Category: HR Voices

Background Check Prospective Employees: A Good Idea?

Are background checks of prospective employees a good idea?

Today’s HRNewsDaily Guest Voice is from Pete VanSon, CEO of Ovation Technologies.

Guest VoicesIn 1993, a Kirby vacuum salesman in Texas was charged with raping a customer. Although the salesman worked for an independent distributor, Kirby was taken to court, accused of putting the customer at risk.

If only the distributor hiring the salesman conducted a background check first; most likely they would have uncovered the prior conviction for a sexual offense.

The court awarded the victim $160,000.

In light of these events, it may be surprising that not all companies use background checks. A recent survey by SHRM found that only 69 percent of companies performed background checks on all candidates. Of the companies that do background checks, 62 percent do so after making an offer. Continue reading →

New Feature: Raymond James Newsletter

The newest feature on HRNewsDaily–the Raymond James Human Capital Monthly Newsletter! Continue reading →

Five Tips for Using Social Networks to Post Jobs

Today’s HRNewsDaily Guest Voice is from Pete VanSon, CEO of Ovation Technologies 

In the pursuit of the best employees, companies are using innovative methods to find the right people. Social networks are an excellent venue to post job ads.

Nearly 60 percent of U.S. businesses claim they will utilize social media this year, either exclusively or in conjunction with other recruiting methods.

It makes perfect sense; to find the best talent, employers must go where the people are. Generation Y or Millennials—those born after the mid-1980s—are rejecting traditional job search methods, such as blindly sending out resumes, cold-calling employers or pounding the pavement. With online tools, job seekers can undertake a comprehensive job search without leaving home. Continue reading →

HR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S JOB MARKET

HR Voices: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S JOB MARKET

Today’s HR Voices is by John Kriegsmann:

The current recession has been long and deep. The published rate of unemployment (which the Bureau of Labor Statistics refers to as U-3) has ranged from a high of 10 percent in 2009 to today’s rate 8.1 percent.

Unfortunately, the published U-3 rate only measures those workers who have been actively searching for work only in the past four weeks. It does not count discouraged workers who have stopped looking for jobs, or individuals who settle for part-time work because they cannot find a full-time job.

Continue reading →