Webinar: How To Improve Your Job Search Now

This webinar is available to anyone. Learn about cover letters, resumes, thinking “out-of the box” when it comes to your job search, and so much more. If you are looking for a thought provoking webinar that will bring out the best in your job search the this webinar is for you. We are offerning at two different times and space is limited.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 8:00 pm

Saturday, June 25, 2011 10:00 am
To register visit www.fciwlp.com and go to the webinar page. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve your job search.

Quote by: Mother Theresa

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Things you may want to do in the hiring process

Use weighted applications
Never talk more than 20% of the time, during an interview .
Watch for the halo effect
Review all of the applicants’ materials and make notes to ask questions about the weaknesses.
Schedule the interview, keeping a time schedule so you stay punctual.
Make every question count during an interview.
Probe if necessary to get a better answer.
Listen to the answers not your interpretation.
Take notes
Ask closed ended, open ended, and hypothetical questions
Send a letter or post card to candidates letting them know why they were not accepted.
Send a letter of offer to the chosen candidate with pay agreement, list of benefits, start date, start time, position, who to report to, etc.

Things you may not enquire or know about

Race
Religion
Sex or Sexual Orientation
Age including high school graduation date
Ancestry or National Origin (asking if they are eligible to work in the USA is ok)
Marital Status
Parental Status
Arrests
Military service (what branch they were in)
Height or Weight
Political preference or membership in social organizations
Handicaps or disabilities
If they have applied or received Workers Compensation
Ownership of home or vehicle
Maiden name
Where applicant or parents were born

Baby Boomers and Decrease in Unemployment

I met with a number of companies a few weeks back, who said they are getting no resumes for job openings. They had concluded that people had given up seeking employment.
Since the meeting, unemployment has decreased or stayed relatively the same; yet the economy does not seem to be improving much. So lets look at the numbers.
In 2004 I was one of 75 human resource representatives invited by then Governor Bob Taft to meet with the Council on Aging to discuss what Ohio could do to stay ahead of the decrease in the workforce. I have been explaining to clients, since 2003, it is estimated the world will lose 50% of the workforce by the year 2010 due to the “Baby Boomer” population reaching retirement age. Many of those clients did not believe that it would come to pass.
In 1946 the “Baby Boom” generation started. Since individuals are eligible for Social Security at age 62 that means “Baby Boomers” started becoming eligible in 2008. This number does not include those who became or will become eligible for disability retirement.
Coincidentally, in 2006 the economy started to plunge and by 2008 was spiraling seemingly to be out of control. Many of the “Baby Boomers” may have decided to take unemployment, thus delaying retirement to age 64-65.
Now it is 2011 which makes the “Baby Boomers” age 65 and we are now seeing a decrease in unemployment numbers (April it was 9%). At the same time Social Security has seen a 38% increase in applications. The largest jump they have ever encountered. Could new retirees be the reason for the decrease in unemployment?
In my opinion this may very well be the case. If the new retirees are the cause for the decrease in unemployment we will continue to see the unemployment rate drop, while the economy continues to be sluggish or worsen.
Society should keep in mind that the “perfect” unemployment rate is 6-8%.

Effective Interviewing Process

Before you begin the process be sure and make yourself aware of Title VII, this is the code enforced by the EEOC.  There are a series of things you can not ask or know during the hiring process.

 Before starting the interview process, you should have looked at the applications and compared it to the job description for which the candidate is applying.  This will allow you to interview only suitable candidates for the position.  Pick the top five candidates whose application match the job description qualifications and skills needed.  This will speed the process and allow you to ask only pertinent questions during the interview.  It is best to ask the same questions to all candidates and have a ranking system for each answer.  By the end of the interviewing there should be only three candidates to choose from.  Never make the decision during the interview, there is more work to be done.

Determine the future goals and culture of the company
What kind of people will fit these goals?
Revise job description (if necessary)
Develop a plan to attract the type of candidates you are looking for.
Develop an employee skills inventory.
Establish a system for hiring individuals.
Match applications to job description, goals, culture
Do phone interviews to narrow the search.
Schedule final candidates for interview.
Briefly go over some of the answers they have given you to let them know you were listening.
Inform the candidate of what to expect next keep them enlightened on the process.
Never decide immediately (you should wait at least 48 hours)
Check all references
Make the decision.

Interviewing? Where to Begin

Interviewing has been called an art and it has been called a science. Actually, it is a little bit of both combined with a sixth sense. It is an important part of any organization. If the hiring process is not performed correctly, it can have a profound effect on the future of the organization.

Now that we understand that it is one of the most important decisions a company can make, how do we start. We need to first develop a strategy for the process. First we need to consider some important information.

What is the culture of the company?
What kind of skills, knowledge, and abilities does an individual need to meet the goals of the company?
What does the organization have to offer and are these offerings in alignment with the company goals?
How is our pay structure in comparison to competition with in our industry?
(If you are not for sure, a wage analysis would be very beneficial.)
Do we have a job description? If so, how current is the job description for this position? (should be no more than 90 days old)
What are we looking for in a candidate that will fit the culture and values putting us on the right track to meeting the company’s expectations now and in the future?
What can an interviewer discover during an interview that will help through the rest of the hiring process?

To get the answers to the previous questions we need to consider the following questions.

What does an employee need to be able to do now?
What should an employee be able to do in the future?
What are the future goals of the company?
Is the organization committed to further enhancing current and future employees to the level needed through training?
Does the organization have the proper wages, benefits, and other benefits to keep employees from leaving once they have the knowledge and skills needed?

The next step is to establish a plan that will sell the company and make candidates want to come work with us.

A company is like a child, it is constantly growing and expanding.

Interviewing:

Don’ts (What you can’t know about candidates)
Race
Religion
Sex or Sexual Orientation
Age including high school graduation date
Ancestry or National Origin (asking if they are eligible to work in the USA is ok)
Marital Status
Parental Status
Arrests
Military service (what branch they were in)
Height or Weight
Political preference or membership in social organizations
Handicaps or disabilities
If they have applied or received Workers Compensation
Ownership of home or vehicle
Maiden name
Where applicant or parents were born

Records to be kept

Due to the amount of possible paper work,
this is only a partial list

3 Years
Payroll Records
Certificates, Agreements, Plans, Notices, etc.
Individual, Collective Bargaining, Agreements
Written Agreements
Sales and Purchase Records

2 Years
Basic Employment and Earnings Records
Wage Rate Tables
Order, Shipping, and Billing Records
Records of Additions and Deductions from pay
All Records of Costs.

1 Year
(after employee leaves or hire date which ever is later)
I-9

Hourly or Salary?

There are six (6) different categories to determine if a person should be salary. A good rule of thumb is if more than 2% of your employees (depending on your industry) are salary you may want to revisit job descriptions. It is always safer to have an employee as hourly if the position is questionable.
Must meet all of the criteria in each employee category.

Executive Employees
Compensated on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $455 per week; exclusive of board, lodging or other facilities.
Whose primary duty is management of the enterprise in which the employee is employed or of a customarily recognized department.
Who customarily and regularly directs the work of two or more other employees. AND
Who has the authority to hire or fire other employees or whose suggestions and recommendations as to the hiring, firing, advancement, promotion or any other change of status of other employees are given particular weight.

Highly Compensated (may be exempt if)
Annual compensation of at least $100,000; AND
Regularly perform one or more of the exempt duties of executive, administrative, or professional.

Administrative Employees
Compensated on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $455 per week; exclusive of board, lodging or other facilities.
Whose primary duty is the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers;
Whose primary duty includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.

Professional Employees
Compensated on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $455 per week; exclusive of board, lodging or other facilities.
Whose primary duty is the performance of work:
Requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction; or
Requiring invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized field of artistic or creative endeavor.
Examples would be an actor, nurse, teachers, etc.

Computer Employees
Compensated on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $455 per week; exclusive of board, lodging or other facilities.
exemption applies to any computer employee compensated on an hourly basis at a rate not less than $27.63 an hour.
The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with users, to determine hardware, software or system functional specifications.
The design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing or modification of computer systems or programs, including prototypes, based on and related to user or system design specifications.
The design, documentation, testing, creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems.
A combination of the aforementioned duties, the performance of which requires the same level of skills.

Outside Sales Employees
Whose primary duty is making sales as defined by the act or obtaining orders or contracts for services for the use of facilities for which a consideration will be paid by the client or customer; and
Who is customarily and regularly engaged away from the employer’s place or places of business while performing such primary duty.