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  • In a former life I was a general manager. A large part of my position was screening and interviewing potential new hires. This important yet time-consuming process included:

    1. Phone screening
    2. Background checks
    3. Scheduling initial interviews
    4. Clearing my schedule to make time for interviews
    5. Conducting interviews

    …you get my point.

    Recruiting Takes Major Time

    My assistant managers and I would spend between 1 to 3 hours each week on these administrative functions, depending on the season. That averages out to 100 hours over the course of a year.

    During this entire time I was unaware of the HR and recruiting assistance offered by a professional employer organization (PEO) such as Group Management Services Inc., which would have cut those hours by more than half.

    Saving time – sounds good right? It gets even better.

    Finding the Best Candidates

    In a recent Inc. article, Ed Powers shares this insight about initial recruiting efforts:

    “Get a big funnel. You don’t want to be overwhelmed with candidates who all look the same, but you do want to have enough candidates so that you can be selective within a large pool. Reaching out beyond your usual go-to sources can uncover skilled candidates you may not have realized were out there.”

    When recruiting to add to your team, it’s important to:

    • Have a larger reach of candidates
    • Ask consistent questions
    • Fully comply with EEOC and labor laws

    Who can consistently meet those criteria: your HR recruiting professional from GMS, or you?

  • Would you choose a candidate solely based on the fact that they attended the same college as you? How about choosing a candidate based on how attractive they are? If this line of reasoning sounds absurd to you, then you’re right! However, you may unintentionally use that type of information to make a selection.  

    Almost all business owners become an interviewer at some point in their careers. While the main goal of an interview is to evaluate the candidate, it’s also important to understand common interviewer biases. These are preconceived ideas and beliefs that we assign to candidates unknowingly and may ultimately sway our hiring decision.  

    Image of a job interview. Learn about seven interview biases that can sway hiring decisions.

    Seven Common Interview Biases That You Should Be Aware Of

    Stereotyping Bias – Forming an opinion of someone based on gender, religion, race, appearance, or any other type of characteristic. 

    First Impression Bias – Making judgements about an interviewee based on their first impression being positive or negative. 

    “Similar to Me” Effect – Thinking highly of someone who has a similar mind set or personality to the interviewer.  

    Negative Emphasis Bias – When the interviewer receives a small amount of negative information and uses it to base their entire hiring decision off of it. We tend to weigh negative information heavier than positive information.  

    Halo and Horn Effect – The Halo Effect is when the interviewer lets one positive fact about the candidate overshadow everything else they say or do. The Horn Effect is the opposite and allows a weak fact to influence everything else. 

    Cultural Noise – The interviewer’s ability to distinguish between a candidate’s socially acceptable answer rather than revealing their true opinion.

    Contrast Effect – When a stronger candidate interviews after a weaker candidate, they may appear more qualified than they are because of the contrast between the two. 

    These are just a few of the many biases we are subjected to while interviewing. Our recommendation to you is to ask open ended questions, take notes during interviews, ask each candidate the same questions, and be self-aware of the judgments you place into others.    

    Hiring the right job candidate can be a tricky proposition. That’s why Group Management Services offers interview coaching and recruiting services to business owners. Contact us today to learn how we can help find the top talent and grow your team of dedicated staff.  

  • It’s no surprise that it’ll take a lot of questions to determine whether a job candidate is the right fit for your company. However, you may not know that there are quite a few interview questions that can land your company in trouble. 

    One example of this is the city of Cincinnati’s new Salary Equity Ordinance, a measure that passed in 2019 and will take effect in March 2020. At that time, it will be illegal for employers in Cincinnati to ask about a job candidate’s pay history. This measure impacts any step of the hiring process, ranging from job ads to employee interviews.

    While Cincinnati employers must adjust to the Salary Equity Ordinance, there are many other types of questions that are disallowed from the interview process across the country. An illegal question can lead to a variety of consequences, including a discrimination lawsuit or an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This means you’ll want to brush up on which interview questions can lead to EEOC complaints.

    HR managers after asking an illegal job interview question. 

    Problematic Topics for Job Interviews

    Some illegal interview inquiries are clear – you shouldn’t ask questions about a job candidate’s race or sexual identity. While those two topics pose apparent discrimination problems, others dangerous questions are not as apparent. 

    Even questions asked with the best of intentions can be flagged as illegal. What you may see as an innocuous attempt at small talk can be interpreted as a topic that’s off limits. As a result, here are some topics that should be addressed carefully or avoided altogether.

    National origin and citizenship

    Any question regarding a candidates’ national origin can be an issue. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) makes it illegal for employers to base hiring decisions on a person’s citizenship or immigration status. Even a question asking about a candidate’s accent can be misconstrued as an attempt at discrimination. However, it’s acceptable to ask whether a candidate can legally work in the U.S., provide the required documentation if hired, and read, write, and speak English if required by the job.

    Religion

    If a question involves a candidate’s potential religion, you should probably leave it unsaid. Even roundabout questions like whether a candidate will need time off for religious holidays can be seen as non-job related and an attempt to discriminate against a person for his or her beliefs. According to the Yale Center for International and Professional Experience, the only employers allowed use religious affiliation as a basis for hiring are those “whose purpose and character is primarily religious.”

    Pregnancy status

    It’s not acceptable to ask about their pregnancy – even if the person interviewed is clearly pregnant. Not only does this violate set pregnancy discrimination laws, it can also potentially appear as gender discrimination since male candidates won’t have to answer the same questions. General questions about any future planned leave is acceptable if the question isn’t tied to the pregnancy. Also, feel free to ask other neutral job-related questions involving certain work responsibilities to see if the candidate can perform necessary tasks.

    Marital status or number of children

    Like pregnancy, you aren’t permitted to ask job candidates whether they’re married or have any children. Asking about these may lead an employer to discriminate against a candidate because they may need some time to take care of their current or future children. Instead, ask about specific job-related responsibilities to see if they can perform these tasks, such as travel requirements or set work hours.

    Disability

    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal for employers to ask a range of questions that “are likely to reveal the existence of a disability before making a job offer.” That means any questions regarding how many sick days an applicant took in the past year or what drugs they take.

    It’s also generally disallowed to ask if an applicant will need a reasonable accommodation for a job unless “the employer knows that an applicant has a disability, and it is reasonable to question whether the disability might pose difficulties for the individual in performing a specific job task” For example, the EEOC writes that it’s fine to ask about reasonable accommodation if the applicant voluntarily revealed his or her disability or there’s a clear visual sign, such as if the applicant uses a cane for a severe limp.

    Age or genetic information

    It’s only acceptable to ask about an applicant’s age if it’s directly tied to their job. For example, someone who works at a bar or some other age 21-plus environment will need to provide proof of their age. Even a question like when an applicant graduated from high school can be viewed as an attempt to identify a person’s age.

    Arrest record

    According to the EEOC, there is no federal law preventing employers from asking candidates about their criminal history – although “Using criminal history information to make employment decisions may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” It’s important to note that while there’s no federal law against asking about arrest records, many states ban the practice. As such, make sure to check your state’s laws before asking candidates about their criminal history.

    Protect Your Company During the Hiring Process

    Adding a new employee is an exciting step for any business, but it’s important to make sure that your business proceed with caution. Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to avoid illegal interview questions. These include:

    • Establishing set interview questions for every candidate
    • Treat every candidate the same during the interview process
    • Take notes and document the results
    • Have more than one interviewer in the room

    Another way to help your business is to hire a Professional Employer Organization that can not only oversee employee hiring and training, but also help you shoulder the administrative burden created by key HR functions. The GMS team can help you stay up to date on the latest rules and regulations while managing everything from your company’s payroll to employee benefits plans.

    Whether you need HR services in Cincinnati or in some other location, GMS can help. Contact us today to talk to one of our experts about what we can do to help you protect your company now and prepare for the future.

  • Hiring the right person isn’t an easy task. It’s even harder to do so in a timely fashion. When your business is ready to hire, it benefits you to do so quickly. Not only do long hiring processes cost you time and money, they also delay you from filling a needed role on your team (and that’s not including your onboarding process).

    Every hour spent during the hiring process is an hour taken away from other essential business tasks. However, it’s also vital to recognize that rushing a hire can lead to other costly issues. Settling for a bad fit – or worse, dealing with negligent hiring – will only set your business back even further. Hiring means you need to perform an important balancing act – speed up the hiring process while finding the right candidate.

    While tricky, it’s not impossible to speed up the hiring process without rushing. Here are ways you can streamline your hiring process to get the candidates you need quicker than before.

    A job candidate interview by a company that wants to quickly hire employees. 

    Templatize Your Job Descriptions

    Every job description you write from scratch is extra time and effort you can avoid. Using a consistent format for new postings will not only help you draft descriptions quicker than before, but it can also make them easier to scan for potential applicants. 

    In terms of what format you should use, it can depend on exactly what type of position you need for your business. If you had a past job description that worked out well, you can use that as a base and modify it as necessary. If not, the following format is a good start:

    • Job summary (what it is and why it’s appealing)
    • Qualifications for the ideal candidate (both mandatory and ones that would be beneficial)
    • Company benefits
    • Clear call to action for how to apply and next steps

    From there, you can add in different sections based on what’s important to you and your business. Is company culture a huge part of your hiring process? Include a section about it in the format. You can also fill in specific parts of each description ahead of time, such as specific benefits that would apply to every potential employee. Adding these details to a base template now will only save you time on every description in the future.

    Write Clear Job Descriptions

    While a template will help, it’s important to make sure that your descriptions are specific enough to weed out certain applicants. One way to sidetrack your hiring process is to accidentally attract the wrong types of candidates. It’s important to be very clear about exactly what you want in a potential new employee to clear up any confusion from people who either aren’t right for the job or simply don’t have the qualifications. That means thinking very carefully about the following factors:

    • Which objectives the position should achieve
    • The core skills required to meet these objectives
    • Description of a typical day in the position, including regular duties, occasional tasks, etc.

    By spending a little extra time going into detail about necessary skills and objectives, you can signal to unqualified applicants that the job isn’t right for them. This in turn will save you from going through these applications (and potentially interviewing extra unqualified candidates).

    Be More Selective About the Candidates You Bring in for an Interview

    While a good description can cut out some less satisfactory applicants, you’ll still likely receive some resumes that don’t quite meet your standards. However, some people are tempted to still interview some of these applicants to try and reach a nice, round number of candidates. 

    The problem with this approach is that it’s more important to interview the right candidates instead of trying to hit a quota. If you’re only impressed by two or three candidates, focus on just them instead of hoping that a fringe applicant might exceed expectations. This also applies to people during the first-round interviews as well. If someone isn’t impressive, it’s best not to give them more of your time just because you had hoped for a certain number of finalists. In the end, being discerning will save you hours of wasted time, especially if you have a more rigorous hiring process.

    Cut Out Unnecessary Steps

    Speaking of a rigorous hiring process, try and see if you truly need every step to find the right candidate. The hiring process is different for every company, so you may be able to eliminate some measures that aren’t as important for you.

    A good example of this is the traditional request for references. If you don’t find that much value in talking to a candidate’s references, don’t include it in your process. You could also wait to ask for references for a few key candidates after you’ve interviewed them. This will cut down on the amount of calls you need to make or having to wait for these contacts to respond to your message – and that’s if you decide you need to talk to them at all. Try and identify which steps are really important for your search. If you find some are just there for show, get rid of them and use that time for something else.

    Have a Prepared List of Interview Questions

    Like your job description, it’s good to have a base list of interview questions made ahead of time. This list will make sure you’re asking the right questions every time to quickly see if a candidate is right for your position. It can also help you from going into an interview and asking all your questions off the cuff – nobody wants to accidentally bring up a taboo interview topic that can lead to problems.

    In terms of which questions to include, you’ll want to focus on inquiries that will identify certain skills and behaviors. Monster.com suggests breaking questions down into a few different groups:

    • Icebreakers to build rapport and help candidates relax
    • Traditional questions to gather general information about a candidate’s skills and experience
    • Situational questions to understand what a candidate would do in a specific, relevant situations
    • Behavioral questions to learn about how a candidate handled a past experience.
    • Culture fit questions to gauge whether a candidate would thrive in your workplace environment.

    Consider Group Interviews

    Sometimes, you have openings with several qualified candidates, but it’s hard to devote enough time to give every person a one-on-one interview. Instead of cutting a few promising people because of a time crunch, consider having multiple people participate in one interview at a time. 

    Not only will this create massive time savings, but it also has some interesting advantages. For one, multiple candidates mean that you’ll get different perspectives (and the opportunity to see how other candidates react to those perspectives). In addition, group interviews can help interviewers from getting too comfortable with a candidate. While it’s good to feel relaxed with a candidate, that newfound comfort level can prevent some people from asking some of the tougher questions that will help you gather information. 

    A Better, More Efficient Hiring Process

    When it comes to hiring, you don’t need to choose between hiring quickly or finding the perfect person. By tweaking your approach, you can achieve both goals for your business.

    Need some help streamlining your hiring efforts? Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about how we can save you time and money by managing your employee recruitment and onboarding processes.

  • Over the past few years, a growing number of states and cities have banned the practice of using salary history to screen potential new employees. If you’re an employer in New Jersey, you’re now included in that trend. 

    Starting in 2020, it’s not a good idea for New Jersey employers to ask job applicants how much they made. The Garden State is now one of 17 states and multiple cities to outlaw pay history questions. While similar in many aspects, New Jersey’s version of the law does have some key differences that can help employers avoid potential penalties.

    A New Jersey employer asking for salary history, which is now banned in the state. 

    The Impacts of New Jersey’s Salary History Ban

    As with other states with salary history bans in place, Bill A1094 prohibits New Jersey employers from using past wages, benefits, and other salary history-related information to vet potential job applicants. The law also prevents employers from requiring an applicant’s salary history to satisfy any minimum or maximum criteria.

    If by chance an employer breaks the rules set in Bill A1094, the law has set penalties in place. Any employers who violate salary history ban are subject to civil penalties. These penalties scale based on the number of times an employer breaks the rules:

    • Up to $1,000 for the first violation
    • $5,000 for the second violation
    • $10,000 for each subsequent violation

    Exceptions

    Unlike other state and city bans on salary history inquiries, there are a few exceptions where employers are protected in New Jersey. The state’s ban includes a couple of examples of expressly permitted activities where the employer would not be in violation of the law.

    Voluntary release

    The law does not penalize employers if applicants voluntarily provide their salary history. Of course, this disclosure must be done by an applicant’s choice alone – it cannot be prompted or coerced at all. If this information is provided, the employer may then verify that the information provided is accurate and use it to determine compensation.

    Post-offer requests

    If an employer makes an offer of employment to an applicant that includes an explanation of the overall compensation package, the employer may request that the applicant provide a written authorization to confirm their salary history. If the authorization is given, this information can include both compensation and benefits.

    Hiring internal or past employees

    The law does not extend to any internal applicants with regards to promotions or transfers. As such, employers may consider salary information for applicants who already work at their company. In addition, employers may consider past salary history information if an applicant used to work for them, but only the information that they already have on file.

    Federal law exclusions

    If a federal law requires an applicant to disclose their salary history (or requires an employer to verify that history), an employer will not be penalized for collecting and using that information.

    Incentive or commission plans

    If an applicant is applying for a position with commission or incentive-based compensation components, an employer may inquire about past incentive and commission terms. However, these inquiries cannot extend to what the applicant’s earnings were under a previous employer’s plans.

    Collective bargaining agreements

    Employers may communicate with applicants about wages or salary rates if the job has certain salary guidelines set by collective bargaining agreements or laws.

    Evaluate Your Hiring Process to Protect Your Business

    While the salary history ban is a more recent law, it’s not the only regulation that employers need to consider during the hiring process. There are a variety of illegal interview questions that are off-limits for employers, such as inquiries about national origin and pregnancy status. As such, it’s important for employers to take the following steps to examine their internal processes to prevent possible violations.

    • Evaluate job applications, recruiter instructions, and background-check instructions to eliminate improper information requests
    • Examine interview templates or guidelines (and establish them if they do not already exist)
    • Treat every candidate the same during the interview process
    • Have more than one interviewer in the room and take notes to document the results

    Need an HR partner to prepare your business for new laws and other business administration headaches? Contact GMS’s New Jersey office or one of our other locations today to talk to one of our HR experts.

  • The hiring process is already difficult enough. The time, money, and energy it takes to conduct a thorough search for the right people is a serious commitment. Unfortunately, unconscious bias adds yet another hurdle for both your company and potential job candidates.

    The goal of hiring is to find the right person for your company. Unconscious bias can cause your company to eliminate or overvalue prospects based on first impressions, preconceived notions, and other factors that aren’t true indicators of talent. Regardless of why and how they occur, it’s important to mitigate the impact of unconscious bias so that you can focus on what matters: hiring the best talent for your business.

    A job interview conducted with practices that help eliminate unconscious bias from the hiring process.

    What Can Unconscious Bias Affect in the Hiring Process?

    First and foremost, unconscious bias can cost you the best candidate. In a pool of prospects, you may unwittingly eliminate a top candidate because of certain predispositions or unintended consequences from certain hiring practices. By updating your hiring process, you can increase your odds of identifying the perfect people for open positions. 

    It’s important to note that bias extends beyond practices deemed discriminatory. In addition to explicit bias against race, gender, disability, and more, there are many other implicit biases. These unconscious biases may seem harmless at first, but can cause people to eliminate certain candidates or overvalue others. For example, certain hiring practices may not intend to exclude certain groups of people. However, these actions may cause companies to unknowingly make decisions based on secondary or tertiary factors instead of identifying who is right for your company. 

    8 Ways to Help Prevent Unconscious Bias in the Hiring Process

    It can be difficult to eliminate unconscious bias – it’s called unconscious bias, after all. However, there are some actions you can take throughout the hiring process to help remove these involuntary actions as you focus on finding the best possible candidate for your business.

    Evaluate word choice in job descriptions

    Words matter. Job descriptions play a critical role in attracting top talent. However, certain language can dissuade certain applicants from applying if you’re not careful. 

    For example, using words like “guys” or “journeyman” in a job description can act as a red flags to female prospects. There are also less obvious gender-biased language that may deter qualified candidates. According to social role theory, certain word choices can reflect unconscious biases based on stereotypical roles and behaviors. As such, terms like “competitive” are typically geared to appeal to men, whereas words like “collaborative” attract more women than men.

    The best way to avoid accidental bias in job descriptions is to carefully examine how they’re written. Once you spot a potential issue, experiment with wording to find an acceptable replacement that appeals to a wider audience. While certain terms are easier to identify than others, there are tools available to help in this endeavor. Both Gender Decoder and Textio can evaluate text to help spot questionable words to prepare your job descriptions for everyone. 

    Find new talent sources

    When it comes time to hire a new employee, many companies use the same methods that have worked in the past. This process makes sense to a degree – don’t fix what isn’t broken. However, this mindset also prevents you from potentially opening up your recruitment and sourcing efforts to a more diverse audience.

    If you’ve turned to the same sources for years, odds are you’ll get more of the same pool of applicants in the future. By widening your search, you can open your company up to a more diverse group of talent than before. In addition, research shows that diversity is good for business. A McKinsey study analyzed 366 public companies and discovered that the organizations were “more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.”

    This doesn’t mean you should abandon past sourcing methods – LinkedIn and referrals are tried and true for a reason. Instead, consider increasing the visibility of your openings by utilizing new resources, whether that means listing jobs on a career advancement platform like Jopwell, partnering with different colleges, and identifying other ways to diversify your applicant pool.

    Consider “blind” resume reviews

    It doesn’t take much to develop a preconceived notion about a candidate. In fact, unconscious bias can start as soon as you spot some basic information. 

    Names, educational backgrounds, and locations can all trigger hidden biases that can both favor and disfavor candidates for a multitude of reasons. These justifications can be as silly as a candidate went to a rival college – you never know when the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry will rear its ugly head. Research also indicates that people with foreign-sounding names are 28 percent less likely to land an interview than those with more “Anglo”-sounding names. 

    To avoid these issues, take a blind approach to reviewing resumes and block out any surface demographic characteristics that don’t directly impact the quality of a potential employee. Removing details like names can help you focus on what matters – is this person qualified for this job? This way you and anyone else reviewing resumes can concentrate on important details instead of adding false value to secondary criteria.

    Standardize interviews

    Not only can establishing a set list for every candidate speed up the hiring process, it can also help you avoid any accidental bias.

    Unstructured interviews without any defined questions can put candidates on different playing fields. One interviewee may provide a great answer to one question, but you can’t compare those responses if you ask different questions or present them in a different manner. Standardized interviews allow you to minimize bias by focusing on important factors and being able to analyze each candidate as evenly as possible.

    Avoid snap judgments

    According to Monster, “job applicants have on average just 6 minutes and 25 seconds during the first meeting to impress interviewers.” Other studies suggest that some interviewers made hiring decisions after just 15 seconds. First impressions are important, but banking on initial observations is quick path to unconscious bias.

    Simply put, it’s easy to judge people at first glance. The problem is that interviewers shouldn’t let superficial factors cloud the entire interview. It’s crucial to focus on factors that will directly impact job performance instead of personal details. For example, visible tattoos, hair color, and body weight can all play into a person’s first impression, but shouldn’t affect a candidate’s standing unless it’s a direct negative for the position. 

    Snap judgments also go both ways. There can be situations where an interview may be unconsciously biased toward a candidate because of a first impression. Even something as simple as going to the same high school or being proud Corgi owners can add a sense of “likability” that may color your perception of a candidate’s answers. Instead be hyper-aware that the quality of the interview should focus on a candidate’s qualifications and fit for the company, not some secondary factor.

    Don’t ask for salary history

    While you may be curious to know what candidates earned in the past, that information may do more harm than good. First, certain states have made it illegal to ask applicants about their salary history. Even if you’re in a state that still allows the practice, that information can lead to incorrect misconceptions about certain candidates.

    One reason for this is that it can be easy to try and relate people’s current and past salaries to their abilities and level of responsibility. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Every company approaches compensation differently, so it’s impossible to truly know if a lower salary is an indication of lesser talent or if employees are applying because it’s a better opportunity.

    For example, the presence of unconscious gender bias plays a part in why women’s median annual earnings are $9,766 less than men’s. In the end, it can be close to impossible to definitively use salary history to judge a candidate’s ability. Instead, it’s best to avoid the question and remove any possibility of unconscious bias based on the results.

    Provide a salary range

    While asking for salary history can prove problematic, providing a salary range is a good way to keep everyone on the same page. Salary ranges provide a few distinct benefits. Notably, they allow you to set a salary expectation upfront and streamline or even eliminate salary negotiations from the hiring process. An added benefit of this tactic is that it can help eliminate some unexpected biases as well.

    As with asking for a salary history, the salary negotiation process can create some unconscious preconceptions that aren’t a true indicator of a candidate’s ability or fit. For example, some interviewers may find it odd if talented candidates ask for notably less than what you expect to pay them. A possible reaction would be to assume that these candidates aren’t as good as they seem in an interview and on paper. They may simply come from a business that paid them notably less – especially if their salaries are impacted by the aforementioned pay gap. By setting a salary range, you can avoid these questions altogether and build trust with candidates who appreciate transparency. 

    Use skill assessments and work sample tests

    If you’re trying to find the best possible person for a certain role, it may be best to test out their skills first. Resumes, interviews, and other sources can provide great insight. Unfortunately, it’s no secret that some candidates will exaggerate their abilities. However, you may be more likely to believe them based on a snap judgment or some other preconceived notion. Work sample tests and skill assessments can give you additional evidence of just how well a candidate can perform a job or if they have what it takes to succeed.

    If you want an indicator of whether an employee has what it takes, skill assessments can give you extra insight into that person’s capabilities. From personality tests to situational judgment assessments, these examinations can help you confirm or deny any initial suspicions so that your company isn’t banking on gut decisions alone. The exact skill assessments you choose can vary greatly. To help, TalentLyft provides a comprehensive list of different skill assessment tools available.

    Work sample tests offer extra insight in that you’ll get to see how a candidate may do with a real project or task. These tests are different than requesting past work samples – you have full control over what is assigned. In addition, the test you use for an opening should be the same for every candidate who makes it to that point in the process. This will allow you to compare each candidate based on the quality of their work instead of outside factors.

    Identify the Perfect Candidates for Your Company

    The hiring process is complicated. While it may seem simple – find and hire the best candidate – there are a multitude of factors that impact every step of the process. However, all the time and effort spent is worth it when you find that perfect person to fill a position.

    Of course, there are always ways to help streamline and improve the hiring process. GMS can help you create a new, more efficient hiring process to not only help you find the right people for your business, but also help you use your time to focus on growing your business in other ways. Contact GMS today to talk about employee recruitment and onboarding management.

  • When you can’t meet face-to-face, video interviews are a great way to assess a potential candidate. When in-person meetings aren’t feasible, video interviews allow you to visually interact with applicants regardless of their location.

    Of course, there are some additional hurdles with video interviews. Technical difficulties with video conferencing technology or unfamiliarity with video interviews can derail a promising conversation. To help, we’ve put together some tips you can follow to streamline your video interview process and quickly hire the right employees.

    A job candidate going through a video interview with a small business owner. 

    Set Up Your Interview Space

    Your face isn’t the only thing candidates will see during a video interview. Your background can say a lot about your organization, both good and bad. Regardless of whether you’re operating in an office or at home, take the time to ensure that your interview space is set up for a video interview. 

    Proper lighting is critical for video presentations. A room that’s too dark will muddle your appearance and look dreary. On the flip side, direct sunlight will create strange shadows or blow out your features. Try experimenting with adding lights, closing shades, or repositioning your space to see which works best for you. When in doubt, have someone take a picture of you from another computer so that you have an idea of what candidates will see ahead of time. 

    The physical presentation of your space also sends a message to the interviewees. It should come as no surprise that your space should be clean – dirty mugs or marks on the wall aren’t going to send a great message to prospective employees. However, your space doesn’t need to be devoid of items. Awards, personal knickknacks, and photos are perfectly acceptable and can even add some character to the interview process as long as they’re workplace appropriate. A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t want your employees to see something, keep it out of the camera’s view.

    Dress Appropriately

    After you’ve dressed up your space for a video interview, it’s time to think about how you should dress. If you’re at the office, you’re probably already in appropriate apparel. However, conducting video interviews at home can lead to some loose definitions of professional garb. Your outfit communicates a lot about your company culture, so you’ll want to make sure what you wear is right for your business.

    While you may only be visible from the waist up on camera, you should take the time and effort to dress appropriately from head to toe. Your exact outfit depends on you and your company. For some, that may mean a full suit and tie while others may embrace a much more casual appearance. Regardless, your clothes should always be clean and presentable – a stained shirt is certainly not going to help anyone out during an interview.

    Remove Potential Distractions

    It can be easy to forget about something until it announces it’s presence during a video interview. Do a quick scan of your interview space and identify if there are any objects that will create noise, flash, or somehow distract you or the interviewee. You should also silence your phone ahead of time – your next call or text can wait until the interview is over. If you’re working from home, let your family know when you have an interview and find a quiet spot in the house away from pets and kids.

    Distractions also extend to your computer as well. Everything from email to messaging platforms can pop up messages or make noise throughout your video interview. Even if you aren’t sharing your screen, these popups and sounds can distract you and your interviewee from the task at hand. Make sure to close out these applications ahead of the video interview to put a stop to these issues.

    Of course, some distractions are unavoidable. If you’re working from home, there’s not much you can do if your neighbor decides to mow the lawn or your dog barks at a squirrel in the front yard. If you think background noise is a possibility, be upfront with your interviewee that he or she may hear some sound on your end. Acknowledging potential noise will at least take the surprise out of the situation and make the occasional disruptive neighbor less awkward.

    Get Comfortable in Front of a Camera

    In general, how you act and speak during a video interview shouldn’t be different than a face-to-face meeting. The issue with video interviews is that you may not be quite as comfortable in front of a camera. It can be more difficult to pick up on body language or certain speaking cues when your candidate is on a screen in front of you, so you’ll want to focus on a few practices to keep you and the interviewee at ease.

    To start, try to maintain positive body language on screen. Some people have a tendency to fidget or sway during video calls, especially if the meeting starts to go long. Even if unintentional, moving back and forth is not only distracting to candidates, it’s also a visual sign that you may just be that into them. Even if that’s true, better posture and body language can help make for a better interviewing experience for both parties.

    Eye contact is also important. Whether you’re glancing at yourself onscreen or referring to a candidate’s resume or other documents, you want to try and keep the candidate at ease. Look at the camera occasionally to establish eye contact and try to limit wayward glances to show that you’re interested in what the candidate is saying. You should also be careful not to interrupt candidates as they speak. It can be trickier to tell when someone has finished a point in video calls, so take an extra pause to ensure a candidate finished his or her response before stepping in to speak.

    Do Some Test Runs Before Your Video Interviews

    Not sure exactly how the video interview process is going to work? Test out the process with someone else instead of winging it with your next potential employee. Practice interviews with current employees, family members, or other test subjects will help you iron out the process and identify any technical issues before they become an embarrassing problem. This will give you an opportunity to troubleshoot any difficulties with your video conferencing platform or equipment.

    Test runs also give you a chance to practice everything else that’s on this list. Not sure how your workspace translates to interview? Your test partner can let you know if you need better lighting or if you’re glancing off camera too much. Once you’ve highlighted these issues, you can solve existing problems or take what you’ve learned and apply them to the interviews that count.

    Give Detailed Instructions to Job Candidates

    If you had some issues with your video conferencing platform, it’s fair to say that some of your job candidates may as well. Whether you use Zoom, WebEx, or any other video conferencing platform, you’ll want to be as thorough with video interview instructions as possible.

    To start, you should let candidates know what platform you’re using and if they need to download any software, create an account, or anything else to use the platform. After that, you should lay out step-by-step instructions for accessing the platform, whether it’s as simple as clicking a link in an email or something more complicated. Don’t be afraid to include screenshots as well for visual assistance. Not only will this help them successfully join the interview, it’ll also cut out potential delays by giving them this information days ahead of time instead of forcing them to figure it out at the last minute.

    Of course, there are some situations where technical difficulties may foil even the best of plans. Provide candidates with a backup phone number (and ask them for one as well) on the off chance of user error or an issue with your video conferencing platform. You’ll also want to schedule out extra time for video interviews. Not only will this allot some buffer time in case of technical difficulties, but it can also be valuable if you need to conduct back-to-back video calls. Just don’t use the same meeting room and access code for multiple interviews – the last thing you want is to have one candidate join early on another prospect’s call.

    Find the Right Employees for Your Company

    Whether you’re interviewing people in person, via video, or on the phone, it’s critical to identify the right people for your business. A Professional Employer Organization can help you streamline this time-consuming process through employee recruiting services that help you find top talent and build your business for the future. Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about how we can help your simplify your hiring process. 

  • Hiring talented, committed employees is a crucial part of running any business. Identifying those key employees is especially important when you need to lean on those individuals during a recession. Even during tough times, you may find yourself in a position where you need to grow your team. Between financial concerns and a growing pool of potential candidates, it’s important to weigh a few factors to ensure you make the right hiring decision for your business.

    An employer finding the right new employee during a recession.

    Scrutinize Each Open Position

    In a recession, you may not have quite as much flexibility to add to your payroll. This impact on your bottom line means that it’s additionally important to review your hiring needs and estimate timelines and costs. If you’re looking to add employees, you’ll need to examine short- and long-term needs and see how adding people will impact your business. 

    To start, analyze every opening. Is this a role that’s absolutely essential or will help generate business, even during a recession? You’ll want to determine the importance of each potential position and fill the most crucial roles first if you need to be picky. You’ll also need to try and forecast how the recession will affect your business – if there’s a fair chance you’ll need to furlough or let people go in the near future, you should hold off on adding employees. You can also get creative with certain openings. Freelance or temp workers are a short-term solution that can help when money is tight.

    Evaluate Your Current Staff

    If you’re looking to fill certain positions, you should also look inward for hiring opportunities. There may be a talented employee ready to make the jump and take on more responsibilities instead of having to hire another person. This scenario is hugely beneficial during a recession for a couple of reasons. 

    First, internal hires tend to cost less than external ones. Not only can promoting from within take less time and effort than a lengthy interview process, the starting salary for external hires is roughly 18 to 20 percent higher on average than internal candidates. Second, you already know how an internal candidate fits into your company culture. This familiarity is extremely important, especially when you consider that external hires are 61 percent more likely to be fired from new positions than people who are promoted from within.

    There’s also a chance that after evaluation, you may realize that you don’t need more employees – or that you may need to fill more holes than you expected. It’s good to take a critical look at your organizational structure and current staff. To do this, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests asking yourself a few questions:

    • Do we have the right leaders, and are they in the right positions? 
    • Is our staff aligned to meet organizational goals?
    • What opportunities do we have to improve or grow the business? 
    • How can we best structure our work groups to achieve optimal results? 
    • How can we reduce costs without compromising the quality of our product or service? 
    • Can we automate or outsource any functions or processes to drive internal efficiency?

    The answers to these questions can help inform key decisions, which is especially important during a recession. An in-depth review of your team will help you identify ways to make your workforce more efficient or gaps that can be filled by existing employees. You may also learn that you need to fill a different role than originally planned. Regardless, looking inward can help you get the team you need in place so that you can stay strong during a recession.

    Market Your Business, Not Just the Job Opening

    A recession is an unsettling time for both employers and employees. Seeing friends, family, and coworkers get furloughed or laid off can make a once promising job candidate less likely to look for a new job. There are also a few other reasons why potential prospects would refrain from job hunting:

    When talented prospects are hesitant to move, it’s time to approach recruiting with a marketing mindset. Make it clear to candidates exactly why your business is a great landing spot. If you know that your business is financially secure, make it clear to concerned candidates that the new position is a safe landing spot for talented, innovative people. 

    Showcase the aspects of your business that make your brand an attractive one to work for, whether that’s an attractive benefits plan, quality of life perks, or any other differentiators. It’s also important to listen to desirable candidates about what they want in a job. These details can help you understand what it takes to attract top talents in trying times and adjust your recruiting approach accordingly.

    Be Selective, But Don’t Drag Your Feet

    With layoffs and furloughs, the hiring pool is larger than usual during a recession. These factors may give you a wider group of potential prospects, it can also mean that there are more unqualified people eyeing your positions. As such, it’s crucial that you work to find the right candidate for the job. If you have specific requirements, make them clearly known on job descriptions to narrow your candidate pool to the proper people. Don’t be afraid to be picky – hiring a new employee is a major investment, so finding the best fit is key.

    Once you identify someone as a top target, it’s time to act. You’re not the only company looking to hire in a recession, so top talent can disappear quickly once other companies recognize their worth. If you feel great about a candidate after going through the interview process and the background check comes back clean, don’t hesitate to make an offer before another business does.

    Get the Right Team in Place for Your Business

    A recession is a challenge for just about every business, but having the right people in the right seats can help keep your business stable during difficult financial times. Do you need help recruiting the right employees for your business? Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about employee recruiting services and employee benefits administration to attract top talent to your team.