Interviewing

Are employer’s verbal promises binding?

06/09/2015

Q. Can I rely on verbal promises made by my employer during my interview, or during my employment as forming part of my contract of employment?

How to avoid making legally binding promises when hiring

06/01/2015

Employee lawsuits can erupt when promises made in interviews aren’t kept or job offer letters inadvertently oversell the potential for monetary rewards. Here are four key questions to consider.

No such thing as ‘overqualified’: Don’t automatically reject skilled older applicant

05/29/2015

Older workers tend to have more overall experience and may seem overqualified for entry-level positions. Don’t reject those candidates, though. Doing so may set you up for a discrimination lawsuit.

Keep bias from creeping into hiring process

05/27/2015

It’s hard to discriminate against applicants based on characteristics like age and race if you don’t know they belong to a particular protected class. That’s why it’s important to have a “blind” hiring process.

Beware the hidden risks of hiring based on ‘chemistry’

05/25/2015

We’ve all thought it: “I just have a good feeling about this applicant.” Relying on subjective factors such as interview skills and personality is not the best way to pinpoint successful job candidates. Yet a Society for Human Resource Management poll found that most HR professionals say their final hiring decisions are at least 50% based on “chemistry” with the applicant.

It’s time to stop interviewing candidates like a flailing fisherman

04/30/2015

Instead of tossing out questions you’ve asked a million times, consider just a few that author and speaker Paul Falcone proposes to get past a professional façade and understand the human being behind it.

Get the Most Out of Exit Interviews

04/25/2015

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Put that phone interview on speaker–and be sure to have a witness!

04/13/2015

When it comes to hiring, it may seem simpler to screen potential applicants via a phone interview. But such conversations lend themselves to misunderstandings. If you must conduct them, do so via speaker and with more than one person participating. That way, the applicant can’t make wild claims when she isn’t hired.

What if interviewee raises a sensitive issue?

03/16/2015

Every HR pro knows there are some questions you just can’t ask and topics you can’t raise during job interviews. But what if the applicant brings up an off-limits subject?

Cut lawsuit risk by listing minimum job qualifications

03/11/2015

Be sure your job announcements list minimum qualifications applicants must have. That way, if someone who lacks the right background sues, the case can quickly be dismissed.