Interviewing

How much time do you spend looking at a résumé?

05/20/2014

HR pros in hiring mode don’t waste much time! Most spend less than five minutes reviewing a résumé to decide if an applicant is worth considering.

Seeking applicants with integrity? Ask 2 questions

05/15/2014

When hiring for a position at Baystate Financial in Boston, one trait they look for is integrity. Here are two questions whose answers can reveal how much a candidate truly has.

What’s the full list of off-limits job interview questions in California?

04/27/2014

Q. We are looking to hire a new employee. Are there some questions I should steer away from?

Handling new hires or promotions from within, document every step of interview process

04/14/2014

Document every step of the interview process for new applicants and internal candidates. Make sure the process is uniform and that every interviewee gets the same treatment.

Use consistent interview questions to ensure fairness in hiring and promotions

04/07/2014

Here’s another reason to create a fair, impartial and consistent interview process: Your ultimate decision on who is hired or promoted is more likely to withstand legal scrutiny if you can show that each candidate interviewed faced the same questions and that each candidate’s performance was assessed by more than one interviewer.

Unprofessional employees? Re-evaluate your hiring process

04/01/2014

Expect associates to put business first while at work? Hire people who convey they’ll do just that during the interview.

What should we tell manager who wants to ask inappropriate interview questions?

03/17/2014

Q. We have a manager who is really concerned about “fit” when we interview for his group. He wants to ask questions about hobbies, whether the candidate has a family and how that will affect the candidate’s ability to be at work. I’ve tried to explain that, due to discrimination laws, we should only ask questions based upon the job and its requirements, but he ignores me. What can I do?

Do candidates’ color choices predict personality?

02/20/2014

When an applicant wears red, do you see a potential power player? What does a brown suit tell you about an applicant? Apparently, clothing color does matter.

Job Interviews

02/01/2014

HR Law 101: Much of the information employers avoid asking for on a job application becomes apparent when hiring managers meet someone face-to-face (such as race, age, physical disability and national origin). So, you must take extra care not to ask questions or make comments that an applicant might construe as discriminatory …

2 steps to a lawsuit-proof hiring process: Online applications and blind screening

01/10/2014

One way to ensure “blind” hiring is to make sure your online application process doesn’t ask for any protected-class information. Then perform your initial screening without actually interviewing candidates. That way, only interviewed applicants can sue over not being hired.