Hiring

Second state bans bias against the unemployed

05/08/2012

Oregon last month followed New Jersey’s lead in establishing a law that makes it illegal for employers to refuse to hire applicants because they’re unemployed.

Schumer jumps into Facebook password fray

05/03/2012

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have asked the DOJ and the EEOC to issue an opinion on one of today’s hot-button employment law issues: Is it a violation of the Stored Communications Act or any other federal law for an employer to ask job applicants to provide their Facebook passwords?

Hiring for summer: Payroll tips

05/03/2012

Nothing upsets your well-oiled Payroll machine more than the influx of summer hires and their paperwork. Use these tips to tame the summer hiring process.

Interviewing candidates: 30 great questions to ask (and 15 to avoid)

05/02/2012

The best interview questions focus on what applicants know how to do and how they do it. Here are 30 sample questions that probe into a variety of skills.

Beware justifying hiring or promotion with criteria that don’t appear in job description

04/30/2012

Here’s a reminder to pass on to everyone involved in the hiring or promotion process: You’re running a huge risk if you deviate from the job announcement’s minimum and preferred qualifications.

Identifying applicant skills: 50 great interview questions

04/27/2012

In addition to giving job-specific tests, the best way to tell if applicants carry the skills to perform specific tasks is to ask very direct questions about how they’ve used each skill in the past. Here are some sample questions hiring managers can use to spot whether these 10 important “soft” skills are present:

An app for that: Applicants at Sodexo phone in their résumés

04/25/2012

Candidates can apply for jobs at Sodexo through an app on their smartphones. The new jobs app allows would-be employees to search and apply for Sodexo jobs in the United States by keyword, discipline or location.

Does USERRA require preferential treatment for veterans?

04/24/2012

For years, employers have struggled with how to re-employ soldiers whose military duties have required them to be absent from work. The key question: Does the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) make it mandatory to give rehiring preference to returning vets? Finally, courts have begun to bring clarity to the law.

What are the rules on giving truthful references about former employees?

04/24/2012

Q. An employer asked us for a job verification on an employee we fired. The request includes a written consent form from the worker allowing the query. Can I release any and all information regarding the former employee’s history with us?

How to write a legally safe job-offer letter

04/23/2012

When it comes to making job offers, you or your hiring managers could be inadvertently locking the organization into employment contracts with new hires. Written job-offer letters run the highest risk of creating implied promises. To avoid creating any job-security promises, follow these do’s and don’ts: