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Stop Hiring Quitters: How to Avoid Employees Who Won’t Commit

Raza Rauf on September 7, 2011

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As if dealing with the normal employee turnover and corporate layoff’s isn’t stressful enough for HR departments, here comes candidates who are just looking for the next stepping stone. We’ve all seen them – candidates who seem to be perfect for the job, act enthusiastic about the assignment and seem to be genuinely interested in working for your company. And then, just weeks or months later, they bail without warning. This is enough to make any HR professional want to scream.

So, how do you avoid “job hoppers” or “fly by night” candidates from ruining your numbers and chances of having a productive work environment? Read on to learn some tricks of the trade to avoid the pitfalls of hiring quitters.

Review Career History

The key to finding the best candidates for long-term assignments is to screen candidates carefully from the onset. This means reviewing the resume with the eye of an expert recruiter. A typical job hopper will most likely have several glaring issues, which may indicate a problem with keeping jobs. Look for short-lived assignments previous to 2006, when the economy ok a turn for the worse, because you don’t want to weed out people who have been unemployed through no fault of their own. Also, watch out for dates that overlap, or do not seem consistent with the flow of the candidate’s work progression.

Check References Thoroughly

Another way to avoid hiring a job hopper is to actually take the time to request valid job references and letters of reference. Oftentimes, candidates who don’t plan to stick around for long choose to use a “friend” as a fake reference, which misleads recruiters. Instead of taking a chance, request at least 3 employment reference letters from former employers typed on corporate letterhead, complete with phone numbers so you can call to speak with them personally – before hiring a dud.

Interview Focus on Longevity

When inviting the candidate for an interview, emphasize that the assignment is a long-term one and that the person chosen must mesh with the current team. That will set an expectation that you are not looking for someone who is planning on skipping out in a few months, but rather an integral part of the company. Ask the candidate where he or she sees themselves in five to ten years. Get an idea where the person is going career-wise, then ask how this job fits into the equation. It’s not confrontational at all to get this insight before investing time and money into a new hire.

Background and Credit Checks

There has been some controversy surrounding the use of background and credit checks, but in times like these, it’s a good way to eliminate candidates who are not sincere about staying on for the long haul. When a candidate is stable, he or she will most likely have fewer than two residences in a five-year time span, and most debts will be paid on time. While there are some exceptions to this rule, it’s very good to know whether the candidate is under financial strife and is looking for a paycheck vs. a real career. Be sure to follow Fair Credit Reporting Act guidelines when gathering personal background and credit information and by all means get written permission before proceeding.

Hire Through Staffing Agencies

One of the best ways to avoid hiring quitters is to choose to use the services of an expert staffing agency, such as Advance Temporary Services. A quality staffing company will screen all candidates and have some experience with those who are seeking long-term assignments. Staffing agencies can be excellent sources of stable employees who are looking for a great opportunity to grow a career, and they will be accountable to both you and the staffing agency for the first few months on assignment. If they flake out and quit, you’ll have access to a replacement with no time investment on your behalf.

Choose Advance Temporary Staffing for all your long-term recruitment needs.

3 Reasons Why You Should be Sending Rejection Letters to Applicants

Raza Rauf on August 20, 2011

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For the busy human resources professional, taking the time to write rejection letters is probably the last thing on your to-do list. However, sending rejection letters can actually be a helpful way to improve your hiring practices and give your company a great impression at the same time. Here are three reasons why you should be sending rejection letters to applicants.

Reason #1 – It’s Professional

The hallmark of a truly great company is that is has a procedure for every aspect of how it does business, including candidate selection. As an HR professional, you know that you represent your company to the rest of the world. So, when it comes to eliminating candidates for whatever reason, it’s always a fair to keep candidates in the loop by sending a well-written rejection letter. The letter does not have to be elaborate or go into detail about why the candidate was not chosen. Keep it simple and respect the person who will be reading it on the other end. You never know, but the candidate you are rejecting now may become the perfect person for another opening later on, so it’s best to keep the door open a crack.

Reason #2 – Protects Company

Another good reason to send out rejection letters is to protect your company from unwittingly giving the impression of discriminating against certain protected classes of candidates. Every once in a while, a candidate who has not been chosen for a job can get upset and try to find a loophole in EEOC laws. The best way to reduce the chances of this happening is to send a neutral rejection letter to all candidates that goes something like this: “Thank you for your interest in our company. We appreciate your time and believe you have many excellent qualities; however, we have chosen to move forward with other candidates. We invite you to re-apply for openings at our company in the future.” That way if there is ever a question in the future, you can prove that you treat all candidates the same.

Reason #3 – Provides Feedback

Candidates who are actively seeking work are not only frustrated, they can be completely oblivious to how they are presenting themselves. That’s why it can be a nice touch to provide a little bit of feedback to rejected candidates when you send your rejection letter. Include a copy of their resume with the letter and make a couple of brief notes or highlight misspelled words so they can make improvements. Let them know you appreciated their interview skills. Include links to some helpful job search resources on the bottom of the letter. Little touches like this will give a great impression with candidates and they will remember the positive experience they’ve had with you.

Need more pointers for making your hiring processes better? Please visit Advance Staffing Solutions today!

5 Non-traditional Interview Questions That Can Help You Select the Best Candidates

Raza Rauf on July 16, 2011

If you’ve been interviewing candidates for a few years, you know that the same worn-out interview questions become ineffective over time. That’s because candidates of today are much more prepared and ready to answer with canned responses. In order to take things up a notch, it’s time to employ a few non-traditional interview questions to establish who are the better candidates among the pile of resumes you have on your desk. Here are some fun, non-traditional interview questions that are absolutely legal to use, and will accomplish this task.

“What’s your favorite movie and why?”

This is a great ice-breaker and a non-traditional interview question that most candidates won’t see coming, even the most seasoned job seekers. While asking about the candidate’s personal views on movies are, it can provide you with valuable insight about values if they answer with detail. For example, a job seeker with conservative work values will indicate that they like an old movie, while a more progressive candidate may provide a movie title that falls into a Sci-Fi or Fantasy category. Make sure that you read between the lines when hearing the response.

“If you could be a superhero for a day, who would you be?”

There’s a lot to be said about who our heroes are. When it comes to using this as a non-traditional interview question, you can gain a lot of insight with a candidate by carefully evaluating the response. Most candidates will stay in a safe zone and indicate their preference for a hero like Ghandi, Martin Luther King or someone of social prominence, but it’s the brave few who will say something like “Super Man” or “The Green Hornet”. Those candidates are the adventure seekers who will bring energy and influence into the workplace.

“How do you see yourself in a few years?”

Some hiring managers may see this as too direct of a question, but it’s one that needs to be asked upfront of all candidates. Why? Because there seems to be a movement of candidates who generally lack loyalty and commitment to the companies for whom they work today. It’s not uncommon for candidates to continue their job search whilst accepting a job at your company. In fact, a recent survey conducted by the career board Monster.com indicates that as many as 84% of employed people spend time looking for work while on the job. Find out if what the candidate’s dream of success meshes with your company objectives, before making the job offer.

“What are the first five things you do every morning at work?”

While this may not seem to be a non-traditional interview question, it’s not something that’s regularly asked of job candidates. Yet, the answer to this question can speak volumes about the kind of person you have in front of you. Look for responses akin to dressing for success, making a list of priorities, and being highly organized. These are the types of traits your company needs to stay ahead in a competitive world, so a candidate who answers in a positive way is worth your investment.

“Describe the riskiest thing you have ever done?”

This is a non-traditional interview question that’s based on the standard “are you a risk taker” section of the personality test. However, in this more direct question, you allow the candidate to show you some insight into how he or she handles calculated risks in a job setting. An indicator of a stellar candidate includes someone who is willing to take some risks and take action in order to get ahead in life. Businesses that have successful people are very often those who have employees who lead active lifestyles and have somewhat risky attitudes about work.

Remember, to limit the use of non-traditional interview questions to only those that fall under legal hiring guidelines and protected class statuses. If you need more advice and support with your interviewing processes, be sure to check out the employer resource section on Advance Staffing Solutions today!

Is recruiting via social networks as effective as traditional methods?

Raza Rauf on June 14, 2011

That question is akin to asking if you’d rather have a hammer or a screwdriver in your toolbox. Both are valuable tools and one can’t replace the other. So it is with social media versus traditional methods of recruitment—they will continue to complement, rather than replace– each other.

As the economy revives, companies are staring to hire more workers and would like to do so in the most cost-effective and efficient way. Innovative social media recruiting appears to be free (but you must factor in the cost of the time you put in to establish an online presence, contribute to social media sites, monitor, network, and update that presence.) Nonetheless, according to a recent survey of companies, 83% now using or planning to use social media for recruiting. LinkedIn with its “living resumes” continues to lead in usage (and even more so in hires successfully made), but there has been a growth in adoption of multiple networks: Facebook use has grown 15% since last year’s survey and Twitter use has grown 32%. Now 55% use Facebook and 45% use Twitter. 46% of respondents plan to spend more on social recruiting as the economy recovers.

A survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity, shows that about 65% of business professionals are connecting with each other and with employers on such social networking sites, which jibes with the finding that the most successful recruitment tool has not changed— referrals. More good hires are made by referral than any other process—whether those referrals are in person or online.

While social media recruiting will supply the largest pool of applicants, relying solely on such networks poses some hazards in and of itself. Mirna Bard, an instructor of social media at the University of California at Irvine, points out that the possibility of violating discrimination and privacy laws and the potential for unreliable information all should be considered when using social media as a recruiting tool.

For example, gathering candidates from Facebook may gain you a long list of candidates, but they may be all of a younger demographic (older workers have been shown to use social media much less that the younger generations) opening your company to accusations of ageism (and missing some of the more experienced candidates). Or peeking into someone’s personal life may violate privacy issues (if you see a photo of a candidate a little worse for alcohol at their bachelor party, does that disqualify him for a job?) Or because a candidate’s friends recommend her effusively on LinkedIn—does that insure she’d actually make a good employee or have her contacts exaggerated her talents or skills?

Here the vetting and screening done by a staffing firm can be invaluable. Such companies, like Advance Temporary Services make use of social media to garner prospects and then use more traditional methods to weed out those not suitable, before presenting a carefully pre-qualified short list to  prospective employers.

Bard believes that HR departments will likely skip traditional career fairs in favor of using virtual Web-based solutions and that job boards may soon no longer be the primary source for higher-quality candidates, but she also is clear in her opinion that we are clearly a long way from seeing social networking replace traditional methods of hiring.

Social media allows both candidates and companies a way to digitize referrals, conduct research, market themselves,  and create a larger candidate pool, but social media should be just part of a recruiting plan. The use of executive recruiters and staffing firms, a strong company website presence, and a vigorous employee referral program should be included in a successful recruiting strategy. Let Advance Temporary Services map out just such a strategy for your company.

How to use LinkedIn to get more exposure for your job posting

Raza Rauf on May 19, 2011

Though much of the attention in this economy is focused on job seekers, employers trying to hire just the right person for a position need to know how and where to post their open job to attract the right candidates. Making use of targeted social media is one way and, when it comes to networking and recruiting, no site is more effective than LinkedIn®.

On job sites like Monster.com® or CareerBuilder.com®, your job posting not only competes with hundreds of others–both in your company’s field (a recent search for “Software Engineer” in Ohio brought up 14 pages of listed ads and a geographic search for all jobs listed more than 5,000), but attracts people with all levels of skills and experience–hardly the targeted response you are looking for when trying to fill a specific need within your organization. LinkedIn, from its inception, has been much more directed at business professionals and its reliance on “connections” between colleagues. It immediately sorts much of the wheat from the chaff when it comes to engaging professionals.

That doesn’t mean that the talent pool gets smaller. LinkedIn claims 35 million members from 200 different countries and the numbers grow daily as more employers learn how to best use LinkedIn to meet their needs for top talent.

It’s Who You Know: That old adage still holds true in today’s competitive job market–even if you are the employer looking for employees. You not only can send a request to the people within your LinkedIn network asking that they pass along the job post to anyone they know who might suit the job (former colleagues in your field are great for this), but may also make use of LinkedIn’s own search tools to narrow down a perfect candidate from across the entire LinkedIn database–by using search criteria like Experience, Education, Work History, Geography –even Recommendations–and many more.

It’s Also Who You Don’t Know: Professionals who are good at what they do often already have a job or have no need to actively look for one. These are called “passive candidates”. They are the types who get a phone call offering them a position and, as an employer, you’ll be competing with other employers for this talent. Using LinkedIn to search for specific qualifications will turn up lots of these passive candidates for you to mine. Send them your job post.

Up Close and Personal: Using LinkedIn’s “In Mail” feature: You can compose a personal email which will be sent directly to all candidates you choose–whether you know them or not informing them of the job opening and asking if they are interested.  LinkedIn claims 60% of its members actually open and respond to InMail Messages–unlike random emails they receive from a stranger. Using this method, you may discover that the perfect candidate is interested in your job–they just didn’t know it until they heard from you.

Attraction Rather Than Promotion: LinkedIn lets you create a profile for your company–using those same rich keywords you use to search for possible employees. Make your company sound interesting and enticing enough and candidates who are actively looking for a new situation (and use LinkedIn to search for companies for whom they’d like to work) may contact you.

Join Some Groups: Groups at LinkedIn not only bring together people of common interests (and you can enlarge your network within your field to more than just the people you know, work with, or work with elsewhere.) You can also ask group members if they know any candidates they would suggest for the job you are seeking to fill and contact those they suggest.

Look Close To Home: Do ask other members of your company, via LinkedIn, to keep their eyes and ears open for prospective employees and pass along the job posting when they find a likely candidate.

Some People Do Like A Know-It-All: Use the “Answer” section of LinkedIn to respond to questions posted about your field. Not only will it show that you (and therefore your company) are on the cutting edge of industry knowledge, but the conversation you join by your answer attracts other people also interested in the subject. Choose from among the responders and pass along the job post to any of them who have impressed you.

LinkedIn also offers corporate services (for a fee) wherein they will post your jobs (using LinkedIn Jobs Network), “push your job listing” to the most qualified candidates whenever they go online, and use their Referral Engine to screen the candidates for you–referring only relevant, high-quality contacts. An Automatic Search Function even alerts you of new prospects as they join LinkedIn.

At Advance Temporary Services, we make use of LinkedIn to form relationships and attract top-notch candidates to provide cost-effective staffing and human resourcing options for our clients, allowing them to concentrate on their core business while we provide solutions to their staffing challenges. Whether you are in need of permanent or contract employees, please contact us today at www.advancetemps.com to learn more about how we can help your business to grow.

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