http://trendhr.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/social-networks-provide-clues-to-decision-making-in-the-hiring-process/

The use of social networking websites grew in every age group from 2009 to 2010, according to a Pew Research Center survey, “Internet & American Life Project Survey,” and cited in a white paper, “The Effects of Social Networks on Employment.”

The survey results include: in the age range of 18-to-29, social networking use grew from 76% to 86%; in the 30-to-49 age range, use grew from 48% to 61%; in the 50-to-64 age range, use grew from 25% to 47%; and for 65 and older, it grew from 13% to 26%.

Because more people are using social networking websites, the white paper suggests that more employers are turning to social networking sites to help with the hiring process. According to the white paper, written by StormStaff, “Hiring managers believe that candidate social networking profiles can be very helpful in providing a more well-rounded view of these job candidates, and it can also be a great help in finding the best qualified candidates for a job while screening out those who may not be such a good fit.”

The white paper noted that the most popular social networking sites searched by employers for information about prospective employees were Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace (in that order), as reported in a 2009 CareerBuilder survey. The white paper also stated that jobseekers report that they search for job listings (35%), facts about organizations (26%), and information about career paths within the organizations (23%).

Screening Job Candidates

Some reasons reported in the CareerBuilder survey that led employers to screen out candidates based on what they found on the candidates’ social networking profiles included:

• Provocative/inappropriate photographs or information—53%
• Content about drinking or using drugs—44%
• Bad-mouthing of previous employers, co-workers, or clients—35%
• Evidence of poor communication skills—29%
• Discriminatory comments—26%
• Misrepresentation of qualifications—24%

The white paper also reported that CareerBuilder found that 18% of hiring managers said that the content they found on social networking sites convinced them to hire the candidate.

The 9 Essential Skills of Human Resources Management - How Many Do You Have?

by Jay Schleifer

When interviewing a potential new hire, it is standard procedure for a Human Resources professional to assess the candidate as compared to a list of key skills and personal characteristics needed for the job.

In considering ideas to start our new HR Daily Advisor service, some at BLR thought it might be interesting to turn the tables on the profession, and come up with a list of such attributes for Human Resources professionals themselves.

In no way is this authoritative, but it is the opinion of people, including BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady, who’ve spent decades meeting with HR professionals, supporting their goals and reporting their achievements. You may agree or not with our assessments, but either way, we’d like to hear about it via the “share comments” link on this page.

That said, here goes:

Human Resources Management Key Skill #1: Organization

Human Resources management requires an orderly approach. Organized files, strong time management skills and personal efficiency are key to the Human Resources function. You’re dealing with people’s lives and careers here, and when a manager requests a personnel file or a compensation recommendation that lines up with both the organization and the industry, it won’t do to say, “Hold on. I’ll see if I can find it.”

Human Resources Management Key Skill #2: Multitasking

On any day, an HR professional will deal with an employee’s personal issue one minute, a benefit claim the next and a recruiting strategy for a hard-to-fill job the minute after. Priorities and business needs move fast and change fast, and colleague A who needs something doesn’t much care if you’re already helping colleague B. You need to be able to handle it all, all at once.

Human Resources Management Key Skill #3: Discretion and Business Ethics

Human Resources professionals are the conscience of the company, as well as the keepers of confidential information. As you serve the needs of top management, you also monitor officers’ approaches to employees to ensure proper ethics are observed. You need to be able to push back when they aren’t, to keep the firm on the straight and narrow. Not an easy responsibility! Of course, you always handle appropriately, and never divulge to any unauthorized person, confidential information about anyone in the organization.

Human Resources Management Key Skill #4: Dual Focus

HR professionals need to consider the needs of both employees and management. There are times you must make decisions to protect the individual, and other times when you protect the organization, its culture, and values. These decisions may be misunderstood by some, and you may catch flak because of it, but you know that explaining your choices might compromise confidential information. That’s something you would never do.

Human Resources Management Key Skill #5: Employee Trust

Employees expect Human Resources professionals to advocate for their concerns, yet you must also enforce top management’s policies. The HR professional who can pull off this delicate balancing act wins trust from all concerned.

Human Resources Management Key Skill #6: Fairness

Successful HR professionals demonstrate fairness. This means that communication is clear, that peoples’ voices are heard, that laws and policies are followed, and that privacy and respect is maintained.

Human Resources Management Key Skill #7: Dedication to Continuous Improvement

HR professionals need to help managers coach and develop their employees. The goal is continued improvement and innovation as well as remediation. And looking to their own houses, the HR professional also uses technology and other means to continuously improve the HR function itself.

Human Resources Management Key Skill #8: Strategic Orientation

Forward-thinking HR professionals take a leadership role and influence management’s strategic path. In gauging and filling the labor needs of the company, devising compensation schemes, and bringing on board new skill sets leading to business growth, they provide the proof for the often-heard management comment, “People are our most important asset.”

Human Resources Management Key Skill #9: Team Orientation

Once, companies were organized into hierarchies of workers headed by supervisors. Today, the team is king. HR managers must consequently understand team dynamics and find ways to bring disparate personalities together and make the team work.

Nine Skills, But Also One Caveat

As we listed these skills, one thing we didn’t do was try to prioritize them. Because no general list of skills can take into account the business strategy at your particular organization.

Which leads to the caveat we mentioned, as expressed by Bob Brady.

“HR is a creature of, and serves the business strategy,” Brady says. “It’s important for HR people to know what that strategy is and what makes the business tick so the approach to HR can be tailored accordingly.

The One Interview Technique that Gets Real Answers

by Steve Bruce, hrdailyadvisor.blr.com

In real estate it’s location, location, location, and in interviewing it’s probe, probe, probe. Typically the candidate’s first answer to your interview questions will be reasoned and impressive—and well rehearsed.  It’s by probing deeper that you’ll get real insight.

Asking probing questions is the key to eliciting meaningful information from well-prepared applicants. Here's an example of how your probing can reveal the real story.

You: Well, I'm looking for a stellar project manager, so tell me about an important project that you managed.
Applicant: I recently managed the computerization of our entire vendor/purchasing/inventory management program. 

(Great. Sounds like a winner—that's just what we need someone for.)

You: How did you do as far as bringing it in on time and on budget?
Applicant: I'm very proud of that.  With a year-long project, we were up and running and fully trained two weeks early.  The overall budget was $3.5 million and we brought her in at $3.34. 

(Is this a qualified candidate or what?  Seems great so far. Should we move on to some other topics? Let's probe a little bit.)

You: How many were on the team?
Applicant: 18.

You: Were you the team leader?
Applicant: Yes

(Wow, this candidate's going to be great, but maybe we should probe a little more.)

You: Who selected the software?
Applicant: Oh, the consultant did.  She was very sharp.

(Hmmm. The consultant?)

You: How were the team members selected?
Applicant: Well, my boss picked the internal members, and the consultant picked the technical people.

(Maybe this candidate's involvement was not as great as I first thought. Let's probe more.)

You: Who directed the day-to-day activities of the team?
Applicant: Oh, the consultant did that.  Very technical project, very technical.

(Wait a minute. What did the applicant do?)

You:  So how often did you meet with the team?
Applicant: I attended all the meetings to be sure that everything was going well. I sent out the reminder notices for the meetings and I printed up the agenda after the consultant worked it up.

You can see where this going. This candidate, who initially appeared to be a successful high-level project manager, was in reality a low-level coordinator. The candidate was never lying, but it took considerable probing to bring out a complete picture of his efforts.

Bottom line, especially when it comes to key responsibilities and accomplishments, probe, probe, probe.

How a Bad Job Description Lost an Airtight Case, and Other Horror Stories

by Steve Bruce

Here's what might happen when job descriptions aren't accurate and up to date:

Failed to Define Essential Functions

One of the most common failures of job descriptions is not segmenting out the essential functions of the position. Here's what can happen:

You've fired a person who just can't get the job done. Yes, the person has a disability, and you've tried to accommodate the disability, but the person just isn't getting enough work done. True, he is doing duties D, E, and F, but he isn't making any progress on A, B, and C. And, unfortunately, those are the duties that you really care about—the ones you view as the real meat of the position.

The former employee now visits an attorney and you've got a lawsuit on your hands. Discrimination against a person with a disability. It's going to come down to a simple question—Did the employee accomplish the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation?

If yes, there's a potential winning lawsuit; if no, probably not. So you go to the job description. Whoops. You haven't broken out the essential functions. You're going to be in a hole, trying to establish, after the fact, that A. B, and C were actually the essential functions.

And the situation is going to be that much worse in the case where A. B, and C—essential as they are—don't take as much time as D, E, and F. Can you prevail in court? Perhaps, but why put yourself in that position?

Job Description Is Out of Date

Jimmy's been fired for poor performance. He sues saying it's not true, his performance was good, the company just doesn't like people in his protected category.

But, you say, he didn't do X and he didn't do Y, and those are critical elements of the job. Let's look at the job description, Jimmy's attorney says. Whoops. The job description hasn't been updated to include the duties that Jimmy's being accused of failing at.

This sounds like a joke, but over the past few years, most jobs have changed dramatically. With layoffs, almost everyone has assumed new duties.

Sometimes the new duties are at higher level, sometimes at a lower level. For example, a supervisor may have been let go, and those under him now have to assume his supervisory duties in addition to their regular duties.

Or the opposite happens. Say there used to be five people doing a job and now there are two. Those two people are working so hard that the supervisor takes away some of their duties. And usually it's the higher level duties.

Note: This has serious wage/hour implications—in the first case, where higher-level duties were added, a former non-exempt may now be doing exempt work. In the latter case, where higher level duties were assumed by the manager, the job may no longer be exempt.

hrdailyadvisor.blr.com 

Have You Set the Scene for Safety?

By: Safety.blr.com

Both the law and sound business practice compel you to look beyond specific regulations to assess safety training needs and to plan for effective training.

Before you can roll out a successful safety training program, you have to assess training needs and plan for effective training.

Fail to identify needs, and training will miss the target. As a result, the workplace might not be any safer for all the expense and effort.

Fail to plan training so that it comes at just the right time, in just the right amount, and in just the right form, and the result will be disappointing, too.

Assessment

Training assessment in the safety field means several things:

• Needs assessment. What types of training are specifically required by OSHA? What additional training is necessary for a safe and healthful workplace? What do job hazard analyses, incident reports, etc. tell you about training needs? Who must know what about what?

• Learning assessment. How will you know after training whether the training was successful? How will you be able to assure that workers understand what they must do and how to do it?

• Instruction/program assessment. How do you evaluate the success of specific instructional modules and of your overall safety training program? How do you identify necessary improvements? How do you implement changes?

Planning


Planning always follows assessment, and its key elements include:

• Goals and objectives. What do you want your training to accomplish? How will you know when you've achieved it? How will you measure the results of your training?

• Delivery/format. What's the best way to deliver training? Classroom? Demonstration? On-the-job? Self-paced? Computer-based? What's the best way to make training interactive to engage employees in the learning process? What's the best way to deal with language barriers or low skill levels?

• Schedules. When and how often is specific training needed? How can you arrange schedules to accommodate supervisors, employees, and production requirements?

• Written programs. Does regulatory compliance require a written program or policy? Do safety written programs require annual or periodic revision?

• Recordkeeping. What information about training do you need to record and retain? Are training records kept in an organized way that supports the program and meets compliance requirements?

• Trainers. Who will be responsible for training? Will trainers themselves need training in order to carry out training responsibilities successfully? What other resources will trainers need?


These are just some of the issues you must explore when assessing and planning safety training. Tomorrow, we'll talk more about assessment and planning, introducing safety training's seven deadly sins—and seven simple virtues.

Is It Time to Outsource Your HR?

By Toddi Gutner

Most small-business owners know the frustration of spending more time than they want or should on non-revenue-generating activities. From payroll and human resource management to benefits and compensation, entrepreneurs can spend up to 40 percent of their precious day engaged in these necessary but time-sucking tasks.

The answer for many growing companies may be to hire one of the 700 professional employer organizations (PEOs) in the U.S. These companies become the legal employer of your staff and handle all the payroll, benefits and HR functions.

“Most small businesses are under 25 employees, and that means the owner is the most productive, is critical to the success of the business, and has to get out there and generate sales and products,” says Milan Yager, president and CEO of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. When small businesses outsource non-core activities, “they can focus on the business of their business,” says Yager.

But when does it make sense to hire a PEO? While PEOs aren’t for every company, those that do use them can often offer better benefit packages and thus hire better talent, says Ed Vargas, senior vice president of health and benefits at Aon Consulting. “We help them set up a Fortune 500 package of benefits,” he says.

In assessing whether or not you should hire a PEO, there are several questions to consider before you make a decision:

- How big is your company? Expert opinion varies on how large a company should be before it hires a PEO. A general rule of thumb is “when administrative processes begin slowing down the productivity of the firm,” says Dan Sheridan, president and chief operating officer of Extensis, a PEO. While it is different for every company, “this typically occurs when a business reaches 10 to 15 employees a week,” says Sheridan.

Some PEOs won’t work with companies that have fewer than 10 employees. "Once a company gets very big, then it is easier to have an in-house HR department,” says Janis Sweeney, owner of National Employee Management Resources, a PEO. The sweet spot for a PEO, she says, is between 16 and 80 people. The composition of your workforce is also important. Companies that only offer insurance to a few key executives wouldn’t benefit from PEOs.

- How much does a PEO cost? Like all professional services, the way a PEO prices services varies depending on the company. Industry experts estimate that the cost ranges from about 2 percent to 11 percent of wages. Another way to look at the expense is per employee. With that measure, it would run between $500 and $1,500 per employee per year. For very small companies with only two to five employees, some PEOs might price their services at a flat fee of $150 per month.

On the flip side, it is important to try and estimate the total cost of your HR functions. Truth is, most businesses “have no idea what their true costs are, as they only think of wages but never add up all the other things,” says Yager.

- How much control do you want over your HR functions? A PEO acts as a business partner to the client company. If a business owner wants to control all aspects of a business and is not open to suggestions or following through on recommendations a PEO makes, then a PEO may not make sense, says Jim Thibodeau, president of StaffScapes Inc.

Businesses do lose a bit of flexibility in the coverage they can offer when they use a PEO. Related to the issue of control is the perception of your employees. “Employees are used to seeing [your business name] on the check,” and the PEO becomes the check signer, says Sweeney.

- What services do you need? “Picking the right PEO is of paramount importance,” says Sheridan. The PEO should be certified by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation, have experience in the client’s industry and cover that company’s territory, he says. Also bear in mind that some PEOs specialize in a Web-based high-tech approach, while others are focused on face-to-face support.

Remember — each PEO is different, and business owners would do well to read the fine print.

Toddi Gutner is an award-winning journalist, writer and editor and currently a contributing writer covering career management issues for The Wall Street Journal.

Plan your day, without tying your hands

By: Business Management Daily



How often do you start the day with a to-do list? And how often does that list fly out the window by 10 a.m.?

The trouble is, says time management coach Patricia Hutchings, we don’t build enough flexibility into our calendars. With so many to-do’s and scheduled appointments, “things get out of hand,” she says.

She recommends balancing scheduled time and flexible time. It sounds simple, but it can be a challenge.

Here’s how to make it work for you:

1. Schedule 60% of your week on your calendar, and leave 40% open, Hutchings says.

What to schedule? Appointments and meetings, of course, making sure you add time on either side for preparation and follow-up. But also schedule tasks that you know need tackling by a certain deadline.

2. Keep appointments and scheduled time to a minimum on Mondays and Fridays. “Monday is typically a busy day because lots of things happen that you can’t anticipate,” says Hutchings. “Friday is a last-minute day, since people come to you with work due Monday.”

Thursday can be scheduled heaviest, since it’s the day with the least interruptions, generally.

3. Make your schedule visible, showing what weekly tasks you have and how you blocked out your time.

So when your boss says, “I need this done by x,” you can say, “I’d be happy to. Here’s the schedule as it stands. I want to make sure I can fit this work in. Which of these things can I move forward in order to tackle this instead?”

“Have everything on there that you do,” says Hutchings. “You’re going to blow their minds because they have no idea what you do. You need to demonstrate to them in a visual way what you do. Otherwise, some people think you’re just sitting there.”