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Hiring

Insist that managers conduct interviews–even if they already ‘know’ who’s best for the job

12/06/2010

Supervisors may think they know all the candidates for promotion so well they can select one without actually interviewing any of the interested employees. That’s a big mistake. Chances are that if one of the disappointed applicants sues, the supervisor will have to answer very specific questions about the hiring process.

Ohio ranks 6th in business climate, best outside South

12/06/2010
Ohio has the top-ranked business climate outside the South and the sixth best nationwide, according to Site Selection magazine. Every year, the magazine surveys site selectors to get their take on how easy or hard it is to do business in each state. Then it rates the states by tallying up manufacturing plant openings and new expansions of other corporate facilities.

Unemployed: A new protected job-discrimination category?

12/06/2010
With unemployment still running near 10%, employee advocacy groups are speaking out against want-ads that say “applicant must be currently employed” or “do not apply if unemployed.” A petition drive is pushing Congress to make it illegal to discriminate against unemployed people.

When employer calls for a recommendation, keep it basic

12/02/2010
When it comes to recommending former employees, the simpler the better. Stick with the basics like dates of employment and job titles and you’ll rarely have trouble in court.

2 N.Y. nonprofits win grants to fight immigration bias

12/02/2010
Utica-based Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York and the New York City Human Rights Commission are two of 13 recipients of U.S. Department of Justice grant funds meant to aid victims of immigration discrimination.

Watch out for pitfalls, risks of using social media in hiring

12/01/2010
Employers are increasingly using web-based social media—such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter—to screen potential employees, in addition to the usual applications, interviews, references, and background, credit and drug tests. But they don’t always recognize the potential pitfalls and risks.

Justice Department tells Hoover to clean up its I-9 process

12/01/2010
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that it has reached a settlement with the Hoover Company—which manufactures vacuum cleaners in El Paso—resolving allegations that its employment eligibility verification process discriminates against legal, permanent residents of the United States.

Candidate extra-qualified? Make a note of it

12/01/2010
Sometimes, a candidate stands out as a great potential hire. Whatever it is that signals this is a good hire, make sure you note it in your interview documentation. Otherwise, it may be hard to justify the decision if another applicant who met the basic job requirements sues and alleges some form of discrimination.

How patient should you be with new hires?

12/01/2010
You have to give new employees some time to get up to speed, especially with external hires. But how patient should you be?

Court orders medical record release in EEOC case

11/30/2010

Here’s a case that might make some employees think twice about going to the EEOC with a failure-to-hire complaint. A court has ruled that employers being sued by the EEOC have the right to review job applicants’ medical records—including mental health notes.