Tips for Employers

Being an employer has many rewards and challenges. Read through these tips for ideas on various topics including recruiting, interviewing, and rewarding your employees. For more information, see 101 Hiring Mistakes Employers Make, and How to Avoid Them by Richard Fein and 1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson.

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Prior to recruiting

1. Take the pro-active approach and carefully consider the skills needed to achieve the goals of the position.
2. Update the job descriptions on at least an annual basis.
3. Have a pool of possible candidates to contact. Review current employees to see if anyone meets the requirements for the open position.
4. Set up careful screening and reference checks for candidates.
5. Anticipate future vacancies and moves; obtain authorization to fill vacancies as they arise.
6. Make a plan with activities, goals, and budget in mind.

Recruiting candidates

1. Use the telephone to pre-screen potential employees. During a short, unexpected conversation, you can assess an applicant’s enthusiasm and verbal communication skills. This simple tool can save you a great deal of time and money.
2. Look through all candidates, especially those who are recently out of school, those experienced in the field, and those with a military background. All of these groups have a lot to bring to your company.
3. Participate in various networking opportunities including job fairs, open houses, and chamber events.
4. Talk with local colleges and universities about recruiting students and alumni.

Red Flags

Red flags are indicators that something on the applicant’s resume, application, or in the interview need further questioning and clarification. It is very important to ask the applicant about the red flag rather than assuming the cause of the item in question. For example, an applicant may have listed every reason for leaving past employers was due to company closure. You may think this applicant is lying, however, he or she may simply have worked in a field that is declining and where closure is very common. Some sample red flags:

• Stays with employers for very short periods of time
• Previous job was quit without giving notice
• Reasons for leaving several jobs were “personal”
• Someone who is late for the interview without a solid reason
• Does not listen to the interview questions or avoids the question asked
• References are not aware the applicant is looking for employment, or has not heard from him or her in a while
• Cannot complete the application correctly or has many errors or typos on resumes and cover letters
• Has large time gaps between jobs that may indicate some employers have been excluded from the resume. Gaps may not always be a bad thing, employers should keep in mind that some job seekers tailor each resume to the employer and therefore exclude some jobs they feel are not as relevant to the open position.
• Talks badly about past employers or supervisors
• Looks for a job after only spending a short time with the current employer.

Rewarding Employees

Rewarding your employees does not have to cost much and can bring a great deal of benefit to employee morale and overall production. There are three main ideas to keep in mind when thinking about rewarding your employees. First, match the reward to the person. Second, match the reward to the achievement. Third, reward the good action or behavior in a timely manner. Some ideas for no-cost or low-cost rewards include:

• Send a department or company-wide email letting everyone know of a good deed
• Talk with the person to tell him or her what he or she is doing well
• Ask an employee to come to your office to thank him or her and encourage him or her to keep up the good work
• Volunteer to do the employee’s least desirable task for the day
• Establish Way to Go cards to allow employees to praise one another. Be sure to keep copies in employee files for evaluations
• Create bulletin boards to display employee celebrations, outstanding employees, and Way to Go cards
• Write a kind note on employee paychecks
• Facilitate employee potlucks or management-sponsored breakfasts
• Hand out certificates for special achievements.