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The HR I.Q. Test: March ’10

03/10/2010

Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

What can we ask about how applicant would get to work?

03/10/2010

Q. In our experience, employees who take public transportation or rely on rides from others are more likely to be tardy to work than those who own their own vehicle. Therefore, before hiring an applicant for employment, we would like to make sure the applicant has a reliable method of transportation to work. Would it be appropriate to inquire, for example, whether the applicant owns a vehicle?

Can I terminate a cashier who just filed for bankruptcy?

03/09/2010

Q. I just found out that an employee filed for bankruptcy. I’m concerned, because she works a cash register and has access to money. Can I fire this employee?

Koch Foods fined $536,000 after immigration raid

03/09/2010

In late 2007, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials raided a Koch Foods plant in Fairfield, just outside Cincinnati. They found 161 illegal workers at the poultry plant. Now ICE has fined the company $536,000.

Your favorite! Answers to ‘What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve ever experienced in a job interview?’

03/05/2010

The results are in—and we have a winner! At the beginning of HR Professionals Week 2010, which wraps up today, we asked you to tell us about memorable things that have happened to you during job interviews. And tell us you did.

What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve ever experienced in a job interview?

Next came voting, in which you chose your favorite response. Thanks to everyone who took the time to cast a ballot. Now we’ve got the results.

Top 15 oddball interview questions of 2009

03/05/2010

The change-up is one of the most potent pitches in baseball. Likewise, a change-of-pace interview question can give HR and hiring managers keen insight into a job candidate’s analytical, creative and organizational thinking. Here are 15 of the most intriguing interview questions from the more than 14,000 submitted by job candidates last year through Glassdoor.com:

State Regulations vs. IRS Rules

03/03/2010

HR Law 101: Don’t overlook state laws, which may provide more protection for independent contractors. While the IRS is largely concerned with the issue of who collects and who pays taxes on earnings, states have different interests to protect. Thus, some states may prefer for some contractors to be considered employees under the IRS rule.

Candidates’ most outrageous (and most common) job interview mistakes

03/02/2010

With competition hot for open positions, the pressure is on for job seekers to have flawless interview skills. But sometimes they choke under that pressure. Here are 10 classic job interview flubs recently uncovered in a nationwide survey of hiring managers. Add your own in a special HR Professionals Week edition of the HR Specialist Forum.

5 common I-9 mistakes

03/02/2010

It is remarkable that a seemingly simple, one-page form—the Form I-9—can cause so many headaches. But who ever said a government form was easy, much less an immigration-related form. Here are the most common mistakes employers make.

Feds launch initiative to ID misclassified ‘contractors’

03/01/2010

The U. S. Department of Labor, in conjunction with the IRS, has announced a “misclassification initiative” aimed at employers that misclassify employees as independent contractors. A 2009 Government Accountability Office report labeled misclassification a “significant problem” with “adverse consequences” for the government.