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7 Employer Interview Questions All Employers Should Ask

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Employer Interview

Just like employment screening, the employer interview is a critical part of the recruitment and hiring process. It’s crucial to ask focused, high-quality questions. Like the famous Proust Questionnaire from Vanity Fair, queries should be compelling, open-ended and assist the interviewer in finding out how creative and insightful the job applicant can be.

The following are seven employer interview questions to help glean valuable insights from prospective new workers:

1. So, tell me a little about yourself?

Beginning an employer interview this way can garner valuable information that wouldn’t otherwise be procured through direct questioning. It’s open-ended, conversational and allows the interviewer to get a sense of the individual’s communication style and skills.

2. Describe your favorite responsibilities or assignments from your last job and why you enjoyed them?

While resumes tend to offer a list of accomplishments and duties, the answer to this question will delve more deeply into some of their activities. The applicant’s true aptitudes and passions will be revealed.

3. What was your biggest challenge in your last job, and how did you deal with it?

Finding out how a new hire will tackle problems and pressures in the workplace is essential in determining if they will be a good fit.

4. What is your typical role in group projects?

The answer to this question will reveal if the person is a leader, a follower, or someone who can take both roles as needed.

5. How do you think your previous employer would describe you?

This query is another way of finding out the job applicant’s strengths and weaknesses as well as more insight into their self-concept. It will also help to reveal if they will be a fit in an organization’s culture.

6. Where do you see yourself in two years? Five years?

This classic interview question can help to expose the job applicant’s longer-term goals and motivations. Employers can get a sense if they plan to stay long-term at the company.

7. Would you like to ask me any questions?

Wrapping up an employer interview with this question allows for turning the tables and seeing a little more about how the candidate’s mind works. If they answer “no,” it could indicate a lack of depth and interest in the company; however, it could also mean the interview felt complete and they have done their homework about the job.

High-quality employer interview questions along with professional reference verification can assist in determining if a job candidate is a good fit. Employer interviews should consider asking these seven questions during the recruitment and hiring decisions process.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2014/06/18/10-job-interview-questions-you-should-ask/

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Reading Between the Lines: Interpreting LinkedIn Profiles During Pre-Employment Applicant Screening

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A new job applicant might have an impressive LinkedIn profile with lots of interaction and hundreds of endorsements, but how does an employer tell the different between someone with social networking savvy and someone with actual, relevant skills and expertise? Find out how to read between the lines on LinkedIn so you can find candidates during the pre-employment applicant screening process that truly meet your needs.

Pre-Employment Applicant Screening

Understanding LinkedIn Profiles During Pre-Employment Applicant Screening

Endorsements Likely Don’t Mean Much

LinkedIn’s endorsement system lets users endorse each other for various skill sets and knowledge. On the surface, an endorsement is someone backing a user’s claim that he or she has a specific skill. In reality, it’s hard to tell whether endorsements are genuine or are just users patting each other on the back. LinkedIn’s system suggests users endorse each other, and agreeing with a self-stated skill on the platform is as easy as liking a post on Facebook. Take the skills and endorsements list with the same grain of salt you would take similar information listed in a resume.

Look for Knowledge Displays

As with information on traditional resumes, experience, education, and work history on LinkedIn can be falsified or inflated. It’s harder to pass off incorrect information in an online environment where past coworkers and bosses might also have profiles, but it’s not impossible. Instead of taking a profile at face value, dig deeper into the descriptions a candidate supplies on their profile. Look for industry or career-specific verbiage. Lack of any verbiage—or verbiage clearly used in improper context—is a clue that the person has inflated his or her experience. Other knowledge displays that help you decide if an applicant is genuine include links or lists of publications, education lists, and interaction in groups on the platform. Pre-employment applicant screening services can include verification options for past employment verification, education verification, and professional license verification.

Don’t Rely Solely on LinkedIn

Never rely solely on the information in a LinkedIn profile—or a traditional resume—when hiring a candidate. Verify professional references and work history and use pre-employment applicant screening services to ensure the candidate meets your requirements when it comes to issues such as driving records or criminal background checks.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Employment Post-Hire Screening is On the Rise

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Post-Hire Screening

In 2013, Edward Snowden, who previously held a position as a subcontractor with the National Security Agency (NSA), leaks confidential information about the NSA’s surveillance activities. Another troublesome incident in 2013 occurred at the headquarters for the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.: Military Contractor Aaron Alexis went on a killing spree that left 12 dead and 14 injured. Alexis was shot and killed by the police.

Recent Morgan Stanley Hack Intensifies Focus on Post-Hire Screening

The 2015 Morgan Stanley hack has intensified the focus on post-hire insider threats. These threats range from fraud, embezzlement, child molesters, theft and active shooters. Employees, temporary workers and contractors have access to the workplace: An insider threat can come from any of these individuals.

Post-Hire Screening Can Assist in Preventing Insider Threats

Diligently performing post-hire screening can identify previously overlooked information or discover new threats that arise due to changes in circumstances.

Negligent Hiring Lawsuits

Employers who disregard properly screening their candidates may be at risk of a negligent hiring lawsuit. Ride-sharing service Uber is the defendant in a lawsuit filed by two women who claim they were sexually assaulted by their driver. The plaintiffs state that Uber markets its services to young women who have been drinking and passengers are put at risk due to Uber’s lax background checks. The Uber driver who allegedly sexually assaulted these women has a previous criminal conviction that was missed due to a lax background check.

The increase in negligent hiring lawsuits, in conjunction with concerns about terrorism has led to an increase in the number of employers who perform thorough background checks on potential and current employees.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

“Ban the Box” Can Affect Employer Hiring Practices and Results

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More than 100 counties and cities nationwide in 19 states have recently adopted “Ban the Box” laws. Employers and small businesses should be aware that these laws compel employers to consider job applicant qualifications first, not their past behavior.

Ban The Box

“Past” refers to a criminal record history including convictions. “Ban the Box” refers to employers not requiring job applicants to check a box revealing their criminal history. Employers must refrain from factoring this information into their hiring decisions, at least at first.

Balancing Worker and Employer Rights

“Ban the Box” types of initiatives offer job applicants a fair shake at a brighter future by taking the conviction history query from the application and delaying inquiry until later on in the process.

Momentum has grown quickly for this policy, with six more states adopting a Ban the Box rule in 2015. A total of 19 states now enforce this policy. The current list of states that “ban the box” during hiring as of this writing are as follows:

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Seven states have taken away conviction history queries on private employer applications, indicating further evolution of the Ban the Box policy.

On a federal level, the EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) endorsed removing the question about the convictions as a best practice for 2012, saying that civil rights laws apply. The “My Brother’s Keeper” Task Force of the Obama Administration also endorsed this movement when plugging hiring practices that encouraged employers to judge candidates on their individual merits and give them a fair chance.

“Ban the Box” legislation could affect employer hiring processes and results in the following ways:

Employers Have a Unique Opportunity to Assist the Community

Policies promoting a fair chance can benefit communities profoundly. In some cases, those who made mistakes in the past have reformed and are just looking for an opportunity to prove themselves.

A Reward of Quality, Loyal Workers

Many employers are seeing the value in hiring someone who is truly looking to make a fresh start. A job can make all the difference in someone’s life; giving someone with a past a chance can result in a loyal, hardworking employee.

While Ban the Box has been banned in some states, vetting for viability is allowed later in the hiring process. Using a professional employment background screening service for criminal checks can help take the guesswork out of proper job applicant screening so that businesses stay in compliance with current laws.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

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