While the unemployment rate remains over 9% (9.3% according to the last Bureau of Labor Statistics report) there seem to be a bit of light at the end of the recession tunnel. The National Association of Buiness Economics reported that 31% of employers surveyed had added staff in the past 3 months, up from 6% last year AND 39% expect to hire between now and December 2010. If you are one of those employers who will be hiring this year do yourself a favor and before you start hiring review your processes- since you probably will only be hiring a few individuals this year it is critical to do it right the first time.
1) First things first, make sure you have a job description for the position
2) Use a checklist to ensure objective, legally defensible interviewing
3) Check references and depending on the position peform a background check/drug test
4) Provide a conditional offer letter and written pay plan to the prospective employee
5) Make sure you have some basic orientation actitivities planned for the first day/first week so they hit the ground running. No need to spend hours and hours on orientation but everyone like to know where the bathroom is and an organization chart is alway handy!
Additional information on best practices in hiring can be found in the KPA webinars- “How to Hire the Right Employees” and “Bulletproof Your Employment Practices”. Recorded versions may be dowloaded at http://www.kpaonline.com/news-and-events/webinars/recorded-webinars.html
Hope you are one of the lucky employers who will be hiring this year- join the conversation and let me know if you are hiring or still waiting for the economy to improve further.
Tags: bureau of labor statistics, Department of Labor, employee morale, HR best practice, prospective employee, unemployment rate