Yesterday’s Advisor showed how to clarify what you are looking for in a candidate; today, how to translate that into candidate terms, plus an introduction to BLR’s handy HR audit guide.
Translating into Candidate Terms
Now you have to translate your desires into concrete terms that you can use in a posting, an ad, or email for an employment agency or a candidate.
For instance, you might want to specify:
- A certain number of years of experience at a specific job or job type
- Specific duties or responsibilities held
- Experiences required
- Degrees, certifications, or special training required
- Computer software familiarity
You’ll also add information about your organization. Think of this as a marketing tool—be sure to sell your company and this opportunity as part of your posting.
Be aware of legal threats. For example, check to be sure that you haven’t set requirements that are unnecessary (such as a college degree for a clerical position); that could set your organization up for a discrimination lawsuit.
Find problems before the feds do. HR Audit Checklists ensures that you have a chance to fix problems before government agents or employees’ attorneys get a chance. Try the program at no cost or risk.
Also avoid any mention of age, sex, race, religion, disability or national origin, or any characteristic protected by your state law (for example, sexual preference, marital status, or public assistance status).
Final Check
Before sending it out, review your posting critically:
- Would someone reading this get a good picture of the job and what you are looking for?
- Will the information help unqualified applicants screen themselves out?
- Will the candidate you have described be attracted to your position at the salary you can pay?
If you are satisfied, you are ready to start looking.
Hiring hassles—one of, what, a dozen policy issues you’re dealing with today? How can you be sure your systems are operating according to policy? There’s only one way—regular audits. The rub is that for most HR managers, it’s hard to get started auditing—where do you begin?
BLR’s editors recommend a unique product called HR Audit Checklists. Why are checklists so great? Because they’re completely impersonal, forcing you to jump through all the necessary hoops one by one. They also ensure consistency in how operations are conducted. That’s vital in HR, where it’s all too easy to land in court if you discriminate in how you treat one employee over another.
Using the “hope” system to avoid lawsuits? (We “hope” we’re doing it right.) Be sure! Check out every facet of your HR program with BLR’s unique checklist-based audit program. Click here to try HR Audit Checklists on us for 30 days.
HR Audit Checklists compels thoroughness. For example, it contains checklists both on Preventing Sexual Harassment and on Handling Sexual Harassment Complaints. You’d likely never think of all the possible trouble areas without a checklist; but with it, just scan down the list, and instantly see where you might get tripped up.
In fact, housed in the HR Audit Checklists binder are dozens of extensive lists, organized into reproducible packets, for easy distribution to line managers and supervisors. There’s a separate packet for each of the following areas:
- Staffing and training (incorporating Equal Employment Opportunity in recruiting and hiring, including immigration issues)
- HR administration (including communications, handbook content, and recordkeeping)
- Health and safety (including OSHA responsibilities)
- Benefits and leave (including health cost containment, COBRA, FMLA, workers’ compensation, and several areas of leave)
- Compensation (payroll and the Fair Labor Standards Act)
- Performance and termination (appraisals, discipline, and termination)
HR Audit Checklists is available to HR Daily Advisor readers for a no-cost, no-risk evaluation in your office for up to 30 days. Visit HR Audit Checklists, and we’ll be happy to arrange it.