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Hiring

What’s in a name? Maybe discrimination

07/01/2011
Résumés with common names are more likely to receive callbacks than those with Russian and African-American names, according to a study in the Journal of Managerial Psychology. Evaluating candidates based on name could trigger claims of race bias or national-origin discrimination.

Court lets employer ask EEOC about credit checks

06/30/2011
In an unusual twist, a federal trial court considering an Ohio case has permitted an employer being sued by the EEOC to ask pointed questions about the EEOC’s own hiring practices.

What are the rules on unpaid interns?

06/30/2011
Q. We have received résumés from many college students looking for unpaid positions this fall. Would we need to pay these interns?

Is there any new guidance on how to handle employment eligibility verification?

06/30/2011
Q. Our company needs guidance on keeping up with our obligations with regard to employment eligibility. What resources are available?

Does our I-9 software comply with the law?

06/30/2011
Q. We use an electronic I-9 software system that was developed in-house. How can we ensure it complies with federal law?

Call center plants tree for every new employee

06/30/2011
Whenever Las Vegas-based Global Sky fills a seat in one of its call centers, it plants a tree in Latin America or Africa, where deforestation is a crucial problem. So far, the organization has planted more than 2,000 trees.

Can we consider only currently working candidates?

06/28/2011
Q. What restrictions exist on advertising for job vacancies? We are flooded with applications and have considered limiting applications to the currently employed. We worry the unemployed have rusty skills. Can we say we won’t consider hiring unemployed people?

When hiring, what shouldn’t we ask?

06/23/2011
Q. Are there any questions we cannot or should not ask a reference when screening applicants?

Check your hiring practices! EEOC takes aim at systemic bias

06/23/2011
As its workload has increased, the EEOC has sought greater funding so it can pursue cases in which employer hiring practices discriminate broadly against members of protected classes. Those practices include using criminal background checks and credit-history checks to screen applicants.

Is Arizona-style E-Verify mandate headed to Pennsylvania?

06/23/2011
If state Rep. Bill Galloway has his way, certain employers may be re­quired to use the federal government’s E-Verify web-based employment eligibility verification system. Several states already mandate E-Verify, and the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that an Arizona law requiring employers to use it is constitutional.