It’s no secret that hiring is one of the biggest challenges of managing and growing a productive team. So why do we chronically underestimate the time and energy that we need to dedicate to this crucial task?  Business owners frequently minimize the importance of hiring. It’s a “tertiary task” superficially unrelated to client work, and often triggered under duress: a huge new client project to ramp up for, the opening of a new office, or the exodus of a few great employees. For this reason, hiring often takes on a stressful tone and is executed hastily. Yet no decision can have a bigger impact on the direction of your work and the long-term success of your business.

Hiring exceptional people allows a leader to set strategic direction and then hand over incremental decisions to smart, capable team members.  Letting people in the organization use their judgment turns out to be faster and cheaper – but only if you hire the right people and reward them for having the right attitude.

The trick is uncovering those talented and trustworthy people – and knowing what they look like when you find them. Here are a handful of tips:

1. You cannot clone yourself. One of the first obstacles in expanding your team is rewiring your brain. Subconsciously or not, you may be fixated on looking for someone with the skills, mannerisms, single-minded passion, and other useful qualities that mimic your own. Instead, look for a cocktail of complementary skills to balance your weaknesses. Seek a foundation of rudiments and a likeable and hard-working personality. There is no one who loves your work more than you.

2. Persistence is golden. There’s a rule of thumb called The Rule of 100. Assume you’ll need to make contact with 100 people in order to find 10 prospects to narrow to a pool of 3 great matches. Sometimes this is an overestimation, but the point is that finding the right person is usually a matter of persistence. Don’t stop looking if you’re having trouble finding the right fit, just keep looking.

3. The best resource is your personal network. Hands down the best source for locating a person that fits you and your company is your circle of contacts. It’s your job to communicate effectively to your network by being clear about what you’re looking for and the context of the hire. It helps to be specific when approaching your network to give them information that’s easy to act on.

4. But… don’t forget to look beyond your network. It is a common strategy (and a common mistake) to stick to your personal network to find quality people. Go beyond your circle of contacts. Make a list of people and companies you respect or admire and reach out to them for assistance. Always ask who you should speak to next to continue to expand your network concentrically outward.

5. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior… but it’s not always obvious. Often a person’s interests are found in the seams of their resume or professional trajectory. Find out about hobbies, art projects or groups they started outside of work. This type of initiative will provide insight into how well a person works independently and if they’re prone to turning ideas action.

6. Use “critical incident interviewing.” This is an interview model that queries specific past events as a basis for discerning a person’s capabilities. It’s all about cascading questions. Start by asking about an incident, then peeling back the layers to evaluate the person’s thought process, judgment, and how he or she deals with a situation.

For example:

• “Tell me about a time you disagreed with your supervisor on a creative issue.”
• “Walk me through the problem.”“What did you do about it?”
• “What led to that decision?”
• “Why do you think that was effective?”
• “What was the outcome?”

7. Assign homework. After a series of interviews, it is common practice for companies to assign a phantom project or problem to solve. Some even hand off a client assignment and compensate potential employees for their work. There’s no better way to predict performance than by having the opportunity to evaluate the work directly and get a feel for a prospect’s style and habits.

8. Do great work and make great stuff… so the best people find you. It’s no surprise that the best companies always have the easiest time hiring. That’s because people are clamoring to work for them. Strive to do mind-bendingly great work and the hiring will take care of itself!

Interview Questions–Techniques and Strategies

The whole point of the interview in the hiring process is to learn if your candidate matches your job description. How much information you receive and how useful that acquired information will be in making an employee-related decision depends, largely, on the effectiveness of your questioning techniques. Ineffectively worded questions can have as great an impact as effective questions.

An effective interview will include five types of questioning techniques:

• Competency-based Questions
• Open-Ended Questions
• Hypothetical Questions
• Probing Questions
• Closed Ended Questions

Competency-based questions should take about 70% of the interview. A competency is a skill, trait, quality, or characteristic that contributes to a person’s ability to effectively perform the duties and responsibilities of a job. Competency questions delve into the candidate’s tangible or technical skills, their knowledge, behavior, and interpersonal skills.

Tangible skills demonstrate what candidates have done in past jobs, if they are staying technologically current, if they can balance multiple projects and if they have the specific skills need to accomplish the duties of the job. The question should relate a specific situation that will occur in the new job to a similar situation that occurred at their previous job. For example, “At our company we have inventory/sales report deadlines four times a month, when you were at ABC Company, what kind of deadlines did you have and how did you handle them?”

The candidate’s knowledge includes what they know and how they think. Create questions about situations that demonstrate project-management skills, problem solving abilities, decision-making skills, focusing ability, time management and resource management. For example: “When you were at ABC Company, how many projects/clients did you manage per week/month and how did you schedule your time?”

When the candidate talks about specific situations that occurred in the past, you can observe their behavior (how they acted under certain conditions) and their interpersonal skills (how an applicant interacts with others). Did they demonstrate active listening skills, self control, and respect for other’s views and feedback? Can they interact effectively with others and do they have conflict management skills?

Competency-based questions draw from the candidates past experiences and behaviors and relate them to specific requirements, responsibilities, or parameters of a given job-related situations. When you are very specific i.e., using the previous company’s name, mentioning a specific type of situation, and using the name of the supervisor/manager/owner of the previous company, the candidate is more likely to be truthful because they assume that you personally know the manager/owner and you will be calling him/her to verify the story during the reference check.

Although 70% of your interview questions should be competency-based, the other 4 types of questions are important and should be used appropriately during the interview to maintain control, verify information, and put the candidate at ease.

Check back here to learn more about when and how to use the other four questioning techniques – open-ended, closed-ended, probing, and hypothetical, as well as, the questioning techniques to avoid.

Please become a fan of our Facebook and Twitter pages and/or call us at 239-851-6906 if you need to know more now!

Be sure subscribe to our blog if you haven’t already done so. To learn more about creating a successful hiring system, visit Hiring-Solutions.com

We help you hire great employees!

Bad Candidates — How Do You Know Who They Are?

A client asked me recently – “Why are so many of my candidates failing the basic employee assessment that measures reliability, work ethic, integrity and attitudes towards drugs?”

These are the people who are unethical, immoral, and untrustworthy and yet never experience any remorse. 

A growing body of evidence suggests that those people are able to disengage their moral compass and consciously forget information that would otherwise limit their inappropriate behavior.  They rationalize what they are doing in a way that lets them off the honesty hook.

These people – white and blue collar – live and work in every system and organization – finance, politics, healthcare and education.  Our society has become inundated by the dishonest and untrustworthy.

That is why so many candidates are distorting (lying) on their assessments.  It gets frustrating when all you want to do is hire a good employee.  But the alternative is worse—hiring a bad employee. 

So having a good hiring system in place is key to building a good team. It is easy to be influenced by a candidate’s great interview skills, and experience and skills that you need.  The objectiveness of assessments, background checks, and reference checks balance a glowing interview and enable you to screen out those who are unethical, immoral, and untrustworthy even though you can’t tell by looking at them.

The Hiring Solutions Employee Testing program will help you screen out those unethical, immoral, and untrustworthy candidates.  Using The Insure Survey early in the hiring process will immediately screen out bad candidates and save you valuable interview time.  For under $25 you will know if the candidate is lying and their attitudes to substance abuse, integrity, reliability and work ethic on a scale of 1 – 9.

Our customized programs will take you from hiring one new employee to training a whole department or company using validated assessments to provide in-depth, accurate information about personality traits, behavioral style, integrity, work ethic, substance abuse issues, aptitude, and outside and retail sales skills. Contact Hiring Solutions today to see how we can help you solve all your HR problems! Visit our website for more information!

Hiring Solutions, Inc. 

(239) 851-6906

Maryanne@Hiring-Solutions.com

How are your interview skills?

This quarter we are spending time on the components of a timely, effective interview.

Have you ever been in a 2 hour job interview where the interviewer did all the talking?  Did you feel it was a waste of your time? Who did most of the talking?  Did you get the job offer?

A properly planned interview includes several types of questioning techniques, proper timing and proper questions.  Although relying on the interview alone only has a 14% chance of a successful hire, many business owners don’t even take the time to plan the interview with consistent, legal questions that pertain specifically to the job description.  Then they wonder why the employee quit after 2 days.

Planning the interview starts with proper documentation.  Have a written list of interview questions for each type of job in your company.  Create and document your hiring system for each job description and record it in your company manual.

Start a new file for each candidate.  Never write on the resume or job applications.  Use separate notes and checklists to document the candidate’s statements.  Use objective language and factual statements with substantiated opinions.  Document only facts relevant to the interview and direct quotes, never any voluntarily supplied information relating to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability.

In this litigious society, having the proper documentation when/if you have to appear in front of a judge, can turn the tide in a judgment.  Having no documentation at all will always result in a loss in court.

Also, having a hiring system in place streamlines the process and makes it possible to teach and delegate it to others in your company.

Check back here to learn more about Successful Interviewing Tips – please subscribe to our blog if you have’t already done so. To learn more about hiring successfully, visit www.Hiring_Solutions.com

We help you hire great employees!

Hiring Solutions has Special Pricing for all European Wax Center Conference attendees!

See our coupon below!

Hiring Solutions is your number one solution to all of your human resources needs! We help companies hire better employees, train them  efficiently, motivate and manage them to their highest potential.

Can Your Guest Service Associates  and Wax Associates Sell?

Don’t waste your time and $$ on Guest Service Associates and Wax Associates who can’t or won’t meet sales goals.

Hire right the first time.  Use Hiring Solutions employee assessments to select candidates with strong selling skills who are also reliable, energetic,
outgoing and sales oriented.

The Hiring Suite European Wax Center Test package includes:  

1. The Insure Survey         $21  

• integrity
• reliability
• work ethic
• attitudes to substance abuse

2. The Sales Plus                        $14 

• selling skills
• customer service skills
• marketing skills
• motivation
• organization
• competitiveness

3. The Johnston Index                $ 7

• problem solving
• math
• spelling
• vocabulary

Click here to learn about the 4 step hiring process that will reduce turnover.

TESTIMONIALS

“I use The Hiring Suite for all my Guest Service Associate and Wax Associate candidates. I have found that it is a great predictor of the candidate’s sales ability and their level of understanding of Customer sensitivities.” Gordon Kaufman, EWC Regional Developer and Franchise Owner – West Coast of Florida

“The testing enabled me to identify potential honesty issues that were not readily apparent in the standard interview process. Hiring Solutions helped reveal hidden sides of a few smooth talkers. I recommend them for any small business.” Renee Toporek, EWC Franchise Owner and Regional Developer, Central Florida

Renee Toporek, Massage Envy Orlando, FL

Click here to view more testimonials.

As always, it’s a pleasure to connect with you and share a few moments of your time. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you feel might benefit from its content.

Please let us know how we can serve you!

Sincerely,

European Wax Center Conference Special

 10% discount on any order through June 15, 2011

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Click here to view more information on how Hiring Solutions can help you now!

Hiring Solutions has Special Pricing for all Massage Envy Conference attendees! 

See our coupon below!

Hiring Solutions is your number one solution to all of your human resources needs! We help companies hire better employees, train them efficiently, motivate and manage them to their highest potential.

Can Your Sales Associates Sell?

Don’t waste your time and $$ on sales associates who can’t or won’t meet sales goals.

Hire right the first time.  Use Hiring Solutions employee assessments to select candidates with strong selling skills who are also trustworthy, honest, reliable and smart. 

The Hiring Suite Sales Associate Test package includes:  

1. The Insure Survey         $21  

• integrity
• reliability
• work ethic
• attitudes to substance abuse

2. The Sales Plus                        $14 

• selling skills
• customer service skills
• marketing skills
• motivation
• organization
• competitiveness

3. The Johnston Index                $ 7

• problem solving 
• math 
• spelling 
• vocabulary

Click here to learn about the 4 step hiring process that will reduce turnover.

TESTIMONIALS

“I use the Hiring Suite for all my Sales Associate candidates. I have found that it is a great predictor of the candidate’s sales ability and their level of understanding of Customer sensitivities.”

Gordon Kaufman, Massage Envy SW Florida.

“The testing enabled me to identify potential honesty issues that were not readily apparent in the standard interview process. Hiring Solutions helped reveal hidden sides of a few smooth talkers. I recommend them for any small business.”

Renee Toporek, Massage Envy Orlando, FL 

Click here to view more testimonials.

As always, it’s a pleasure to connect with you and share a few moments of your time. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you feel might benefit from its content.

 Please let us know how we can serve you!

 Sincerely,

Massage Envy Conference Special

 10% discount on any order through April 30, 2011

 SAVE NOW! 

Click here to view more information on how Hiring Solutions can help you now!

Every now and then we come across an employee or two that can become a real liability to their employer instead  of  being a valuable asset. I believe there are a number of fairly simple reasons behind this common problem. Sometimes, the employee is the main issue and sometimes the work environment can contribute to his or her lack of productivity. Today, I would like to share with you some common causes that would contribute to a normal employee taking a turn for the worst and not producing as much as he or she should for the company or organization. 

Studies show that stress and extreme pressure over long periods of time, within the work environment, are main reasons for an employee to work at a less than desirable levels. Think about the times when you have felt overwhelmed and overworked. How do you feel at that moment? Are you able to “give” as much as when you are feeling happy and relaxed? It is normal for an individual to become irritable, uncomfortable and unable to produce what he or she normally would when feeling burdened or overworked. This can especially become an issue when the pressure remains consistent over time. We know that happy people who feel at ease and have a positive outlook about their job tend to give more to their employers. Knowing this helps us understand how increased stress levels can contribute to an overall job dissatisfaction that could, in turn, escalate and result in arguments, errors, issues and even negative relationships between the employer and the employee. The easiest way to avoid this kind of unwanted situation is to insure that your employees are not feeling burdened and overwhelmed by their work responsibilities. One of the ways to do that is to take a good look at each employee and get the most of his or her skills and abilities by delegating to them tasks that fit their specific capabilities.

An unsuitable match between an employee and his or her job position could very well add to the problem in your business. If the job description of a particular employee doesn’t fit their specific abilities or personality type, he or she will not be able to perform at peak levels. When we like what we do, we simply do it better! For example, a person who tends to be shy and introverted will not do as well in a customer service position with large exposure to clients as a “happy-go-lucky people person” might do. Someone that is good with numbers and is very detail oriented or has a shy, quiet personality might do much better behind a desk in the accounting department where they can be a real asset to your company by finding ways to cut expenses and save the company some money. Using their skills and abilities to produce something good for the company will boost their self-esteem and this in and of itself becomes and incentive to give more!

Another reason why employees become a problem in the workplace is a lack of good supervision. A good, dependable leader that can create a positive work environment and offer a good support system to the employees is KEY to a successful company. Employees really need to know they have someone they can come to for feedback, problem solving or support with difficult tasks. A good supervisor that handles a crisis well and makes sound decisions will be able to take stress and worry off the employees and allow them to focus on their specific jobs. A healthy environment in the workplace is created by good management.  

Open communication is another valuable key to creating a good work environment. As human beings we tend to have a natural need for knowledge and information, especially when it comes to direction. Being clear with your employees about your goals and vision as a company helps them understand how they can play an important part in the overall success of the business. If your employees aren’t able to see where the company is headed in both short and long-term goals than they aren’t able to help you reach those goals. Lack of this kind of information can create an environment where the employees have no interest in the company or even a negative impression, which in turn can only bring you negative results. A simple way to insure open communication and clarity within the workforce is to hold monthly meetings where the mission, vision and goals fo the company are openly shared and discussed. Giving praise and recognition during these meetings to employees that have done well at their jobs often creates a natural incentive for the employee to continue doing a good job.  

This brings us to our final yet very important reason; a lack of motivation in the work environment. Employees that aren’t feeling valued and appreciated often become a problem to the company as a whole. A good management team should always recognize the positive efforts and contributions of its team. When people are feeling that they contribute something of value and that value is recognized by their employee they are more likely to feel better about their job and perform at a higher level.

It is very important to understand that the company or organization as a whole plays a significant role in defining the direction of the overall relationship with its employees. When we understand how we can positively impact our workplace we can use that information to take our business to the next level!

Our customized programs will take you from hiring one new employee to training a whole department or company using validated assessments to provide in-depth, accurate information about personality traits, behavioral style, integrity, work ethic, substance abuse issues, aptitude, and outside and retail sales skills. Contact Hiring Solutions today to see how we can help you solve all your HR problems! Visit our website for more information!

If the answer is YES, keep reading.

Behavioral research suggests that the most effective people are those who understand themselves, both their strengths and weaknesses, so they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment.

Hiring Solutions is your number one solution to all of your human resources needs!

Research also proves that salespeople who are aware of their own style and learn to blend with the prospect’s style are able to increase their sales.

In sales, we need to communicate effectively about the value of our product or service and what the benefit is to the buyer.  

How you communicate your message through your gestures, your tone of voice, your pace of speech and your words will create positive or negative impression with the prospect.  In fact, your body language and tone affect 93% of the message and your words are just 7% of the communication.

What this means that the best-written sales presentation is not about the words, but about how they are delivered, and, most importantly, how the delivery matches the prospect.

So in creating effective communication, we first need to be aware of our own behavioral style.

There are four major styles,  You can remember them with the acronym D-I-S-C which stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance.

The first type “D”, is Dominant.  This is your CEO Type, very little patience with people.  He/she wants the job done now, no reasons, no excuses, don’t do it tomorrow, yesterday would be preferable.  The D type is the person who looks at the organization’s needs and drives it toward those goals.  He or She will exhibit ambitious, forceful, decisive, strong-willed, independent, and goal-oriented behavior. 

27% of the US population is Dominant.  Some famous High D’s are Barbara Walters, Michael Jordan, Hillary Clinton and Sam Donaldson.

We work very closely with you to insure that your hiring system or professional development program is efficient, consistent, legal and successful.

The second type, the ”I” type, is the Influencer.  The Influential person is the one everyone likes to be around.  Instead of being task oriented, the Influencer is people oriented.  He or she likes to tell jokes, is the life of the party and can definitely liven up a meeting.

He/She will be expressive, enthusiastic, friendly, demonstrative, talkative, and stimulating. 26% of the US population is High I and some famous examples are Arnold Palmer, Bill Clinton, Oprah, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  

The third type, the “S” Type stands for Steadiness.  This person probably has been with the organization for a long time and will continue to be because the S person doesn’t like change.  The S person is your best team player and wants consensus, wants everybody to be happy before moving forward.

The S person will be patient, predictable, reliable, steady, relaxed, and modest. 23% of the US population is High S.  Some famous examples are Laura Bush, Michael J. Fox, Tom Brokaw, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Mr. Rogers, and Magic Johnson.

The 4^th style is the C style for Conscientious.  This is the person who wants you to adhere to every rule.  This might be the CFO who controls the budget.  The C type does not like change.

The C Type will be dependent, neat, conservative, perfectionist, careful, and compliant.  24% of the US population is high C.  Some famous examples are Diane Sawyer, Spike Lee, Ted Koppel, Jack Nicklaus, Kevin Costner, Monica Seles, Bernard Shaw, and Barbara Stanwyck

Less than 2% of the population would be considered a pure behavioral style, so we are all a combination of all 4 styles with 1 or 2 being primary.  None of the styles are better than the other because each style brings strengths and weaknesses to the situation.  Each can be a winner, and a team needs all four styles to win.

Salespeople who are aware of their own style and learn to blend with the prospect’s style are able to increase their sales.

Hiring Solutions interactive programs give organizations the capability to inventory employee talents and create personalize development plans that capitalize on unique individual strengths.

The first step is to know you.  Do you know your dominant style?  If not, Hiring Solutions offers the Success Insights Report for $90. 

The Success Insights assessment immediately produces a personalized report with valuable information unique to you.  It provides insight into the following areas:

• General Characteristics – Your preferred work style based on natural behavior.

• Value to the Organization – Your contributing behaviors.

• Checklist for Communicating – How others can effectively communicate with you.

• Don’ts on Communicating – What others should avoid when communicating with you.

• Communication Tips – How you can adapt your own communication to other styles.

• Ideal Environment – Your preferred work atmosphere.

• Perceptions – How you view yourself and how others view you.

• Descriptors – Words that portray you based on each of the four quadrants of behavior.

• Natural & Adapted Style – A four-quadrant comparison of your natural and adapted style.

• Keys to Motivating – The keys to what motivates you in the workplace.

• Keys to Managing – The needs you have that your managers must address.

• Areas for Improvement – Your possible limitations that identify areas for development.

• Action Plan – You create a customized plan from the report and discussion

• Behavioral Hierarchy – How your behavior style ranks within eight common areas in the workplace.

• Style Insights Graphs – An easy visual of your natural and adapted styles.

• The Success Insights Wheel – A visual illustration of your behavioral adaptation.

The Hiring Suite® can help you make the right hiring decision while avoiding the trap of gut feelings and the candidate's spinning of abilities

The next step is to read the person you are speaking with:  As you talk to the person, there will be many clues to observe:  

1.  What is their title or position in the company?  Owners and presidents tend to be high D, Sales reps and sales managers tend to be High I, Comptrollers, accountants, operations directors tend to be high C.  Team members tend to be S types.

2. Are they extroverted or introverted?

a. Extroverted and friendly = I –happy to talk and chat about you

b. Extroverted and direct = D – first to command the situation.

c. Introverted and cooperative = S – happy to let you talk and will do what you suggest

d. Introverted and analytical = C – needs to see proof with lots of details, no chit chat

3. What is the appearance and atmosphere of their office?

a. Business like, functional, fast paced, prospect running late, may interrupt you, is the D type.

b. Cluttered, personalized, stimulating, with photos and awards, fast paced is the I type.

c. Relaxed, personal, informal with nameplate and photos of possessions is the S type. 

d. Formal, neat, orderly, uncluttered, unhurried, well prepared is the C type. 

The last step is to adapt your style to the person you are speaking with (or selling to).

When speaking to the High D type:

• Be clear, specific, brief and to the point

• Stick to business. Give an effective presentation.

• Come prepared with support material in a well-organized “package”.

Contact us for all your HR testing needs.

When speaking with the High I type:

• Provide a warm and friendly environment

• Don’t deal with a lot of details, unless asked.

• Provide testimonials from people they see as important

When speaking with the High S type person:

• Begin with a personal comment—break the ice.

• Present yourself softly, nonthreatening, and logically.

• Earn their trust—provide proven products.

When speaking with the High C type person:

• Prepare your “presentation” in advance.

• Stick to business—provide facts to support your presentation.

• Be accurate and realistic—don’t exaggerate.

By adapting to the communication style desired by the other person, you will be more effective in your communication with them.  You will be able to create great rapport with them more quickly and establish trust, integrity, and likeability.  

Remember, people buy from who they like!

To learn more about communication style, take the Success Insights assessment, or to book a Dynamic Communication or Selling with Style workshop, call Maryanne Preston at 239-851-6906 or Maryanne@Hiring-Solutions.com  Visit www.Hiring-Solutions.com 

Top 10 hiring mistakes companies don’t know they are making 

Don't take chances on another hiring decision - let us help you!

          #1   Not using a formal application form. Using a customized formal application insures that you have all the information necessary to check qualifications and references

          #2   Not checking references before hiring. Talking to former employers can be valuable in determining applicant’s ability to work with others and their job fit. Using Social Networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Myspace can also provide insights to the candidate.   Not checking references puts your company at risk for negligent hiring lawsuits and employee theft.

          #3   Asking illegal interview questions.  Avoid all questions regarding age, race, religion, or national origin and don’t ask about off-duty activities or previous arrests.

          #4   Not conducting background checks.  Background checks ensure safe hiring practices, avoid negligent hiring lawsuits, and protect your employees, clients, and customers from violent or dangerous individuals.

          #5  Not getting written consent for background checks.  Applicant consent for background checks is required by law and should be a separate release and disclosure form.

          #6  Not documenting employee conduct and performance.  Proper consistent documentation of employee disciplinary meetings, performance reviews, and written warnings, will support your decision to make certain employment decisions and can protect against wrongful discharge claims.

          #7   Incorrectly classifying employee exemption status.  Failing to pay overtime to an employee because he or she was incorrectly classified as exempt under the Fair Labor Standard Act can be an expensive mistake.

          #8   Not updating your employee handbook.  Although an employee handbook isn’t required by law, written employee policies are.  You risk liability if their employee handbook is not reviewed and updated regularly so that it remains compliant with laws and your company’s evolving practices.

          #9   Not knowing which records to keep on file.  Improper employee recordkeeping can put you at risk for legal liability.  Employment applications, new hire paperwork, payroll records, job descriptions and performance reviews are some of the major documents to be kept in the employee personnel files.  Medical history and other information that can be construed as discriminatory, ie, employees date of birth, marital status, citizenship etc must be kept in a separate secure file, only accessible by those with a need to know.

          #10   Not having a policy to support your hiring and screening practices.  If you administer background checks and employee assessments, you need a policy related to the types of positions that are screened, the types of checks and tests you run and when checks are conducted.  This policy should reflect the employer’s effort to balance its “need to know” with employee privacy rights.

Bottom Line:

Business owners are bound by more laws and have access to more resources than ever before when it comes to hiring.  It is wise to use a consistent system of employee assessments, background and reference checks, and interviews to collect as much information about your candidates as possible to avoid negligent hiring lawsuits and protect your employees, clients, and customers from violent or dangerous individuals.