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  • Hiring a new employee is one of the most crucial decisions a business owner can make. The right hire can strengthen your team, boost productivity, and support business growth. Conversely, the wrong hire can result in turnover, training costs, workplace disruptions, and potential compliance issues.

    This is why pre-employment screening is essential in the hiring process. A well-designed screening process helps employers verify qualifications, identify potential risks, and make more informed hiring decisions before extending a job offer.

    Key Takeaways

    • Pre-employment screening helps employers verify candidate qualifications and experience.
    • Screening can help reduce hiring risks, support workplace safety, and improve retention.
    • Common screening methods include resume reviews, interviews, skills assessments, reference checks, and background checks.
    • Employers should follow all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws when conducting screenings.

    Why Is Pre-Employment Screening Important?

    Finding qualified candidates is challenging in today’s labor market. When a position remains open for an extended period, managers and existing employees often feel pressured to expedite the hiring process. However, rushing to fill an open role without proper screening can lead to costly hiring mistakes.

    Pre-employment screening helps employers make informed hiring decisions by verifying a candidate’s qualifications, reviewing their employment and education history, evaluating job-related skills, and identifying potential red flags before making an offer. While no screening process can guarantee a perfect hire, it provides valuable information that assists employers in determining whether a candidate is likely to succeed within the organization. This not only supports workplace safety and productivity but also contributes to a positive company culture.

    What Is Pre-Employment Screening?

    Pre-employment screening is the process of reviewing and verifying information about a job candidate before making a hiring decision. This process typically involves several steps that help employers assess a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and overall suitability for the position.

    Depending on the role and industry, screening may include reviewing applications and resumes, conducting interviews, administering skills or personality assessments, verifying employment and educational history, checking professional licenses, contacting references, performing background checks, and, in some cases, conducting drug tests.

    Screening is not merely about eliminating candidates; it helps employers gather essential information to determine whether an individual has the knowledge, experience, and traits needed to succeed in the role.

    What Does the Screening Process Typically Look Like?

    Pre-employment screening processes typically occur in multiple stages during the hiring process, allowing employers to narrow their candidate pool and verify information before making an offer.

    Before the interview

    The screening process typically begins with a review of applications and resumes. This initial step helps employers determine if candidates meet the minimum requirements for the position. Hiring managers can assess relevant work experience, educational backgrounds, industry knowledge, technical qualifications, and responses to any job-specific questions included in the application.

    Since resumes only offer a brief overview of a candidate’s background, many employers supplement these reviews with skills and aptitude assessments. These evaluations help identify whether candidates possess the technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, communication skills, or analytical capabilities necessary for success in the role. By incorporating objective data into the hiring process, employers can make more informed comparisons between applicants.

    Some organizations also use personality assessments to gain a deeper understanding of how candidates may approach their work, collaborate with colleagues, or respond to various workplace situations. While these assessments should never be the sole basis for a hiring decision, they can provide valuable insights into communication styles, leadership tendencies, and workplace behaviors.

    During the interview

    Interviews provide employers with the opportunity to go beyond the information listed on a resume, allowing them to gain a more comprehensive understanding of each candidate.

    Phone and video interviews are commonly used early in the hiring process, especially for remote positions or candidates who are located outside the local area. These conversations help employers assess various factors, including communication skills, professionalism, interest in the position, and overall qualifications, before investing additional time in later interview rounds.

    As candidates move forward in the hiring process, in-person interviews offer a chance to evaluate how they interact with managers, coworkers, and the work environment. These discussions often cover job expectations, career goals, company culture, and workplace processes.

    A successful interview process strikes a balance between structured questions and open-ended discussions. Employers should ask questions directly related to the role, encourage detailed responses, explore past accomplishments, and allow candidates to ask questions of their own. One frequent challenge is that employers sometimes focus solely on technical qualifications while neglecting cultural fit. Many of the most successful hires possess not only the skills required for the job but also the ability to thrive within the organization’s culture.

    After the interview

    Once employers identify a promising candidate, they typically complete additional verification steps to confirm the accuracy of the information gathered during the hiring process.

    Employment and credential verification help confirm previous job history, educational achievements, professional licenses, certifications, military service, and other qualifications relevant to the position. These steps provide added confidence before extending a formal job offer.

    Many employers also conduct background checks as part of their screening process. Depending on the position, these checks may involve reviewing criminal history, employment records, professional credentials, and other job-related information. Background checks should always comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

    What Legal Regards Should Employers Consider?

    Employers must conduct pre-employment screening fairly, consistently, and in compliance with applicable regulations. Employers should familiarize themselves with guidelines set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as well as privacy and consent requirements, state and local hiring laws, and any industry-specific regulations.

    Certain sectors, such as healthcare, education, government, and roles involving vulnerable populations, often have additional screening requirements. As employment laws continue to evolve, many businesses collaborate with HR professionals to ensure compliance and minimize potential hiring risks.

    Common Pre-Employment Screening Mistakes

    Even well-intentioned employers can make mistakes during the hiring process. One common issue is rushing to fill an open position without thoroughly evaluating candidates. Other challenges include not verifying the information provided by applicants, applying screening standards inconsistently, asking inappropriate interview questions, overlooking compliance requirements, and relying too heavily on a single screening method.

    A comprehensive screening process gives employers a clearer and more complete picture of each candidate, helping them make stronger and more confident hiring decisions.

    How Can HR Support Your Screening Process?

    Pre-employment screening requires time, consistency, and attention to compliance requirements. While many business owners understand the importance of screening, managing the process internally can be challenging when balancing day-to-day business operations.

    HR support can help businesses:

    • Develop consistent hiring procedures
    • Manage hiring documentation
    • Navigate employment regulations
    • Improve candidate evaluation processes
    • Reduce administrative burdens

    This allows business owners to focus on running their companies while maintaining control over hiring decisions.

    Strengthen Your Hiring Process with GMS

    Pre-employment screening is essential for employers aiming to make more informed hiring decisions, mitigate risks, and build stronger teams. Whether you are hiring your first employee or expanding an existing workforce, a structured screening process ensures you bring the right individuals into your organization.

    If you need assistance with hiring, onboarding, workforce management, or HR compliance, Group Management Services (GMS) is here to help. Our HR experts collaborate with business owners to simplify administrative tasks while supporting every stage of the employee lifecycle.

    Ready to improve your hiring process? Contact GMS to learn how our HR solutions can support your business.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is pre-employment screening?

    Pre-employment screening is the process of reviewing and verifying information about a job candidate before making a hiring decision. It can include interviews, reference checks, employment verification, skills assessments, background checks, and other job-related evaluations.

    Are background checks required for every employee?

    Not necessarily. Requirements vary by industry, job responsibilities, and state or federal regulations. Some positions may require more extensive screening than others.

    What industries typically require more extensive screening?

    Industries such as health care, education, government, transportation, and finance, as well as positions involving children or vulnerable populations, often have additional screening and verification requirements.

    Can pre-employment screening help reduce employee turnover?

    While screening cannot guarantee long-term retention, it can help employers identify candidates who are better qualified and more aligned with the role and company culture, leading to stronger hiring outcomes.

  • Our recent history is shaped by two major events: the pandemic and the Great Resignation. Thousands of people were left without jobs, and it was a big challenge for recruiters to replace them. As a result of such challenging times, individuals have realized the value of family and close relationships even more than ever, which has caused them to look for better opportunities. Approximately 47 million people resigned from their jobs in 2021 in the United States. Candidates aren’t settling for life in cubicles with a 45-minute commute. They’re looking ahead to a more promising career path.

    In this post-pandemic world, it’s time for businesses to pivot. With the volume of candidates and the number of positions available in 2023, you know it will be challenging to attract new employees. Here are tips on how you can attract candidates to fill your open jobs in the upcoming year.

    Establish Your Goals

    Attracting the best talent and building an effective team takes more than a job posting. It takes a strategic plan that includes goals, processes, communication channels, and more. This will be your foundation when driving forward your recruiting plan and retaining top-tier talent. Ask yourself:

    • What does a top performer look like to our organization?
    • What will our organization look like in 2023? What are we trying to achieve?
    • What specific roles are we looking to hire for?
    • What skill sets do we need to fill those roles?
    • What can we do to better our organization for incoming talent? What can we improve?

    You may have some heavy lifting to do before you can hire the talent you’re looking for. However, asking these questions will help assess those areas so you can create a solid plan.

    Revise Your Recruiting Plan

    Once you’ve asked yourself these important questions and created some goals, it’s time to get started on a plan that will put those goals into action. It’s essential to have a clear hiring plan in place before you bring on new talent. When you have a sense of what you need, you can attract new candidates with better quality.

    A strategic recruitment plan will typically cover:

    • Headcount planning
    • Ideal candidate profiles
    • Your employee value proposition
    • Your recruitment marketing strategy
    • Your selection processes
    • Your onboarding processes
    • Tools and technology
    • Your recruitment budgets
    • Your timeline

    This is also the time to decide who will help you achieve this plan. You may decide to outsource this help if you don’t have a proper internal recruitment process or simply outsource assistance for specific tasks. These tasks can include writing job descriptions, reviewing applications, and reaching out to candidates to schedule interviews.

    How To Attract And Retain New Talent

    While a recruiting plan will help you in your overall strategy, it’s important to consider what your potential candidates are looking for in a company and within the hiring process. They will carefully assess how you conduct business and what you offer them, which will ultimately be the deciding factor when accepting the position. Once you attract talent, the goal is to retain that talent; it’s beneficial to look at how your organization functions and why people should work for you. 

    Consider remote work

    In this post-pandemic world, remote work is becoming normalized and, to some degree, expected. While not all jobs can be performed in an at-home setting, remote work has opened the door for better flexibility around working hours. This means candidates are keeping an eye out for hybrid schedules or fewer constraints around business hours. In fact, two days of remote work is the new requirement for job seekers.

    Incorporate branding

    86% of HR professionals surveyed indicated recruitment is becoming more like marketing. And in a way, it is! Branding plays a huge part in the vetting process for job seekers. They’ll scope your business social media platforms, company website, and read your latest blogs to get an idea of who you are as an organization. If they don’t like what they see, this will definitely impact their decision to choose your offer over someone else’s.

    Write a solid job description

    The job description is the first thing your potential hire is going to read. What does it covey about your company? Are your values reflected? If not, it may be time for a rewrite. Job descriptions that don’t sell your company and clarify what this particular position will involve can be a stumbling block to landing the right person. A good job description should include the following:

    • Job title
    • Duties and responsibilities 
    • Location
    • Education and skill requirements
    • Salary range
    • Benefits and company perks

    Clearly communicate during the hiring process

    Recruiters are often the first interaction candidates will have in the interview process. This first impression reflects your organization, so be sure they’re a good choice for your brand and have strong people skills. A good interview and communication process can speak volumes about your company and a good recruiter will follow up with candidates regularly. This includes quick responses when scheduling follow-up interviews, communicating the hiring process, and being prompt in answering questions.

    Show candidates that you value them

    Showing that you value your potential hires can be good during the interview process, but it’s especially beneficial in the long term. Investing in and supporting employees is one of the key ingredients to maintaining a good relationship, and in turn, retains good talent. You don’t want to lose great employees just because they feel undervalued. Be sure to present them with new opportunities and reward their hard work.

    Make their priorities a priority

    Any talented employee will encounter problems at some point, whether with people or processes. They’ll often go to management to voice concerns or offer solutions, so it’s vital that your management team is ready to handle these issues head-on. New hires often notice room for improvement pretty quickly. Being open to feedback shows that you value growth and make their priorities your priority.

    Curate a good company culture

    No company can master a good company culture overnight. It’s a practice that takes years of work, good management, mindful hires, and diligence, but it’s a crucial key in retaining employees. This post-pandemic age is proof that employees can be successful all while working from the comfort of their homes, so a healthy work-life balance is what any good hire is looking for. Setting this as a priority will lead to long-term success.

    Assess your processes

    We’re all familiar with the day-to-day grind and the toll it can take, especially when you don’t have the proper tools to do your job. That’s where streamlining processes can come in handy for your employees. Invest in tools and resources that make them efficient. Efficiency = productivity.

    Show them the money

    The majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 said low pay, no opportunities for advancement, and feeling disrespected at work were reasons why they quit. Securing top-tier talent goes hand-in-hand with proper compensation. Being open and transparent about salary and advancement opportunities shows a candidate that they’ll be valued, which retains them in the long run. Benefits are a part of the compensation package as well, so a good benefits program is also key.

    Ways To Find New Talent

    Recruiting new talent can be one of your most important tasks. But what if individuals are just simply not applying? You may have to get creative with your efforts or post jobs where you normally wouldn’t.

    Social media

    Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok are becoming revolutionary ways to find new talent. With these platforms, you’re able to capture attention in a way that is both engaging and informative. Use your job posting as a guide when crafting social content, and include the link to gain more applicants. For platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, try inviting them to visit your website for more information.

    Job board and career sites

    This one may sound like a no-brainer, but there is a likely chance that there are other job boards you may not have tried out. There are also various career sites catered to specific professions. By scoping out the most relevant job boards for your vacancies, you’ll spend less time reviewing irrelevant applications and attracting the most suitable candidates.

    Networking events

    Orchestrating or finding networking opportunities can be an easy way to discover new talent. Everyone attends networking events to gain something, whether it be mentorships, new opportunities, or work relationships. Even if it doesn’t result in an immediate hire, networking can lead to a pool of mutuals that may apply in the future.

    Employee referrals

    Everyone knows someone, and this is true with professionals, too. Offering employee referrals can be a great way to find like-minded individuals to fill open positions. You can incentivize your employees to do this as well through a referral program set by your organization. For example, companies commonly offer $1,000 to the employee that gave the referral.

    Let’s Find The Right Candidates

    Hiring in 2023 doesn’t have to be an impossible feat. By putting in the effort and following a solid recruitment plan, you’re bound to find job seekers who are eager to work for your organization. But the journey doesn’t end there. Building a good company culture and offering room for growth is truly the key to success.

    Between ongoing training and employee recruitment services, it takes a lot of time and effort to find, hire and develop the right people for your organization. At GMS, we give you access to the tools and resources necessary to take on these responsibilities while improving your overall recruiting, hiring, and training efforts. Our human resources experts work closely with you to offer guidance on these processes. We’d love to help!

  • In the current economic climate, businesses face major challenges in retaining and attracting top talent. The talent war has made recruiting practices uncertain for all companies, regardless of size or industry. Employees have a wider range of career options than they’ve ever had. With remote and hybrid work options becoming more popular, employees are no longer constrained by where, when, or how they work. You might be wondering, what led to the talent war? Continue reading to learn more.

    Talent War

    The demand for greater workplace flexibility has continued to rise. There are 10 million jobs in the United States; however, only half the talent is qualified for the positions. In conjunction with rising wages, there has been a major talent shortage. The balance of power seems to have shifted away from the employer and toward the employee. Are you ready to combat the talent war?

    Promote Employee Value Proposition 

    Businesses should consider implementing an employee value proposition to win over the employees during the complex job market. An employee value proposition is a statement that shows what an employer or organization is willing to do to support its employees. Your employer brand is what attracts and retains employees for the long term.

    Clarify Recruiting Messages

    As a result of the pandemic, employees realized they needed a job that would not only fulfill them but also accommodate their needs. Employees have begun:

    • Shifting their own priorities
    • Pursuing more desirable salaries, benefits, and flexibility
    • Changing professional or educational paths

    Throughout the hiring process, recruiting is no longer about the job itself. Employees are looking to find a position that fits their specific needs.

    Align Your Marketing

    As a business, sharing a consistent message across all channels and platforms is important. This can begin on the careers page of your company website and reach across all social media sites.

    Social media allows your candidates to dive into your company culture, events, and more, to ensure they are the right fit. The following are major topics to consider when posting:

    • Culture and values
    • Employee spotlights
    • Client interactions or successes
    • Volunteerism and other community or philanthropic initiatives

    Break Geographical Barriers

    Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were often geographical barriers within the hiring processes. Since hybrid and remote work schedules became increasingly popular, there has been a break in that barrier. The recruiting process is not limited to one local area. This simplifies the process by finding quality candidates nationally or even internationally without expecting candidates to relocate.

    Make Everyone A Recruiter

    Recruiters are still responsible for finding top talent; however, it is no longer the expectation that recruiters are the only ones to engage in the hiring process to find qualified candidates. Push everyone at your company to share their experiences. Anyone can leverage their individual connections to refer to a potential candidate.

    Organizations often fear using platforms such as Glassdoor or Google My Business due to poor reviews with the opportunity to tarnish a company’s brand. Although these websites can cause uncertainty, they can create a major benefit. As an employer, it’s important to consider recruiting efforts that focus on the following:

    • Employee experience 
    • Company culture
    • Organizational values

    Focusing on these three key features will allow employers to feel at ease on review platforms. If the time comes that there is a negative review, be sure to work on addressing candidate or employee concerns. This allows job candidates to see your company’s professionalism while handling adversity.

    Uncertainty And Retention

    Throughout times of uncertainty, recruiting efforts shouldn’t stop. No matter what’s going on, you should still promote your employer brand to potential candidates. Focusing on your employer brand is more critical than ever. Employer branding is how your company is portrayed to potential job seekers. This can be shown through the values your business brings to the table.

    Recruiting is a continuous process. After seeing success, employers must consider employee retention. Unfortunately, not all employees stay for the long haul. To continue in your retention efforts, you must vocalize the following:

    • Why they’re here
    • Why their work matters
    • Potential opportunities
    • What they love about the company

    Don’t fall behind in the talent war, focus your efforts on your employee value proposition. Focus on building an employer brand based on experience, culture, and values. Ensure that your social platforms and website share a glimpse into your company culture. Push your employees to become brand advocates. It’s essential to never give up on these recruiting efforts, even when you’re not hiring.

    Your Hiring Hero 

    What makes your business stand out from others? Partnering with GMS allows you to boost your typical hiring practices and build plans to increase employee retention. If that’s not enough, we will assist you with the recruiting process, from hire to retirement. With GMS, you can say goodbye to the tedious hiring process and focus on your business. Contact us today to learn more.

  • Congresswoman Elise Stefanik introduced the Advancing Skills-Based Hiring Act. This bill will support employers seeking to adopt skills-based hiring practices that prioritize applicants’ job skills and abilities over college degrees. Skills-based hiring is the practice of screening and hiring new employees based on the skills, capabilities, and talent they bring to the table rather than their educational background or degree.

    Stefanik expresses, “While millions of Americans remain out of the workforce in the midst of a labor shortage, I am committed to helping employers broaden their applicant pool and identify talented workers who have gained skills outside of post-secondary education.” This act ultimately empowers employers to evaluate candidates based on their experience and not on their education. This hiring approach expands economic opportunity for the two-thirds of Americans who don’t have a four-year college degree. To strengthen their workforces, employers should also be able to use skills-based hiring by removing government barriers.

    The Advancing Skills-Based Hiring Act will:

    • Allow employers to voluntarily submit assessment validity evidence to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for proactive review
    • Provide employers a safe harbor if the EEOC determines their use of an assessment satisfies the legal burden of being “job-related”
    • Ensure employers can participate in this voluntary compliance initiative without risk by preventing the EEOC from using an employer’s participation as a basis for future investigation and protecting the information an employer submits from being used against them

    Implementing Skills-Based Hiring

    There are several ways you can begin implementing skills-based hiring within your business. The easiest way is through a skills assessment or job audition. These tests are designed to determine whether the applicants have the skills necessary to perform various essential aspects of the job. Most businesses integrate these tests early in the screening process to ensure that they focus on candidates uniquely qualified to perform.

    You may ask yourself how skills-based hiring is different from typical hiring processes. When business owners or HR professionals implement a traditional hiring process, the screening tools and tactics being utilized search for keywords on an application to verify that the candidate is suitable for the role. Ultimately, the traditional hiring approach uses education and previous job experience as a representation of talent. However, this approach has its disadvantages. Resumes are unreliable and don’t depict the candidate the way they should. Let’s face it, we’ve all revamped our resumes to make ourselves look perfect for the job. In addition, a degree doesn’t necessarily tell you if a candidate is capable of performing well.

    Adopting skills-based hiring practices allows companies to achieve the following:

    • Lowers recruiting costs
    • Enables companies to close skill gaps
    • Improves retention
    • Increases productivity with people who are truly equipped to perform well
    • Improves diversity hiring
    • lowers turnover

    Let’s Start 2023 Strong, Together

    This sounds like an excellent hiring process, right? However, we know what you’re thinking, it might take more effort than you would like. That’s where GMS comes into play. Our HR experts work closely with you to offer guidance on onboarding and training. We simplify the process. We can utilize skills-based hiring practices to attract your desired and needed employees. Julie Petro, GMS’ Recruitment Specialist expresses, “Skills-based hiring is extremely beneficial to all business owners. There are a variety of transferable skills that can be taught and applied to many different positions. Hiring based on skills rather than education can open up a larger and more diverse candidate pool, increasing the chances of a more successful hiring process.” Let’s start 2023 strong and partner with GMS. Contact us today.

  • While the COVID-19 pandemic is winding down, the talent shortage is still the number one challenge businesses face. According to a study, 55% of business owners and recruiters struggle to find qualified applicants for open positions. In addition, it’s said that the U.S. is facing one of the most alarming labor crunches it has ever seen.

    Alongside the shortage of quality talent, Glassdoor conducted a study showing that the average cost of hiring an employee is around $4,000. On top of that, the average time it takes to hire a new employee is 42 days. As a business owner, you don’t have time to deal with such challenges and the amount it costs to hire one employee. Continue reading to see what HR professionals say about automated recruiting software.

    The Importance Of Automated Recruiting Software

    Businesses are rapidly adopting recruiting automation tools to help streamline their hiring process. One of the most significant benefits of using recruiting automation software is that it saves you time by automating tedious tasks, which include screening resumes, scheduling and conducting interviews, and engaging with the candidates through the entire hiring process.

    As a business owner, there is only so much time to handle these tasks in one day. Make it easier for yourself and utilize recruiting automation software. Once you have automation tools in place, you can quickly identify top talent, which leads to hiring candidates faster than ever.

    The following are reasons why you should leverage recruiting automation tools:

    • Increases productivity 
    • Improves quality of hire
    • Bias-free hiring
    • Assesses candidate skills effectively 
    • Reduces the time to hire
    • Reduces the cost per hire
    • Enhances the candidate’s experience 
    • Increases diversity 
    • Creates a more straightforward onboarding process

    Recruiting automation tools ultimately help you attract and engage candidates by giving them a positive experience. In today’s competitive market, ensuring you’re providing an excellent candidate experience is essential. While there are many recruiting tools available to you, it’s vital that you conduct your research and understand the goals you want out of the software to make your job easier.

    Let’s Find The Candidates You Want And Need

    While the right candidate is out there, it’s up to you to wow them from start to finish. With GMS as a partner, you can find the candidates you want and need. We understand that between the ongoing training and employee recruitment services, it takes extensive time and effort to find, hire, and develop the right people for your business. GMS provides the necessary tools and resources to take on these responsibilities while improving your recruiting, hiring, and training efforts. We work with you to create enticing job descriptions that will attract top talent, conduct the initial interview with candidates, and provide you with employee training software that will set your employees up from the beginning. Stop wasting valuable time in areas that GMS specializes in. Contact us today!

  • In today’s world, technology is ever-changing. As a business owner, it’s vital to stay on top of these changes to ensure your business runs efficiently. For HR professionals, technology is utilized to attract, hire, retain top talent, support workforce administration, and optimize workforce management. Technology allows individuals to gather, collect, deliver information, and communicate effectively with their employees.

    Continue reading to learn five important steps to simplify your HR technology buying process. 

    Step One: Determine What’s Missing

    If you’re currently utilizing technology, you need to dive deeply into the software and determine what’s not working for you and what is. In addition, is there anything else you wish the software could do to make your job easier?

    If you have no technology system in place, you must start by writing down what you want the technology to assist you with. Do you want it to retain and attract top talent? Perhaps, you want to ensure your job descriptions reach the right candidates. Almost 60% of HR teams state that finding, attracting, and retaining talent is the main reason for using HR technology.

    Step Two: Do Your Research

    As soon as you determine what’s missing and what you’re looking for, it’s time to do your research. There are many types of HR software available to you that will address the specific needs you determined in step one. Whether it’s recruiting or simplifying your automation process, there’s a solution out there for you. Ensure you demo every software presented to determine if it meets all your needs. The goal of HR technology is to make your job simpler.

    Step Three: Involve Employees In The Selection Process

    Business owners make the common mistake of not including their employees in this selection process. Whichever software you decide to choose, your employees will be your change champions, using it daily, so their feedback and buy-in are essential. Have your employees sit in during the demo process, whatever that may look like. When deciding what software features should be implemented, their involvement can be extremely valuable. You want software that’s easy to learn to solve your pain points and aids in the growth of your business. Listen to your employees!

    Step Four: Reach Out To Other Users

    Once you determine what technology you want to begin implementing in your business, reach out to other users who have been utilizing the same software. Hear their success stories. What do they like about it? Is it missing any pain points that you want to be solved? Every software vendor should provide you with a list of references if their product has been valuable to other businesses. If not, that’s your sign to move in another direction.

    Step Five: Determine The Right Price

    Once you’ve completed the above steps, you’ve made it to the most important step, price. As a business owner, the last thing you want to do is our money into your business, while lacking growth. However, the implementation of HR technology is vital for the growth of your business. Reach out to other business owners you know who are utilizing HR technology in their business and ask what they’re paying for it. The size of your business also impacts the price. Doing your research will help determine if you’re paying too much or too little for what you’re looking for.

    GMS’ Technology Drives Your Efficiencies 

    HR technology is an essential aspect of your business as it provides you with a decision-making tool to manage costs and enables you to reduce the time spent on administrative functions. One of the most important value propositions GMS offers our clients is the accessibility to cutting-edge technology. This type of technology is typically out of reach for small to mid-sized businesses. When you partner with GMS, you gain access to GMS Connect, a fully integrated, cloud-based human resources information system (HRIS) that enables your services and drives your efficiencies. Our software enables world-class payroll, benefits, HR, recruiting, performance management, and more – covering the entire HR spectrum from hire to retire. To demo our HRIS, contact us today!

  • If you’re a small business owner, you understand there is never enough time to complete everything necessary to run your business. There is quite a bit on your plate from running sales, day-to-day operations, and dealing with issues that arise. On top of that, there is a slew of HR-related duties that need to be performed. Let’s look at the overwhelming number of tasks that HR must deal with and the time it takes to complete each one.

    Payroll

    It is estimated that small businesses spend five hours per pay period processing their payroll. Eighty percent of small businesses process payroll weekly or biweekly. Not only does processing payroll take a great deal of time, but nearly half of those who calculated payroll found it confusing and frustrating.

    Compliance

    Compliance is another time-consuming task for small business owners. A report shows that 14% of small businesses spend more than 20 hours working through federal regulations each month, while 25% of owners lose more than 10 hours of productivity to regulatory compliance. As laws and regulations are constantly changing, it’s vital to stay on top of them, ensure you are compliant, and avoid fines. Additionally, diverse labor laws across cities and states can complicate the process further.

    Benefits

    On average, 1.6 hours are spent each week on employee benefits. An average of eight hours is spent on benefits during the open enrollment period. Thirty-seven percent of businesses say there is a moderate to heavy amount of paperwork involved while managing employee benefits. Benefits should not be overlooked, given that it’s an important tool to retain workers.

    Hiring And Recruiting

    As if all the above wasn’t hard enough, it takes a business a significant amount of time and energy to hire and recruit employees. The time it takes a business to find and hire an employee is the biggest time strain. This process could take up to 30 hours to hire one new employee.

    The most time-consuming hiring tasks include:

    • Interviewing candidates – seven hours
    • Searching for candidates – six hours
    • Reaching out to candidates – six hours
    • Vetting candidates – six hours
    • Researching best practices – five hours

    This is very time-consuming for a small business to take on this task on its own. In addition, if you hire the wrong candidate and they either leave or are fired, it costs six to nine months of that person’s salary.

    GMS Is Here To Take On These Time-Consuming Tasks

    Group Management Services specializes in payroll, HR, benefits, and risk management. Not only will GMS save your business time and money, but we will take on the additional stress and frustration of completing these tasks. This allows you to focus on growing your business while maintaining compliance. Contact GMS today.

  • Since recruitment is an essential function of the human resources department, it’s important to have a strategic process in place. A recruitment process is a list of steps that gets you from the job description to the offer letter and ultimately, onboarding the new hire. It’s essentially a step-by-step approach to bringing in talented individuals who will help the company grow. The recruitment process not only helps attract the right kind of candidates, but it reflects the company’s values. Being able to understand how to optimize the job recruitment process can shorten the hiring cycle by 60% while also improving the quality of your hires. Continue reading to learn about the steps in the recruiting process.

    Step 1: Identify Your Needs

    Define exactly what you’re looking for in a candidate for each position. It’s essential to sit down with your team to determine the specific hiring needs for your open job positions. Make sure these requirements are precise, specific, and realistic. You may think it’s quite simple to replace a role for someone who just left. However, this step in the recruitment process tends to get more difficult when you’re starting from scratch for a position you’ve never had or you’re changing the responsibilities of a role.

    Step 2: Prepare The Job Description 

    Once you determine the candidate’s persona, write down a detailed job description. Creating a compelling and unique description will help you attract the most qualified candidates for your job. The job description summarizes the essential responsibilities, skills, and qualifications for the role. This is a very important step in the recruiting process. Your job description should include:

    • A clearly defined job title
    • The job overview 
    • Company overview 
    • Benefits
    • A list of responsibilities 
    • Required skills
    • Salary for the position 

    There are millions of job postings on the internet. Ensure you create a job description that will stand out from the rest. This is the beginning of marketing your company and your job to your future hire.

    Step 3: Create A Recruitment Plan

    After writing a detailed job description, sit down with your team to determine what the next best steps are. A recruitment plan will provide your team with an outline of the steps your company will take when filling the position. These strategies help businesses focus their efforts and resources on specific hiring strategies that will provide them with excellent candidates. Create a timeline for each step moving forward so you know exactly what you have to do to reach your end goal, an offer. On average, a new position takes 27 days to fill. Determine when and where you will conduct interviews. Have a deadline in place for when you need the position filled.

    Step 4: Start Searching

    When you start searching for candidates to fill the roles, it will be the most time-consuming step in the recruitment process. It takes time and patience to find the right candidate who is depicted in the first and second steps of the recruitment process. Utilize recruitment tools to cut down on search time. Below are ways in which you can best utilize your search efforts:

    • Create targeted ads (use social media platforms including LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor)
    • Engage with candidates who have applied in the past
    • Attend career fairs within the area
    • Employee referrals
    • Networking events

    Step 5: Recruit Top-tier Talent

    All companies want top talent to be a part of their team. However, these candidates most likely have many options. Your team must be strategic when recruiting these types of individuals. Especially in today’s tough labor market, attracting top talent is more competitive than ever. Companies need to be proactive so they can ensure that they attract the best talent and ultimately, keep them long-term. Below is a list of important factors to consider when looking for top-tier talent: 

    • Create a positive workplace culture
    • Treat current employees well
    • Know your best sources for talent
    • Plan your interviews based on the quality of talent
    • Be sure you verify candidates’ credentials
    • Make an offer fast
    • Keep in touch with quality candidates

    You need to ensure you make an offer fast to top-tier talent as they are most likely receiving a handful of other offers from other companies. Top candidates are only available for 10 days before being hired elsewhere. If they decline your offer and decide to go elsewhere, continue to stay in touch with them. It shows the candidate that you had a high interest in them, and you may find another position with your company that might be a better fit in the future.

    Step 6: Conduct A Phone Screen

    Once your team has found a handful of qualified candidates, it’s time to start interviewing. Prior to bringing the candidates in for a formal interview, conduct a phone screening to confirm they will be a good fit for the position. The phone interview step gives you the opportunity to ask preliminary questions and determine which applicants have met the necessary job requirements to move on to the next step, an in-person interview. This allows your team to narrow down the selection process and make sure you want to take the time to interview the candidate in person. Job candidates are interviewing your company the same way you’re interviewing them. Be sure you have a list of the top interview questions to ask before you begin this step. Questions to ask in a phone screen interview:

    • Tell me about yourself
    • Can you tell me about your background?
    • Why are you leaving your current employer?
    • What do you know about our company?
    • What are your salary expectations?
    • How soon would you be able to start?
    • Do you have any questions?

    Step 7: Interview In Person

    Following the phone screening interview and determining qualified candidates, it’s time to bring them in for an interview. These interviews should be conducted quickly after the phone screen interview. This step in the recruiting process should be unique and show the candidate what your company is all about. The cost of a bad hire adds up with the salary, training costs, hiring a replacement, etc. On average, companies lose $14,900 on every bad hire. Consider asking these questions to get the most out of your interview:

    • What type of impact did you make at your most recent job?
    • Tell me about a time you failed to reach a goal or complete a project. What happened, and why were you unsuccessful?
    • How would your colleagues describe you?
    • Name a work accomplishment that makes you proud. 
    • What motivates you?
    • Do you like working with a team or working alone?
    • When conflict arises at work, how do you handle it?
    • Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

    Be sure you are communicating with the candidate about where you are in the process and what the next steps are. Be sure to lay out the timeline so they know exactly what to expect.

    Step 8: Offer

    You’ve made it to the final steps where you see all your hard work pay off. You have determined a candidate that possesses the qualities you’re looking for. This is the most important step of the recruitment process. Make sure you present a desirable offer to the candidate that they won’t pass up. You first need to make a verbal job offer. Let the candidate know right away that you’re extending an official offer of employment. Be sure to provide details regarding the position, start date, compensation, bonus structure (if applicable), pay frequency, and when they need to accept or decline the offer.

    After you offer the candidate a verbal offer over the phone, it’s time to move on to the written offer. Provide all the information mentioned in the verbal offer along with their future manager’s contact information, and any steps they might have to take so they can come in ready to go for their first day of work. Make sure you get the written offer letter over to the candidate as soon as possible, via email. Provide a deadline for them to get the offer letter back to you to keep the momentum going. Once you’ve sent the offer over email, follow up via phone or email to ensure they received the offer letter. Anticipate this step to take slightly longer and be ready to negotiate salary and benefits.

    If they accept the offer, ensure you are following up with them once a week between the acceptance date and their first day. If not, you could run into the chance of the candidate backing out.

    Step 9: Onboarding

    Onboarding the new hire is your final step in the recruitment process and lends a hand to their success within their new role. Although there will be a plethora of forms during the onboarding process, it’s also important to include processes and resources that will help them transition into your company successfully. Consider having one-on-one meetings with them weekly or bi-weekly to check in with the new employee.

    The Benefits Of Outsourcing HR

    As you’ve noticed, it takes a lot of time and money to implement a recruitment process successfully. From creating a job ad to finding the right candidate to providing opportunities for employee development, the cost of hiring and training adds up. Professional employer organizations (PEOs) like GMS provide guidance on hiring and training as well as manage the administrative burdens associated with all aspects of the employee life cycle.

    Melanie Bahr, Recruitment Specialist Manager at GMS, provides her insights on hiring. “In this ever-changing and challenging hiring environment, finding the right candidate can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Below are three important issues to consider in making a better hiring decision:

    1. Experience versus potential: experience is the most important and valued factor when evaluating a candidate. It’s important to remember experience is not everything, do not prioritize it over everything else. You may interview people who seem promising but don’t have much of a track record. While these candidates have not proven themselves at work yet, they have obvious potential.
    2. Skill set: determine what the must-have skills are and look at which skills you can train the candidate in. Many soft skills can make a candidate a great option and with little training, could be the right fit.
    3. Culture fit: consider thinking about how a candidate will fit in with your company’s culture. When employees are a good fit culturally, they will be happier at work allowing for enhanced productivity and reduced turnover.

    As a premier human resources company, we give our clients access to state-of-the-art HR software and other resources necessary to grow their business. GMS can help strengthen your business through our employee training and recruitment services. Contact us today to learn more.

  • Recruiting plays a major role for any growing company. The problem for many business owners is that recruiting is neither quick nor simple. It’s essential for employers to hire the right people for their business, but that type of commitment can take a lot of work and dedication without some help.

    Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) gives businesses the resources to simplify their recruiting efforts without sacrificing on the quality of their search. The RPO market has steadily grown for years as more businesses turn to outsourcing as a viable solution for their needs. In this post, we’ll break down how RPO works, why you may need it, and how it can benefit your business.

    What Is Recruitment Process Outsourcing?

    Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a partnership where a business hires a separate company to manage the various tasks and responsibilities associated with finding potential job candidates. The RPO provider then acts as the recruiting extension of that company and provides talent acquisition services based on their needs.

    RPO providers can come in different forms, ranging from third-party staffing agencies to Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) that provide comprehensive HR solutions. The exact level of RPO services can vary depending on how much assistance an organization needs. There are multiple types of outsourcing engagements available:

    • On-demand RPO – Outsource recruiting services on an as-need basis for a specific job or to accommodate recruitment during peak hiring seasons.
    • Partial-cycle RPO – Selectively outsource single or multiple components of the recruiting process to alleviate internal workload and maximize hiring efforts.
    • Full-cycle RPO – Have an RPO provider manage the entirety of the recruiting process, from initial job descriptions up to the final offer.

    Does My Business Need Recruitment Process Outsourcing?

    Regardless of the size of your business, there are multiple steps that an organization must take when recruiting new employees. Each of these tasks takes time and effort, including:

    • Writing and updating job descriptions.
    • Drafting a specification of desired attributes, skills, and other qualities for the ideal hire.
    • Advertising the opening on job boards, social media, and other places.
    • Screening the applications, creating standardized interview questions, and interviewing initial candidates.
    • Shortlisting applicants and conducting second interviews.
    • Selecting the most suitable candidate (or starting over if none was found).
    • Making a job offer.
    • Updating unsuccessful applicants.
    • Passing relevant client information along to initiate the onboarding process.

    The key to deciding whether to outsource some or all of these tasks involves your organization’s challenges and needs. Any of the following business challenges are legitimate reasons why businesses turn to RPO to bolster their hiring process:

    • Recruiting has become time-consuming and costly to manage internally.
    • Your organization needs to quickly address short-term turnover or keep up with demand.
    • Internal recruiting efforts aren’t yielding qualified candidates.
    • You’re looking to improve your time-to-hire.
    • It’s becoming difficult to manage and track all the different applications, especially when multiple managers or teams are involved.
    • You want to concentrate more of your time and energy on core business functions and leave recruiting to the experts.

    What Are The Benefits Of Outsourcing Recruitment?

    If you find that your business needs recruiting support, it’s time to consider an RPO. Outsourcing some or all of your recruitment efforts can benefit hiring managers and their employers in the following ways.

    Reduced recruiting costs

    It’s no secret that recruiting good talent takes time and money. Outsourcing these recruiting efforts not only reduces costs associated with labor, but also streamlines these processes to make them more efficient. RPO services can also scale with your business as it grows, adding even more flexibility and cost-efficiencies as your hiring needs increase.

    Improved time-to-hire

    A streamlined recruiting process does more than just reduce overall costs. RPO providers can cut down on hiring times by implementing more efficient recruitment strategies and attracting more qualified candidates. In turn, your business can start onboarding employees quicker than before.

    Better candidate quality

    Those same strategies also help businesses find employees who are particularly suited for open positions. In addition to expanding searches to new sources, RPO partners can directly recruit ideal candidates and reach out to these individuals. These measures can open your business up to new candidates you wouldn’t have found on your own.

    Recruitment technology

    Access to special software like applicant tracking systems (ATS) is another way that RPOs lead to both cost savings and an improved process. These systems can automate time-consuming tasks, use machine learning to sort and rule out applicants, and increase internal collaboration through a variety of functions and features.

    Advanced tracking and analytics

    Want hard data to show how well your recruiting efforts are working? RPO solutions can set performance benchmarks, provide real-time data to track success, and highlight areas for improvement.

    Streamlined onboarding

    An RPO doesn’t have to only support your recruiting efforts. These partners can help you streamline the onboarding process by integrating initial procedures into an ATS. This setup will help automate the welcoming process once an offer is accepted and prepare new hires with key documents, new employee forms, and other vital information.

    Compliance support

    A few simple mistakes can lead to compliance issues. RPO providers can help businesses stay clear of regulatory issues, such as avoiding illegal interview questions and establishing best practices for the recruitment process.

    How To Choose A Recruitment Process Outsourcing Partner

    While there are countless forms of recruitment companies out there, some are better for your business than others. It’s important to evaluate each provider before you invest in RPO. There are several factors that will impact which RPO provider is right for your organization.

    • The ability to scale with your organization, both over time and during seasonal hiring needs.
    • Customization options for your specific recruiting program.
    • Partnerships with employment websites and other hiring sources.
    • State-of-the-art technology and other resources.
    • Excellent customer service and organizational support.
    • Comprehensive HR outsourcing solutions that extend beyond recruiting.

    As recruiting top talent becomes more difficult than ever, GMS strives to help businesses simplify and improve their hiring efforts. Being a PEO, we can oversee the recruiting process to save you both time and money while providing you with a pool of quality candidates. Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about outsourcing employee recruiting and other time-consuming administrative functions.

  • Recruiting must be more strategic than ever, and you need a combination of creativity and diligence to recruit top talent. Most companies are in the same situation as you; the demand for great talent is skyrocketing, while there aren’t enough candidates available. Knowing this, connecting with qualified candidates and driving excitement about your company and each specific role must be done differently than your competitors. Continue reading to learn how to recruit different types of employees.

    How To Recruit Employees

    As we approach another year of an unprecedented labor market, talent acquisition professionals face recruiting and hiring challenges. The first step in recruiting employees is to create a recruitment strategy if you haven’t done so already – and, if you already have one in place, then – consider fine-tuning it to reflect the challenges facing the hiring process today.

    What Is A Recruitment Strategy?

    A recruitment strategy is a plan that is put together to help improve your current hiring process to accomplish the following goals: 

    • Improving job offer acceptance rate
    • Attracting more qualified candidates
    • Reducing new employee turnover rates
    • Streamlining application process

    Now, you may be implementing the goals listed above already however, there are ways in which you can improve them to make your hiring process more effective. Consider refreshing the candidate experience, post on different job boards, attend career fairs, or utilize an applicant tracking system.

    Once you improve your recruitment strategy, take the following steps to further help your recruiting efforts.

    1. Write appealing job descriptions

    As you are writing job descriptions for open positions, ensure they are direct and specific, free of buzzwords. The summary should only be a couple of sentences, providing the candidate with an understanding of the job. It should also include basic job functions of the role, qualifications, and your company culture.

    2. Offer incentives for employee referrals 

    By offering incentives to current employees, you open the door to talent you probably won’t find elsewhere. Your employees are most likely already sharing open positions with their contacts. That’s great! To make it more worthwhile, offering a well-developed employee referral program can encourage even more employees to refer the best talent. Hiring this way also allows the candidate to get an understanding of your business from an inside perspective, both positive and negative.

    3. Utilize social media 

    When recruiting new employees, consider utilizing social media platforms. Recruiting on social media allows you to share your open positions with an entire network of users. Sharing photos and videos from company events, the day-to-day life of employees, and company culture provide potential candidates with a glimpse into your company.

    4. Prioritize hiring internally 

    Consider hiring current employees first. Do not underestimate the power of passion over experience. Interviewing current employees has many benefits for your company. Your employees already know your culture and company. Having an inside perspective from another role within the organization provides them with a fresh take on any business challenges you are looking to resolve.

    5. Conduct great interviews 

    Interviews are meant to be informative and a pitch about your company. However, it’s also the candidate’s first experience with your company. Consider making your interview process unique and memorable to attract top talent. Create a welcoming environment and involve current employees that were in the same spot as the candidate not too long ago. Stand out by showing your company culture early in the interview process.

    How To Recruit Entry-Level Employees

    Recruiting entry-level employees can oftentimes be a challenge however, these employees can become the future of your company. Underestimating how important the process of hiring these employees can lead to trouble in the long run. It’s important you follow specific recruiting guidelines to find top entry-level employees. 

    Know Who Your Ideal Candidate Is

    Writing out a description of what characteristics you are looking for in a candidate is probably the most important step when recruiting for entry-level positions. It’s difficult for both the employer and the candidate to determine if the position is the right fit. Sit down with your team and create a list of characteristics the perfect employee for this role must possess. What strengths and traits would this person need to have in order to be successful and bring value to the team? Today, the majority of companies are hiring for entry-level positions, and there is a large supply of job seekers. However, the labor force of people ages 16-24 is projected to shrink by 7.5%. 

    It is likely that you will receive a lot of applications. Knowing your ideal candidate from the beginning will help you weed out the wrong candidates quickly.

    Create Targeted And Engaging Job Ads

    When creating job ads, make sure you are writing clear and realistic job descriptions. Remember, shorter job posts receive 8.4% more applications per view than average. List what required skills the candidate must possess instead of focusing on previous experience. You also want to include the benefits candidates have working for your company. Create an ad that makes candidates excited to work for your company. Most applicants will only spend 14 seconds deciding if they should apply or not. 

    Establish Career Paths

    Establishing early on in the interview process what the future could look like for the candidate is important. You want to show entry-level employees you are interested in a long-term career for them. Provide the candidate with a detailed list as to what the next steps can look like, what performance needs to look like to move up, and provide a timeline. Also, providing entry-level employees with ongoing training will allow these employees to learn new skills and be successful in the longevity of their careers within your business. 

    How To Recruit Minimum Wage & Seasonal Employees

    Most minimum wage and seasonal employees are students, individuals looking for a side job, or those in the agricultural sector who have busy seasons. Since these employees only stay around for a short period of time, recruiting these individuals can be a challenge. Putting in the time to train and teach these employees needs to be worthwhile and you need to make sure you’re hiring the right candidate.

    Offer Competitive Perks

    If you don’t currently offer competitive perks to your minimum wage employees, consider developing incentives to help with your recruiting efforts. Right now, companies are offering high hourly pay. Perhaps you give them a pay increase after they hit 90 days or additional bonuses for hitting certain goals. Consider comparing yourself to competitors and observe if you are in line with what they are paying per hour. You’re much more likely to attract candidates by offering benefits to minimum-wage employees. 

    Be Proactive

    If you know you’re hiring students who can only work within specific time frames, be proactive with your recruiting efforts. Students typically look for jobs in the summertime when they have the most amount of free time. Consider recruiting and interviewing these individuals prior to summer so you can be prepared when they come onboard. 

    Flexibility With Scheduling

    If you’re hiring students or individuals looking for a side job, it is most likely known that scheduling will be a concern. If students are on summer break, vacations are already planned, and activities are scheduled, leaving limited time to work. Adults who have children that are looking for a part-time job have responsibilities that could lead to complications in the future. Allowing individuals to work from home (if applicable) or creating their own schedule is a possibility when recruiting these employees. 

    The Benefits Of Outsourcing HR

    Considering all the factors that go into recruiting and hiring specific employees, it takes a considerable amount of time and money. Since COVID-19, companies have seen a huge increase in open jobs but not enough candidates to fulfill those positions. Professional employer organizations (PEOs) like GMS provide guidance on hiring and training efforts and will also manage the administrative burdens that are associated with all aspects of the employee life cycle. Outsourcing your HR responsibilities to an HR outsourcing company like GMS can help your business: 

    • Save time and money
    • Grow
    • Retain control
    • Retain employees

    Do what you do best and outsource the rest!