desist letters have proven extremely effective in neutralizing future negative input from unfavorable references.

5. Know your rights. Be aware that employers are legally prohibited from using certain social media data they may discover about you during the hiring process, (e.g. data pertaining to your race, religion, age, sex, sexual preference, etc.). Employers open themselves up to lawsuits if they base their hiring decisions on such discriminatory information.

The ever-increasing prevalence of social media is a doubled edged sword; it has opened up countless employment opportunities, but has also given prospective employers added tools to investigate your background. By recognizing this and taking proactive steps, you use social media to your advantage – and gainful new employment.

About the Author:

Allison & Taylor and its principals have been in the business of checking references for corporations and individuals since 1984. Allison & Taylor is headquartered in Rochester, Mich. For further details on services and procedures please visit http://www.allisontaylor.com/.

Article Contributed by Charlotte Mark

Whether you work in inventory management or hardware sales, HRM is an integral part of every business model. In management positions, we spend the majority of time focusing on making quotas, hitting our goals, or making projections. However, if we forget to keep our team happy and motivated, goals, quotas, and projections can all come to a screeching halt. This is especially true in a small business, where every person has a critical role in making the business run. Here are the must-haves when it come to human resource management:

Efficient Delegation

Delegating is probably the trickiest part of management. Why is this so? Well, for one, the person delegating usually feels hesitant to delegate an important task to an employee. Our logic tells us that, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” Secondly, the person receiving the delegated task may either feel anxious with fear of failure or may feel slightly resistant to take orders. Understanding that this is a very complex, psychological exchange is the fist step in becoming a successful delegator. The second step is executing a delegation that is accurate and with concise, easy-to-follow directions. Make sure that the task is not at all associated with management (which is, clearly, your job).

Interaction and Communication

In many small businesses, numerous amounts of people are crammed into tiny spaces, which can make for a tense environment. Additionally, the startup environment can be fast-paced and stressful. To minimize these stressors, open communication is the best remedy. Open communication can be conducted through regular meetings (either weekly or bi-monthly). Often, managers tend to forget the importance of individual meetings to supplement regular group meetings. Meeting with your employees individually allows you to show your concern and listen to feedback.

Increasing Performance

If you are seeing low productivity, set goals in writing. Put an initiative up (either online or in the office) for everyone to see and follow. You should also check up on your goals and quotas frequently enough to understand productivity levels but not so frequent that you stifle productivity or make employees feel like they are being micromanaged.

All of these factors will result in a better retention rate, higher productivity, and happier employees.

About the Author

Charlotte Mark writes about small business, inventory management, and entrepreneurships for the Blog Content Guild.

Article Contributed by Jessica Francisco

It was never a secret that the employees of your organization are one of your greatest assets. They are the foundation of the business. If not for them, the business wouldn’t be operating. It has always been a challenge for all managers and leaders of organization to ensure utmost performance of their personnel. Their performance dictates what the business can do and what they can offer to their customers. The way your employees carry out their work is one of the largest contributing factor for your business’ long term success. In this article, you’ll learn some ways on how you can motivate and boost the morale of your employees for them to perform better.

Below are the Top 5 ways that you could look into to uplift your employees’ work habits:

5. Coaching Programs

Nothing beats open communication. Talk to your employees religiously. Initiating a conversation with them will feed their need of self-significance. They will feel that they belong to the team, that they are important and that their actions are valued by you, being their boss or leader. Through this you’ll be able to identify the problem/s. Would they need more trainings or a lifestyle change perhaps? Address what needs to be changed and implement the solution you think would best eradicate the problem. Constant communication is an essential part of motivation.

4. Goal Setting/Direction

Ensure that your employees know what is expected from them. Often times employees work thinking that what they’re doing is enough but actually it isn’t. They need to know what your standard is for the word, “enough.” You need to set realistic goals for them to attain. Don’t set goals that are impossible for them to accomplish. Before setting goals for them, always make sure that they have what it takes and what they need to attain it. Equip them through guidance and coaching. The direction of their work is also important for them. Make sure that the work you give them is where they are good at. If not, the tendency is that they won’t perform as you expect them to.

3. Incentives Program

Reward your employees for the job well done. They need to feel that they are appreciated. Rewarding top performers will not only boost their morale and motivate them but will also challenge other employees to do the same. Always express your appreciation to what they’ve done for the company. Your actions speak more than your words. A tap on their shoulder or a handshake from you would let them feel they are valued and that they’re important in the company. Give them bonuses and additional goods like insurance, rice or food etc.

2. Compensation

Money has a huge factor in your employees’ performance. It can be compared to the fuel of the car; it is what makes them do their work. Money is their fuel. Employees definitely need proper compensation to fulfil themselves with their wants and needs in life. After all, it is one of the reasons, if not their primary reason, to work. Compensate them through car grants, insurance, health and wellness benefits, travel opportunities and professional training.

1. Lead in Front

Your employees need to see you. A study conducted by Elton Mayo called the Hawthorne Experiment, proved that fervent supervision and concern for employees boosts their morale and enthusiasm at work. Your being visible to your employees would let them feel that you’re serious in what you do and with what you want to see from them. Your leadership should be a demonstration of what you are expecting from your employees. Through this, you’ll not only be able to motivate them but also earn respect and authority from your employees.

The performance of your employees highly depends on your leadership. Being their leader, you should know how and what will motivate them. Be open-minded, accept your infirmities and admit your faults. Arguably the best type of leadership is leadership by example. Manifest what you want to see from your employees. Just as a child would emulate his/her parents, so too will your employees in hopes of becoming leaders someday.

About the Author
Jessica Francisco is a cheerful 25-year-old with an odd sense of fun. The least of her broad range of hobbies include swimming, hiking and listening to the music of Michael Jackson. Jessica is also one of the editors of Luke Roxas.

Article Contributed by Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica

The hiring retention success rate is disheartening with some studies reporting a rate lower than 50%. Through more than 50 years of combined experience 50+ in helping organizations improve their business performance, we (Tony Kubica and Sara LaForest) have uncovered three reasons why most companies and organizations fail to hire and retain top talent.

The First Reason Why Most Companies Hiring Retention Rate is Less Than 50%!

In the movie “Field of Dreams” , Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) hears a voice as he walks through his cornfield—”if you build it, he will come”. Over the years it has since become part of our lexicon of misused quotes. It has even seeped into the talent integration and talent management world.

Many CEOs, executives, managers and HR directors believe if you hire them (or promote your employees) they will contribute. Well, to use another well- known phrase—”not exactly”.

Why would you believe that hiring or promoting employees into a new job or position will result in immediate success?

The Second Reason Why Most Companies Retention Rate is Less Than 50%!

Many executives, managers and HR managers fail to plan out completely:

.  The job requirements
.  What needs to be done
.  What skills, behaviors and attitudes are required for success now
.  What role adaptation is anticipated for the future

If you fail to map out exactly what you are looking for as well as the position you are hiring for –  you might as well spend your money on a trip to Las Vegas to roll the dice! The chance of winning is about the same –  or maybe slightly better in Vegas (and likely you will have more fun).

The Third Reason Why Most Companies Retention Rate is Less Than 50%!

Most companies are still hiring and promoting candidates using the standard elements:

.  An application
.  A resume
.  An interview (or two, potentially including a panel)
.  Perhaps a background check,
.  And references.

However, these really only tell you only what the candidate wants you to know. Meaning, good creative writing and strong impression management skills do not necessarily equal the most suitable candidate for your organization. Just because candidates can report experience and expertise on a resume does not mean they have the personality and character attributes to do the job and it doesn’t mean that they are the right fit for your company.

For example, we saw one of our clients hire a department director who was charged with turning around an under- performing department. He appeared to be well- qualified, coming from a department that recently had undergone a very successful turnaround. He was the assistant director.

But, he floundered in the new job. One of the reasons is that he was too empathetic and had a very high- interpersonal sensitivity toward others. Simply, he could not make the tough people decisions. Nowhere on the resume, during the interview, nor with the hand- picked references did this come out.

To Integrate Your New or Promoted Talent Effectively, You Need to Start Considering the “Talent Integration Potential”

This means, you need to look specifically to how a candidate fits the prospective role and how suitable the candidate is to your organization. Just as you cannot fit a square peg in a round hole (without damage), you cannot make successful a person who does not have the basic ingredients for success in the job you need done.

This does not mean the person cannot be successful. It just means they cannot likely be as successful in a particular job or perhaps even in your organization.

So, how can you know?

4 Ways to Uncover If a Candidate is Perfect For the New Role & For Your Organization

1.  Use behaviorally- based interview questions that probe their history of actions and outcomes respectively

2.  Include some culture- based questions to help you determine values and motivators as compared to company values and attributes

3.  Include/give them time for a scenario based problem to work and resolve and report back on

4.  Have top candidates complete personality- based and job performance  indicators that measure a candidate’s potential for success in different business environments and roles. (Though such an assessment should never be used as the sole criteria for selection. As part of a selection set, it can be an invaluable tool to avoid hiring the wrong candidate for the job.) It can also be used as a tool to support and coach the new employee in areas that need to be addressed to ensure a fast and effective integration into a new job and organization.

Now, are you ready to start increasing your top employee retention rate? Great! Then, change your thinking from “if you hire them or promote them – they will contribute”  to “if I hire the right talent, they will contribute.”  And, start following my advice by taking action on the items listed in this article – along with the information we reveal in our free talent integration white paper at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/resources.php

About the Author:

Management consultants Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica have 50+ years of combined experience in helping organizations accelerate their business growth in record times. Now, you can learn how to manage transitions and hire the right executives with their free special report on talent recruitment and integration at http://www.kubicalasforestconsulting.com/resources.php