Hiring

Employee or independent contractor? Actual working conditions dictate classification

07/29/2011

Employers sometimes think that if they hire “independent contractors,” they won’t have to worry about things like benefits, overtime and the like. But some make the mistake of assuming that merely because those workers sign contracts stating that they’re not employees, that’s enough. It’s not.

When evaluating job applicants, do you do a Google or Facebook search on them?

07/29/2011

Readers are split on whether it’s appropriate to conduct online searches to learn more about job applicants.

E-Verify to be mandatory for many N.C. employers

07/25/2011

On June 23, Gov. Bev Perdue signed legislation that requires private employers with at least 25 employees and all county and city governments to use the federal government’s online E-Verify system to verify that new hires are eligible to work in the United States.

Best practices: 3 ways to improve the job candidate experience

07/19/2011

How would you grade your organization’s application process? Tracking the candidate experience can improve it and enhance your organization’s HR brand among potential applicants. First step: Solicit feedback from candidates about their experiences with recruiting, application, interviewing and web site interaction.

Siemens preps students for future tech jobs

07/19/2011

Electronics and electrical engineering powerhouse Siemens USA will offer positions to 75 of its 170 interns this fall, placing 79% of them in engineering jobs. But the company doesn’t wait until its prospective employees take summer internships before it introduces them to the Siemens brand.

Can job description call for ‘high energy’ worker?

07/18/2011

Q. I am updating job descriptions. We sometimes use the term “high energy” as a qualification. Does this violate the ADA or other laws?

Green onboarding: Plant a tree for each new worker

07/18/2011

Whenever Las Vegas-based Global Sky fills a seat in one of its call centers, it plants a tree in Latin America or Africa. The practice helps to attract eco-friendly applicants.

Chicago firefighter bias case: $30 million settlement on table

07/13/2011

The controversy over a 1995 Chicago firefighter hiring test may finally be headed toward closure now that a federal appeals court has ruled the city must hire 111 black applicants who passed the test. In addition to hiring the firefighters, the city has offered to pay approximately 6,000 applicants who passed the test a portion of an estimated $30 million.

7th Circuit clamps down on deadbeat serial litigant

07/13/2011

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has barred a woman from filing any new civil lawsuits or renewing old ones anywhere in the circuit until she pays fines various courts have already levied.

Manufacturing jobs on the rebound

07/08/2011

Good news for the beleaguered Rust Belt: Manufacturing output grew at a 9.1% rate in the first quarter of 2011, far outpacing the overall U.S. economic growth rate of 1.8%. In all, manufacturers have added more than 250,000 jobs since the beginning of 2010—the first sustained increase since 1997.