HR personnel are faced with challenges to managing hiring procedures and meeting their employment needs safely as well as legally during this pandemic. With virtual interviews replacing face-to-face encounters as well as increased awareness of inequalities in and out of the workplace, what are some good strategies to help hiring teams cope with ensuring workplace safety and inclusion while finding qualified candidates?

Factors that may complicate performing background checks and other hiring procedures

Gone are the days when information was easily obtained at the click of a mouse or a phone call. Reduced workforces in courthouses, schools and other sources of records have resulted outright suspensions or long delays in processing confirmation of academic, criminal and employment histories. Documents that can be falsified, such as diplomas, should therefore not be taken at face value by employers until verification solutions are in place.

Resist the temptation to hire first and screen later

Not screening employees leaves the organization open to risk. Reserving the right to run post-hiring background checks when court and other resources are available could be one strategy for the short-term.

Working with a provider in hiring procedures to give a heads-up on red flags or other findings during an open search, while receiving status reports, can also help reduce the chances of hiring dishonest applicants.

Don’t let racial and gender Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) goals fall by the wayside

These days, many hiring procedures and decisions are driven more by folks in the finance department than HR recruiters or HR managers. This inevitably results in forgetting, or unfortunately, minimizing the need for D&I in making hiring decisions.

Women are among the hardest hit from layoffs and closures due to the Corona virus: research by Citibank predicts that of the 44 million workers expected to lose their jobs, 31 million (70 percent) will be women – and many of those will be women of color.

Racial disparity is another concern: only about 3.2 per cent of black workers are in senior leadership jobs, according to a 2019 Center for Talent Innovation report.

Perhaps the best way to ensure that an organization doesn’t overlook its D&I agenda is to incorporate it as a policy into the hiring procedures as a part of the decision-making process.

The takeaway:

There is no indication that we’ll be returning to what was once considered “normal” any time soon. In the meantime, flexibility, innovation, and improving hiring procedures while partnering with a top screening provider will be the keys to finding and keeping the best talent available.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

Employee recruiting may be facing a new set of challenges in the coming months with the slowing economic global trends.  Even though the country hasn’t officially entered a recession, stock market fluctuations indicate that the long-running bull market may be sputtering to a close, and financial experts are forecasting tough times ahead. On the surface, this may seem like somewhat good news for employers who have struggled to fill key positions, but employee recruiting during a recession comes with its own set of challenges.

Here is what you need to know about employee recruiting:

You May Be Flooded With Applicants

Although having a wide variety of applicants to choose from after advertising an open position, this isn’t necessarily a positive development. Applicants tend to take a far less targeted approach during tough economic times, often sending out mass resumes hoping that the law of averages kicks in. Unfortunately, some dishonest applicants also hedge their bets by being less than truthful on their applications and resumes. For this reason, you may need to step up pre-employment screenings and background checks with your employee recruiting and hiring policy just to make sure that applicants are being honest and to avoid resume fraud.

You Should Be Very Specific in Your Employee Recruiting Job Requirements

Employee recruiting advertisements listing very specific job requirements may be more likely to be passed over by those using the law of averages approach to job hunting. It may also help to state that only those with the listed qualifications need apply.

You Should Consider Using a Dedicated Email Address for Resumes

Because you’ll probably get an abundance of applicants even if you identify strict requirements, sorting resumes from your regular business correspondence will probably be a time-consuming task. Setting up a designated employee recruiting email address for applicants to send their resumes prevents you from having to sift through hundreds of emails every morning during the time the position is open for applications. If you choose not to use a dedicated email, you can cut down on sorting and sifting by asking applicants to use a specific email title so you can quickly tell them apart from the rest of your correspondence.

You Should Set Up an Employee Recruiting Auto-response

Setting up an auto-response for employee recruiting is a good way to let applicants know that their material has been received. It’s also recommended that you specify in the response that due to the high number of applicants, you will not be able to personally contact everyone who applied. Specify a time frame where those you are interested in interviewing will be contacted — this will hopefully cut down on applicants contacting you when they haven’t heard from you.

Above all, remember to be kind. Economic instability often brings out the worst in people, and when jobs are scarce, applicants may feel stressed and anxious.

Source: https://work.chron.com/can-lose-job-lied-application-25645.html

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

In a changing workforce, more and more people are opting to be contingent workers and do contracted work, or temporary “gigs,” as opposed to traditional employment. Employers may find themselves frequently working with contingent workers such as independent contractors or consultants for short-term and/or part-time projects and assignments.

Because many companies have different relationships and agreements with contingent workers than they do with their full-time employees, employers may question the need to conduct pre-employment background checks when screening such individuals. That decision may depend partly on the type of work or services a contingent worker will perform for a company. Under various federal statutes and policies, certain industries – such as government, education, healthcare and transportation – may mandate background checks for all contingent workers.

If contractors, consultants and temporary workers will have access to sensitive information, any company facilities, and members of vulnerable populations, it’s especially important for employers to exercise due diligence and screen all contingent workers to make a more informed decision. When hiring contract workers for common temporary services that are not high security risks – such as copywriting, graphic design, marketing, or public relations – employers should have a consistent policy when including background checks in the pre-hiring screening process.

Employers should keep in mind that, in most cases, they are subject to the obligations and non-discrimination guidelines under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EOCC) when purchasing and reviewing background checks for contingent workers, independent contractors or volunteers. Relevant statutes may differ from state to state, so employers need to stay up to date on current screening laws in addition to their own internal hiring policies.

In the end, since even independent contractors often have access to a company or organization’s systems, clients, facilities, and staff members, as well as some direct or indirect role in promoting or representing the brand, it’s better for employers to err on the side of caution. Conducting a criminal background check on anyone with whom a business shares an employment-type relationship is an important part of risk mitigation for the organization. Doing so can also help lay the foundation for building more solid or longer-term professional relationships with those individuals.

For assistance in contractor background screening and purchasing criminal background checks for potential consultants, contractors or other contingent workers, contact Screening Intelligence to obtain affordable, easy-to-read reports from trusted sources.

Sources:
www.nelp.org/wp-content/uploads/Policy-Brief-Fairness-Background-Checks-On-Demand-Work.pdf
www.fdic.gov/about/diversity/sbrp/27.ppt
SHRM

Disclaimer
Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

Apple Inc. is one of the most successful in the world, creating a line of computers, smartphones and peripherals that seems to be growing in popularity each year. Not surprisingly, many people seek employment at the tech giant. Any employer can benefit from taking a look at their policies on recruitment, hiring, and their employment screening techniques.

The hiring process for the retail stores has been described as “fairly lengthy,” but getting a job at the main Cupertino location can be downright grueling, according to those who have been through the process.

Multiple Interviews

The hub of the Apple hiring process is numerous interviews conducted over various platforms. It is not uncommon to have multiple phone and FaceTime calls to start. If the applicant passes this phase of screening, lengthy interviews in front of a panel of interviewers is next. Employment screening techniques for some positions include whole-day interviews being conducted at Apple’s Cupertino location.

Apple does what it can to make traveling to the company headquarters easier, including offering access to Apple Travel which helps with coordinating flights to San Francisco and lodging near the campus.

Engage the Applicant

Other employment screening techniques include engaging the applicants. While the screening calls and interviews at Apple include a barrage of questions, they also reserve time at the end of each session to allow the applicant to have their questions answered. While this is usually only about five minutes of time, it allows the applicant to feel engaged and involved with the hiring process.

Innovative Employment Screening Interview Questions

Like many successful tech companies, the Apple company is known for asking creative and sometimes downright strange interview questions. The goal is to gain insights into the applicant’s personality as well as their ability to handle stress and think innovatively.

Some questions require technical knowledge and problem-solving ability; exact questions will depend upon the position being sought. Persons seeking retail jobs are asked interview questions related to how they would manage unhappy customers.

Some actual questions asked by Apple interviewers have included:

“What is the weight of the Empire State Building?”

“Explain how an airplane wing works.”

“What superhero reflects who you are and why?”

“How would you explain what RAM is to a five year old?”

Their employment screening techniques also include some applicants being asked elaborate math problems as well. A Product Design Engineer candidate was asked:

“Imagine a small amount of cold milk just out of the fridge and a cup of freshly made hot coffee. The room temperature is exactly between the two items. When should the milk be added to the coffee for the coolest combination (beginning, middle or end?)”

A Research Scientist candidate was asked:

“How would you check a binary tree to determine of it is a mirror image on its right and left sub-trees?”

Advanced Employment Screening Techniques

The Apple company uses advanced employment screening techniques as well as traditional employment screening including background checks into criminal history (and credit history when relevant to the job). Any employer can gain insights from these employment screening techniques and the hiring trends and methods of one of the world’s most successful tech companies.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-hardest-apple-interview-questions-2017-5

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.

The basics of employment screening will always be the resume/application, interview and a background check. However, employers are getting more creative in their methods of connecting with the most reliable candidates in the talent pool and are utilizing more innovative employment screening methods.

Here are six of the more innovative employment screening ideas companies are using:

1. Video Introduction

Just about everyone has access to a smartphone or laptop computer camera, so it’s easy to make a short video that can be shared with potential employers. It could be considered a sort of pre-interview that allows employers to get a sense of the candidate’s personality and communication style before proceeding in the hiring process. Employers can provide tips and set a time limit for the video of around 2 to 3 minutes.

2. 100-Word Cover Letters

Lengthy cover letters are often too time consuming to read for hiring managers, especially those who receive dozens or even hundreds of applications a day. The 100 word cover letter requires applicants to reveal the most significant things about themselves in a succinct, creative way.

3. Problem-Solving Contest

Employers can also consider creating an open-source contest that invites persons who wish to work for the company to solve a real-world company problem. While a job need not be guaranteed to the winner, a prize, internship or position on a probationary basis can be awarded.

4. Team Projects

For positions that require collaborative effort and working as a team, innovative employment screening  should include a group interview scenario with a team project is a great way to see who is a team player. The project should simulate what the applicants would really be doing in their job. A group interview could be conducted in connection with the project as well.

5. Meet the Staff

Another increasingly popular innovative employment screening technique is taking interview candidates around the workplace to meet relevant staff members. Further along in the interview process the applicant can be asked to sit in on work functions and projects. This allows a determination to be made related to how well the individual might fit into the company’s culture. Key staff members can also be asked to sit on a panel interview for more indepth innovative employment screening of the applicant.

6. Include An Industry Interview Question

Employers should consider asking at least one innovative employment screening question related to the state of their industry at large. This will help reveal the applicant’s true level of engagement with the field. It will also be an indicator of the type of worker they will likely prove to be. Some example interview questions might include:

“What do you think is the most important opportunity in our industry right now?”

“What is the most potentially disruptive factor our industry is likely to face in the upcoming year?”

Employers can also have the candidate ask a question or two about the industry as further insight into their level of engagement.

While thinking outside the box can be extremely helpful as employers screen interested parties, some aspects of innovative employment screening should not be overlooked. A criminal background check is essential to help prevent workplace crime. Innovative employment screening can assist in learning the history of an applicant and if they will contribute to a safe and productive workplace.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabellaclivilezwu/2016/06/28/7-interview-questions-you-must-ask/

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.